Troubleshooting and solving common fire alarm issues
Ensuring a smoke or heat alarm is working efficiently and correctly is vital within every home, office, or indoor area as it is the first line of defence against fire, and it will alert you to a fire within the building.
Throughout this blog, we will address the most common smoke & heat alarm issues and provide you with the correct ways to resolve them. However, if you have any concerns about your alarm and are worried it may not be working correctly, we always recommend that you get a qualified electrician to look at it.
1. Constant beeping and chirping
Low batteries
The common frustration people face with smoke alarms is beeping or chirping. The number one reason for this is low batteries, which will cause the alarm to sound a warning.
It is recommended that smoke alarm batteries are changed annually or when a low battery fault is shown. When you are changing the batteries in a smoke alarm, it is a smart idea to change all the batteries in all the alarms throughout the building and keep a record of the date.
If you are changing a battery on a smoke or heat alarm which has mains power, always isolate the mains power prior to changing the battery.
Once any batteries have been changed, always test your alarms to check they are working by pressing the test button on the front of each alarm. Testing is recommended at least once a week.
Never remove the battery to stop the alarm’s low battery warning sounding, always replace with a new battery straight away.
2. Sounding when there isn’t a fire
Cooking
Most people will have experienced setting off a smoke alarm while cooking at some point in their lives. Normal cooking activity can contaminate the atmosphere with smoke and heat which could cause false alarms. One way to reduce the risk of this is to cook on a lower heat.
Dust and dirt
Dust, pollen and small insects are often found settled inside smoke alarm detection chambers and this can trigger a false alarm.
Monthly dusting and cleaning of the smoke alarm will prevent it from triggering. This can be done either with the arm attachment of a hoover fitted with a brush attachment or by using a small canister of compressed air from a distance of one meter, being careful not to damage the alarm.
3. Not sounding when required
As mentioned previously, many things can trigger an alarm. However, if a common occurrence happens, such as food being burnt in the oven, causing a lot of smoke to be released, and this does not set off your smoke alarm, this will most likely mean the batteries are dead.
Always check the alarm by pressing the test button on the front of the unit. If the unit does not operate after the battery has been replaced, this means there is an issue with unit. This must be replaced immediately as it means that if a fire was to start, your first line of defence could be insufficient.
All smoke and heat alarms have an expiry date after which they should be replaced. Check the rear of the alarm, or the installation sticker, for this date.
Many issues can occur with smoke alarms, but it is essential that they are resolved immediately to ensure safety within the home or indoor space. If you are in any doubt, it is always recommended that an electrician be called out to check or replace your smoke alarm, as safety always comes first, and risks should never be taken.