Smoke Alarms

[4D]

I have 3 smoke alarms in the house, they are fairly modern and are connected to the mains with 9v battery back up. They send out a chirp when the battery needs replacing.  So at 6am this morning the upstairs one went off on fill alarm for about 2 seconds, so I replaced the battery in it. I have just pressed the test button of the one I  the dining room and it helped but the one in the hallway went off for around 2 seconds. So, I went to the hallway one and pressed test, nothing happened. I pressed test on the one upstairs, again nothing. The one in the dining room has a green light but the other two have a green and red light, even the one that I replaced with a new battery. Am I supposed to do  a reset or something? I thought it should just be a battery swap, job done.

[Simon Pieman]

How old are they? Have you checked the expiry date as they are usually designed to stop working after 10 years

[Batch]

got a make and model to Google?

[4D]

Good until 2027, only 3 years old. No make or model number  Might be "ei".

[Batch]

press the button for > 10 seconds?

[tans]

Yea, hold the button down for 10 seconds or so and it will set the whole system. Failing that smack it with a shovel.

Bain of my life these things were a couple of years back in my old job.

[Batch]

also, in the instructions I read it said replace the battery with the mains off (is it on a breaker that you can flick?)

also, are they interconnected?

[tans]

https://www.safelincs.co.uk/help-to-resolve-beeping-ei-aico-alarms/

[4D]

Thanks all. I think they are interconnected. Ok, I have replaced the battery in one without switching the trip switch off  . What do I do now? As you said tans, do I press the button  on just one for ten seconds or each one?
They do a great job but they are very confusing.

I had a house alarm go off once during a power cut because the back up battery was dead. One neighbour came around after half an hour of the alarm going off to ask " can't you switch that off? " Of course, I just left it ringing to annoy you 

[tans]

I’d do it on each one to be honest, just to make sure that they all set the others off etc

[Batch]

^^ sound the working one, then within 2 mins hold the button in on the non working one for 10 seconds.

no idea if it will work, worth a try

[Batch]

so, did you fix it?

[Richie Wellen-Dowd]

I have 3 smoke alarms in the house, they are fairly modern and are connected to the mains with 9v battery back up. They send out a chirp when the battery needs replacing.  So at 6am this morning the upstairs one went off on fill alarm for about 2 seconds, so I replaced the battery in it. I have just pressed the test button of the one I  the dining room and it helped but the one in the hallway went off for around 2 seconds. So, I went to the hallway one and pressed test, nothing happened. I pressed test on the one upstairs, again nothing. The one in the dining room has a green light but the other two have a green and red light, even the one that I replaced with a new battery. Am I supposed to do  a reset or something? I thought it should just be a battery swap, job done.

Don't quite get what's happened there but you didn't need to change the battery. A low battery wouldn't have set the alarm off and it won't really run out unless your power is off for a significant amount of time.

Mine started going off randomly a while back, including in the middle of the night cue me running bollock naked and panicked to the landing. I had to work out which unit was malfunctioning by process of elimination and replace it.

[4D]

so, did you fix it?

Well, it's been quiet all day 

[McGurk's Missus]

Isn't there also a common issue with humidity and alarms too. I know in an place I used to live, if it got to humid the alarms would set off. No danger in my current place, I have a cellar below and the temp in my place never gets above bloody 19 (even with heating on). Mind you, the building is about 400 years old.