Smoke nuisance alarms

[feynman]

Hi guys.

I have three mains/battery smoke detectors on their own MCB circuit.

I keep getting nuisance alarms. Can anyone advise me where to start. Can smoke detectors be serviced, or cleaned? Do they "wear out" or get old ?(they were probably fitted 13 years ago).

What can one do to stop the nuisance alarms?

I want to cure this because we have to keep them switched off at the moment, which is not ideal.

Thanks in advance.

 

[OwainDIYer]

At 13 years old they will be due for replacement.

Are the alarms giving nuisance fire alarms, or battery low warnings?

They should be cleaned round with a vacuum cleaner every couple of months to remove dust from the inside. This is particularly relevant with optical alarms which may think that dust is smoke.

 

[feynman]

Ah OK.

Thanks for that. I didn't know they "wore out", but that is probably what's wrong here. I will vac them all again anyway, but probably replace them.

What type would you recommend? I only know about optical ones. Is there a better type nowadays?

They are giving nuisance smoke alarms, not low battery, and I changed all the batteries anyway, but no change.

Thanks again.

 

[ekmdgrf]

I believe the stated life time is 10 years. They tend to be either optical or ionising. Google the difference as it's a bit of a can of worms. You could also opt for an aspirating smoke detector if you have money to burn.

 

[EightyTwo]

Optical smoke detectors/alarms are less prone to false alarms than the ionisation (radioactive) types with normal household events like burning toast, roasting chickens, having a shower, etc..

Ionisation detectors are cheaper than the optical ones and, typically, have a 10 year life. You don't need to hoover them out but you can hoover the optical ones once or twice a year, if you like. Do it when you change the batteries.

If you get too many false alarms with optical detectors, try a rate-of-rise heat detector. You can test them with a hair drier.

 

[feynman]

Thanks guys.

 

[houstonwehaveaproblem]

Are they interlinked alarms? Is one causing a nuisance alarm and triggering the others?

Might just be the one that needs replacing?

Just a thought

 

[Europlex]

............ even the ones that the Fire & Rescue Service fit free of charge are 10year replaceable.