# Smoke alarm went rogue



## grannyjo (Apr 17, 2020)

My smoke alarm went completely bonkers last night.

I was just drifting off to sleep and the smoke alarm went off - I leapt out of bed and searched all around for anything that was burning.  Found nothing and couldn't smell anything either.

Got my walking stick and pressed the button to turn the alarm off. Whew,  peace and quiet.  Not for long though,  it started up again a few minutes later.  I pressed the button again and did another thorough search and sniff around.  Still nothing.

This went on for well over half an hour, with the alarm going off,  me quieting it by pressing the button.

Then it finally decided that there wasn't any smoke or fire,  so stayed quiet for the rest of the night.

I didn't sleep real well though,  kept waiting for it to go off again.


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## PopsnTuff (Apr 17, 2020)

Omg thats an absolutely awful thing to experience @grannyjo....happened to me years ago when my kids lived here....we freaked out....turns out the batteries were running low....its suggested we replace them something like every three months whether they are okay or not.....don't wait till you hear that ear-piercing sound again....
You probably feel like it took a year off your life right? Hope your okay....take some deep breaths.


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## terry123 (Apr 17, 2020)

When the batteries get low, mine does the same. First time it happens I change them out and everything is good.


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## Em in Ohio (Apr 17, 2020)

This is what happened to me... an episode of the TV show friends - but, I didn't have the fireman show up!


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## grannyjo (Apr 17, 2020)

The electrician has just been,  he replaced the alarm for me - it's a hardwired one with battery backup and has strobing lights in the bedrooms when it goes off.

Should be OK now for a while


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## Em in Ohio (Apr 18, 2020)

Empty said:


> This is what happened to me... an episode of the TV show friends - but, I didn't have the fireman show up!


Seven of these things were hard-wired into my little house - I had no idea!  They all went off in the middle of the night - I had no idea where they even were.  Picture little old lady dragging a ladder down to the basement, up to the attic, and going through this over and over and over!  They now reside in a plastic bag in the basement and have been replaced by 3 with batteries only - and I know where they are and don't need a ladder to reach them and chuck them out the door!


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## Devi (Apr 18, 2020)

@Empty -- that's good to know!


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## Ken N Tx (Apr 18, 2020)

Empty said:


> This is what happened to me... an episode of the TV show friends - but, I didn't have the fireman show up!


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## JustBonee (Apr 18, 2020)

Hardwired alarms  are the pits!   I have two in my apartment,   and one of them has gone off a couple times  ... once during the night.  
I've mentioned it to management,  and they  checked it out,  but haven't replaced it. 

I much rather have the battery ones like I had in my house.   At least you have control.


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## Don M. (Apr 18, 2020)

Most "hard wired" smoke detectors have a 9V battery to supply detection in case of a power outage.  If that battery drops below about 8.5 volts, the detector will begin to "chirp".  It is recommended that these batteries be changed twice a year....to avoid being woken up in the middle of the night.


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## Em in Ohio (Apr 18, 2020)

Don M. said:


> Most "hard wired" smoke detectors have a 9V battery to supply detection in case of a power outage.  If that battery drops below about 8.5 volts, the detector will begin to "chirp".  It is recommended that these batteries be changed twice a year....to avoid being woken up in the middle of the night.


That's the first thing I tried, just finding the things and removing the batteries - That's the only reason that I eventually discovered the thing called "hard-wiring,"  I was Googling like mad in the dead of night to figure this out.

That's how I found that video (above) - didn't think it was funny, until after dawn.  To my way of thinking, the potential of being startled into a heart attack or falling off a ladder far outweighed the threat of dying from smoke or fire.  I'm sticking to my batteries-only plan, but will follow your advice and change them more often.  Thanks!


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## Judycat (Apr 18, 2020)

I had a smoke/CO detector that had a loud human voice as the alarm. Damn creepy thing only lasted so many years then the whole unit needed to be replaced. Whereas  pressing a reset button would normally turn it off, once the unit's expiration date arrived it wouldn't shut up about it. Couldn't tear it off the wall and get the batteries out fast enough.


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## Camper6 (Apr 18, 2020)

C/O detectors have a limited life. Check the manual or instructions,  About seven years.


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## Judycat (Apr 18, 2020)

Yeah my son bought it for me and thought a CO detector would be a plus. It would beep and yell out CAR*BON MA*NOX*IDE, just like that, whenever I'd vacuum out the flue. I'd yell I know, I know. Calm down I'm almost done. Glad it's gone.


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## Knight (Apr 18, 2020)

I use my computer calendar to remind me to change batteries every 4 months. I use High Capacity Rechargeable Batteries (2400 mAh). Bought extras so I can recharge the used ones. Initial cost not that much to have piece of mind.


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