Fire Safety – Home Inspection Insider

Smoke detectors are essential to have in every home, office, or apartment building as it provides a warning system in case of a fire. However, sometimes alarms from a smoke detector can get confusing, and you might have questions regarding whether the smoke detector is working correctly. False alarms are a common problem when it comes to smoke detectors. Smoke detectors can have false alarms anytime there is interference inside the smoke alarm's housing. When foreign particles like chemical fumes, smoke, dust, insects, and paint get inside the smoke detector, it can set the alarm off. False alerts from smoke detectors can occur when the following occurs: Smoke particles from candles, cigarettes, or cigars can trigger a smoke detector. To avoid this, place candles away from smoke detectors and smoke outside or in a well-ventilated area. Be careful using chemicals while deep-cleaning or renovations. Smoke alarms can react to strong-smelling chemicals used in confined spaces. Examples include bleach or paint thinners and removers. Open doors or windows when using chemicals to ventilate the area. Cooking mishaps can set off smoke alarms. Combustion particles from burnt food or spills from overflowing pots during cooking can set off a smoke alarm. Kitchen exhaust fans can help remove combustion particles and expel them outside. Kitchen vent fans don't expel combustion particles out but do filter them. Insects collect inside the smoke alarm housing. Insects are attracted to the heat from inside the smoke alarm housing. Dead insects collect inside the alarm housing over time, which triggers false alarms.Dust buildup inside the smoke detector housing. Much like insects, dust and grime can buildup inside the smoke detector setting off the alarm. Dust buildup inside your heating system. Heating systems collect dust on the components over the spring and summer. The initial heating startup burns the dust off, which can set off a smoke detector. Mold or mildew inside the smoke detector housing. Like dust, mold or mildew can grow inside the alarm housing. Ceiling paint on the smoke alarm housing. Often, people will try to paint around smoke alarms rather than remove them. Painting around a smoke alarm is an amateur mistake. Paint can seep inside the housing, causing false alarms, or worse, cause the smoke alarm not to work. The reason behind smoke detectors giving a false alarm includes several different kinds of causes. This article will provide you with all the necessary information regarding smoke detectors giving false alarms. Why Do Smoke Detectors Keep Going Off for No Reason? As mentioned above, one of the most common reasons due to which your smoke detector can go off for no reason is the battery dying. Over time, the smoke detector's batteries can get worn down and need to be replaced with a new one. If you haven't replaced your smoke detector in a while, the reason for the false alarm is likely a dead battery. If the smoke detector keeps going off without any change in the surroundings, it can be beneficial to change the battery to fix the problem. Another common reason for smoke detectors giving a false alarm can be insects finding their way into the device. Since the smoke detectors have an opening for the smoke to enter and set off the sensor, that opening can allow insects, most commonly spiders, to go inside the detector and interfere with the device's sensor. Insects will cause the device to go off and result in a false alarm. To avoid a false alarm caused by bugs, we recommend you frequently check your smoke detectors' openings and clean them properly to ensure no insects live inside the device. Not only little insects but also an accumulation of dust can cause your smoke alarm to go off without reason. It is essential to keep smoke detectors clean, as dust and dirt can reduce the sensor's efficiency and lead to false alarms. Why Does Smoke Detector Go Off with No Smoke? Sometimes smoke detectors can go off even when there is no smoke in the room. Chemicals surrounding the smoke detector might also cause false alarms. Smoke detectors are also able to sense strong-smelling chemicals, besides being sensitive to smoke. These strong-smelling chemicals around the smoke detectors may cause the smoke detector to go off and give a false alarm. Often when cleaning the house, the detergents and cleaning chemicals used have a strong smell to them that quickly spread out around the house. These chemicals, alongside any strong chemicals, used when painting or remodeling your home, can easily cause the smoke detector to go off and give a false alarm. Another primary reason your smoke detector can go off without fire or smoke is the high humidity in the room with the smoke detector. When there is high humidity, the air's moisture particles are incredibly dense, and these particles can confuse the smoke detector into sensing them as smoke particles. Thus, the smoke detector will go off as it senses the air particles and considers them smoke. Steam can also have the same effect on smoke detectors due to the presence of dense moisture particles. Often when large amounts of steam are released next to a smoke detector, the alarm can go off and give a false alarm. Smoke detector wiring may also cause false alarms. Faulty wiring can be an underlying reason that can cause a smoke detector to go off even when there is no smoke. If the smoke detectors' wiring is faulty or the smoke detectors within the building have loose wires, it can cause the devices to go off and give a false alarm regardless of sensing any smoke particles in the air. Therefore, if you have already tried cleaning the detectors and changed their batteries, but the problem of false alarms persists, it can be beneficial to check the smoke detectors' wiring and look for any loose wires. Why My Smoke Detector Went Off Then Stopped? If you have noticed that your smoke detectors go off and then stop on their own, there can be several underlying issues causing this problem. One of the contributing factors to the smoke detectors going off for a short time on their own is the age of the device itself. Most smoke detectors have a lifespan of around ten years, and if you've moved into a home where the smoke detectors are yellowed, their age may be causing the issue. If you are unsure how old the smoke detectors are, look at the manufactured date on the back label. If there is no sticker with dates on it, we recommend a simple call to the manufacturer to help you solve this problem. Older smoke detectors can become erratic and super sensitive to any particle in the air; thus, it is essential to replace the smoke detectors if they are too old. They might start going off for no reason, or even worse, don't go off when you need them. Sometimes insects living inside the smoke detector can mess with the sensor and cause it to go off for just a few seconds. As mentioned before, it can be quite beneficial to check your detector for any insects or small animals residing inside it to ensure that they do not cause the smoke detector to go off. In the middle of the night, sudden temperature changes can cause smoke detector beeps or an alarm for a few seconds. In winter, the temperature drops significantly during the night time, and this drop in temperature can hurt the smoke detector's battery power. With a low battery, the smoke detector might beep for a few seconds or might cause an alarm that will stop by itself. If either of the reasons, as mentioned earlier, is not the reason behind your smoke detector going off, it can be possible that the device itself is faulty. Sometimes smoke detectors can have overly sensitive sensors. Bad smoke detectors can be an issue as the sensors will pick up any microscopic particles in the air and consider them to be smoke particles and go off but stop as soon as it stops sensing those particles. If the problem of false alarm persists, it is advised to contact the smoke detectors manufacturer and have them replace the smoke detectors within your home or building. Why Do Smoke Detectors Give a False Alarm? Now You Know Smoke detectors are a great way to help us be aware of any possible fires within our homes and allow us to get out of the house in time or put out the fire before it causes any more damage. However, smoke detectors giving a false alarm can be quite annoying as one smoke detector going off can trigger all the other similar devices in the house to go off. False smoke alarms are irritating during the daytime, but if a false alarm goes off in the middle of the night, that's even worse. Ensure that the smoke detector is clean, free of any insects, and have new batteries to prevent false alarms. Suppose neither of the reasons mentioned in this article causes your smoke detector to go off. In that case, it is better to have them replaced or fixed by an electrician who can identify the reason for the false alarm and fix it accordingly.