Why is my smoke alarm beeping and what do the different beeps mean?
Smoke alarms beeping usually suggests either a fault with the smoke alarm or a false alarm, which may require the battery to be replaced, the alarm to be cleaned or alarm to be replaced. Beeping in a smoke alarm may also indicate a real house fire which you should always first check for even if it seems unlikely. There are different types of beeping with a smoke alarm, whether it be a continuous sound or intermittent beeping will indicate the different types of issues or warnings with the alarms.
Loud Continues Alarming
Loud continuous alarming is an indicator of either a real house fire or a false alarm. Loud continues alarming is caused by the smoke alarm sensing combustible products. First, you must determine whether there is a real fire or it is a false alarm.
There are several reasons why there may be a false alarm. These include issues with the batteries, the sensing chamber is not clean and has dust or debris, humidity, steam, an electrical issue (if it is a hard wired alarm), or the smoke alarm is coming towards its expiry date.
Intermittent Alarming
Intermittent alarming is often caused by either the battery not being installed correctly, the battery needing replacing or the sensing chamber not being clean. If checking the battery is installed correctly and replacing the battery has not fixed the problem, it may be due tohumidity in the air, an electrical issue, or the alarm reaching its expiry date.
Consistent Alarming
Consistent alarming is caused by several reasons. If the smoke alarms are going off every 30-60 seconds for at least 7 days, it may be a sign the batteries need to be replaced. If the alarm is going off between flashes of the red LED light, the alarm may be malfunctioning.
Another reason may be the hush feature of the alarm is activated. If this is the case the alarm will chirp every 30-40 seconds for about 7 minutes. Sealed battery alarms will also chirp every 30 seconds to signal the alarm needs to be replaced.
