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Why Is Your Smoke Detector Beeping?

There are a few things you can do to stop your smoke detector beeping but first you need to find out why it’s going off.

Did you know about 500 people die every year from smoke related deaths that could have been prevented if they were warned earlier?

With that in mind, let’s identify what kind of noise your detector is emitting.

First off, is it sounding loudly and continuously?

If so, stop reading this blog post and leave!

Alright, so it’s probably not going off continuously or you wouldn’t be reading this right now. Yet in a study by health and safety e-learning provider, iHasco, it was found that people don’t always react to an alarm the way you would expect. The video, shown in this IFSEC Global post, shows how long it takes some people to evacuate a building when thee fire alarm goes off.

Don’t be one of those people, get up and get out.

Alarm Repairs London

Is your alarm sounding intermittently?

If your hear your smoke detector beeping occasionally this could mean a few things.

Look at your alarm, is the battery casing open? Some alarms come with a warning noise that tells you that you’ve left something open.

If this compartment isn’t open, then you might need to change the batteries. Open up the casing to see which type of battery the alarm takes, usually it’s a 9V battery but check first. Don’t remove the battery until you have the new one – that way, if you go to the shops to get a new one and there’s a fire, you still have a chance that the alarm will go off.

[cta link=”/home-fire-safety” title=”Protect Your Home” heading= “Protect Your Home” button=”Click here” button_on=”yes” img_on=”yes” img=”http://www.spyalarms.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/smoke-detector.jpg”] If your alarm is beeping and you don’t know why, get a qualified fire alarm installer to make your home safe.[/cta]

The type of battery you buy is important. You have the option of Lithium or Alkaline. The Lithium battery offers a longer life so is more reliable in your alarm but will cost more. The Alkaline is cheaper but does have a much shorter life so may require changing early.
Never use a rechargeable battery in your smoke detector! They are unreliable in the fact that you don’t know when they will run out!

Batteries should be replaced once every 12 months and the whole alarm every 10 years. A good way to remember to check your alarm is to test it every time the clock changes.

If your alarm is a mains powered alarm then there will still be a backup battery that will need replacing. The important thing here is that you remember to turn the power off at the mains before trying to get access to your alarm.

Is your smoke detector beeping?

If your alarm continues to beep with a new battery inside then there could be a fault with it and you will need to replace your smoke detector or get it seen by a professional. If you have a maintenance contract with your alarm system provider and your smoke detectors are part of that system, an engineer will be able to come over and stop your smoke detector beeping.

Fire Alarm Services From Spy

Spy Alarms offer bespoke fire alarm installations in Kent and London. Our engineers are BAFE certified which means you get a qualified professional to set up your alarms.

You can get a free home survey where our surveyors will review your home and quote you for a fire alarm system that’s fully tailored to your needs. To book yours, just put your details into the form below now.

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