How do we stop the smoke detector beeping?
Smoke detectors beep or make noise when they detect smoke and when the batteries are low.
If there is smoke in the house, locate the source of the smoke and determine if there is a fire.
- If there is a fire, please call 911 and vacate your house.
- If there is no fire, locate each smoke detector. The activation of one smoke detector may cause other smoke detectors in your house to go off. The smoke detector has one button, which is the reset button. Push and hold the reset button for 3 seconds to turn off the smoke detector. Because the smoke detectors are located on the ceiling, a chair or broom may be helpful to reach the reset button.
If there is no smoke, then the smoke detector batteries are probably low. When smoke detector batteries get low, they go through two stages.
- Random beep: This beep is your signal that the smoke detector battery is getting low. Walk around the house to find the smoke detector that is beeping.
- Smoke detector going off: Generally, the smoke detectors in the house are wired together, so that, if one smoke detector goes off, the other smoke detectors beep also. If all the smoke detectors are going off, but there is no fire, one smoke detector battery is probably very low.
To change the batteries in the smoke detector:
- Identify the smoke detector with a low battery. If multiple smoke detectors are going off, find the smoke detector that is beeping out of sync with the other smoke detectors. The smoke detector that is not beeping in sync has the low battery.
- Use a chair, ladder, or step-stool to access the smoke detector
- Find the 9V battery in the smoke detector. Some smoke detectors have a battery access panel on the side of the smoke detector. If there is no side access panel, the battery is located on the back of the unit. Turn the smoke detector counter-clockwise to remove the cover.
- Look at how the 9V battery is positioned in the smoke detector (positive and negative charges)
- Remove the 9V battery
- Install the new 9V battery in the same position as the old 9V battery
- Close the battery access panel or reinstall the smoke detector cover