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Why does your smoke alarm go off?

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Why does your smoke alarm go off?

Smoke alarms save lives. But they do need a small amount of regular maintenance.

Dust, debris and even insects and spiders can work their way into the alarm and disrupt its normal operation. Any intrusions can interfere with the battery and cause your smoke alarm to beep. Make sure your smoke alarms and the areas around them are cleaned regularly and keep creepy crawlies away.

Here are some tips to keep your smoke alarm from going off and being triggered unnecessarily:

  1. Replace the battery and continue replacing them every 12 months.
  2. Insects are attracted to the LED in the smoke alarm so we recommend you spray ‘fly spray’ in the room where the smoke alarm is. Never spray directly at the alarm only ever in the room.
  3. Regularly vacuum the alarm to remove dust.
  4. Smoke alarms have a life of ten years. If the alarm is over ten years old then it must be replaced and we recommend hardwired photoelectric smoke alarms with a battery backup. These alarms are fantastic as you will never need to replace a battery again.
  5. Smoke alarms have a sticker on them stating the installation date, check the date when you change the battery and ensure the smoke alarm hasn’t expired.
  6. Smoke alarms can be interconnected to other alarms in the home so whenever you carry out maintenance on one alarm we recommend you do the same for all alarms in the home.