Is Your Smoke Alarm Beeping? 4 Things to Check First

If you hear your smoke detector beeping in brief chirps every 30-60 seconds, it’s probably time to replace the battery. Alternatively, you may need to clean out the dust, check the battery connections or replace the entire smoke alarm.

1. Replace your batteries with lithium ones.

Most smoke detectors need a 9V battery, either a regular alkaline battery or a lithium battery. Interstate All Battery Center recommends the 9V lithium battery because it’s a better deal for homeowners, and lithium batteries only need to be replaced every 10 years.

After all, there are many reasons why your smoke detector is beeping. Let’s deal with the most likely reason first.

Still Beeping
Several issues can cause your smoke detector to beep after you change the battery. If your smoke detector is still beeping, check these things instead to catch all the issues that keep your smoke detector from working correctly.

2. Humidity, Dirt and High Temperatures

Don’t assume it’s a false alarm. Your smoke alarm might be detecting smoke, whether you can smell it or not. Once you’re sure you’re safe, it’s worth looking for what might have set off your smoke alarm.

These devices are made to be sensitive. You can trigger a smoke alarm with enough humidity or dirt in the air. Hot steam from a shower, hot air (not smoke) from the kitchen, even extreme cold in the attic — these temperature swings can give you a false alarm. You can also trip the smoke alarm if you break drywall near it or if a thick enough gust of pollen blows through an open window.

The solution is simple: Move them away from a bathroom door, away from directly above the stove and out of the drafty parts of the attic.

3. Loose or Corroded Battery Terminals

Your smoke detector requires constant voltage to stay quiet. Its detection system can run on a few different options. Some use an ionization beam. Some run an electrical current through a sensor. Whatever the signal is, the principle stays the same. If that signal gets broken, well, you’ll hear all about it.

Loose Connection
Are the positive and negative terminals not exactly snapped onto the 9V battery? A loose connection might pass your first test only to disconnect once you reattach the smoke alarm. Detach and reattach the 9V battery firmly to its terminals.

Corrosion
A layer of white or green crust and orange rust can prevent the battery from functioning correctly. Put dry baking soda powder on the corrosion to neutralize it. Then dip a cotton swab in water and clean the metal connection. If you don’t have baking soda, you can also use WD-40 or isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab or toothbrush to clean the terminals.

4. Dust, Error Codes, Expiration Dates and Pull Tabs

Dust
Check the inside of your smoke detector for dust. Like your bookshelves and the top of your refrigerator, dust can build up inside the smoke detector. Dust particles can interfere with the sensor and trigger a false alarm. To protect your sleep and keep your smoke detector working properly, use a can of compressed air to blow out dust from the detector’s components.

Error Codes
You may also need to clean out the error codes inside your smoke detector’s memory. Hard-wired smoke detection systems can accumulate error codes in their processors, even from false alarms, which can cause the chirping noise. Check the device for a reset button to press. You can also power it down to reset it.

1. Cut power from the circuit breaker.
2. Unplug it from the wall.
3. Remove the battery.
4. Hold down the test button to drain the power out of the smoke detector's circuits.
5. Then reconnect the power.

Expiration Date
If you replaced the battery and it’s still beeping, the smoke detector might have expired. Smoke detectors have an expiration date. The sensitive equipment inside can only work reliably for so long. If yours is beeping and its expiration date has passed (or will in a year or two), it’s time to replace it. Most smoke detectors last 10 years, and the National Fire Protection Association recommends you replace them every decade. You may need to replace it sooner if it has a built-in carbon monoxide detector.

Pull Tabs
On the other hand, your smoke alarm might be going off because it’s still new and has a pull tab blocking the battery terminals. Most new electronics may have a plastic tab to protect the device’s terminals from connecting with anything before purchase. A smoke alarm battery pull tab blocks the battery from connecting with the circuit — and all you have to do is pull it out.