Smoke Detectors in the Night

by | Nov 15, 2024

It’s that time of year again

Its no coincidence that Smoke  & Heat Detectors start beeping at you in the wee small hours as the weather starts t0 get colder.

Batteries struggle in colder weather.

Many Mains-operated Smoke and Heat Detectors have a removable back-up battery (for those times when you have a power cut, and need to know that you’re still protected).

If the battery is running a bit low, its going to let you know by beeping at you intermittently. Annoyingly this often means that you’re not in the right place at the right time to work out which Smoke Detector is actually beeping at you.

What can you do?

Well, be prepared. This is likely to happen in the middle of the night, and it is going to drive you mad.

Buy some batteries, just in case

Most Smoke/Heat Detectors take a 9V PP3 Battery. Its a good idea to stock up on these in anticipation tht you’re going to need them

PP3 Battery

How do you change the battery?

Each make of Smoke Detector is slightly different.

Some twist off – you turn the body of the Smoke Detector Ant-clockwise and it drops down, giving you access to the battery chamber.

Others (Aico in particular) slide off. You need a  to push a small flat-head screwdriver into a small hole to release the locking mechanism.

If you search online for your make of Smoke Detector, there will be instructions for accessing the battery and changing it.

Once you have changed the battery, press the TEST button, to make sure that its working. If you have Interconnected-Smoke Detectors, this should set all your smoke Detectors going.

Heat Detector

Check the date

Yes, Smoke & Heat Detectors have an expiry date. This should be written on the side of the detector. Often they’ll tell you that they’re old, by beeping at you.

If your Smoke Detctectors have expired, please change them. With some makes, this is very much a DIY Job. 

Check out our post “How Old are Your Smoke Detectors?” if you need more information about how to do this.

Another useful source of helpful information  is the Safelincs Website. They sell all sorts of alarms, and have lots of useful How-to Guides on their website. 

Please Look after your Smoke Detectors.

They could save your life. 

What even qualifies me to give this advice?

Well, I have been working in the trades for many years. I’m even a qualified electrican.

I now teach DIY skills at our workshop in BRISTOL, and in people’s homes with our DIY ASSIST Service

Keeping people safe while they carry out DIY in their homes is our No. 1 Priority.

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