Smoke detectors randomly going off

WalkintheWoods

WalkintheWoods

New Member
I rent an apartment in a complex maintenance is not very responsive to problems I have hard- wired smoke detectors that just keep randomly going off esp in the middle of the night the blaring urgent sound is jolting my nervous system I can’t relax anymore and barely sleep I’ve changed the batteries twice in all 4 detectors I’m almost ready to just take them down and idk what put up my own ? Maybe a non wired? Help anyone ideas or stories of your own to help me feel so not alone can I add standing on a chair at 2 am trying to change batteries with it screeching is getting old
 

If the battery changes don’t help, the detectors are too old. Time to replace! How do I know this? I was ops director for a school district. We had to have all detectors working for annual fire marshal inspections. Replaced many of these that were doing exactly what you describe. Usually at 7-10 years old. The radioactive material inside degrades over time.
 
EmptyCup said:
If the battery changes don’t help, the detectors are too old. Time to replace! How do I know this? I was ops director for a school district. We had to have all detectors working for annual fire marshal inspections. Replaced many of these that were doing exactly what you describe. Usually at 7-10 years old. The radioactive material inside degrades over time.
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Thank you!! I will try to get maintenance to
Replace them I think they are about 7 years old I don’t know if they will but I will ask I hate the idea of taking them down
 

My smoke alarm kept going off at random times. Didn't half give me a scare in the middle of the night. My handyman said he would replace it with a new one. Inside the date said it was 15 years old!!!!! I have been living here for 12 years and it was never mentioned to me to replace it. All good now.
 
gamboolman said:
WIW
Thanks for posting this.
We disconnected all of our Smoke Detectors many years ago.
But I realize that is not a good thing.
I will look see about installing new ones.
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I’m so tempted to do this. It’s got my anxiety so ramped up something about the jarring piercing sound that randomly just jolts me maintenance did not respond when I reported this. Sigh I also need to move I actually watched some YouTube videos on how to take them down safely they are hard wired and communicate with each other all 5
 
I live in a communal system and we recently had the same problem...fire alarms going off at all hours. It turned out that one of the detectors was faulty. It has now been replaced and I have been given a key to switch off the whole system if it happens again. It takes a while for the engineers to arrive and we all waited outside because the noise is so strident.
 
Talk to your apartment manager about them. Tell them about your concerns and that the alarms going off are getting on your nerves.
He’d be best to fix this cause the only other solution is to go above his status and call the fire department about them. Give the apartment managers a chance to fix them but let them know you want it taken care of.
 
In the house I sold this year, when it hit the ten year age, every combo detector in the joint started going off. I replaced every unit in the house which fixed the problem for another ten years I presume.
 
I didn't know the thing could be unplugged when hard wired. I could not change the battery in mine because there was corrosion. They finally replaced it with one that doesn't need batteries the maintenance guy said. Where I live, they don't want to do repairs either. But I guess they want the smoke detectors to work.
 

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