Anybody have trouble with fire alarms? Who fixes? (new home, cost)

[Jake Ryan]

My home was built by Ryan 5.5 years ago. The Electric work was done by Frye Electric.

I have Firex Smoke Detectors (5) and one Firex Smoke / Carbon Monoxide Detector. On their website the Smoke CO2 detectors have been discontinued (GREAT!).

2 nights ago the alarms went off. We wrapped our 18 month old up and got out of the house in the 19 degree cold and called the fire dept. They were very nice and cleared the house and told us it must have been a faulty battery. I replaced all of the batteries with fresh ones.

Now at 5:00 am they started going off again. I don't know what to do except call an electrician. I am waiting until 8:00 to do so and have them check the wires and possibly replace all of the alarms which I'll most likely do anyway.

They are hardwired into the house so I'm afraid to cut the wires, there is no circuit breaker labeled for smoke detectors. I have checked and double checked all of the batteries to make sure they're in tight. it's 6;27 now and no electricians are open. I am at my wits end.

Anybody experienced this?

[mullman]

Even if they are hardwired, they are more than likely installed with twist type wire connectors under the base cover.
Undo the white wire.

Last resort, IF they are totally hardwired using a push connector on the back of the unit (VERY unlikely), cut the white wire.
Wear an insulated glove or use an insulated cutter (plier) just in case, but the white (neutral) wire should not be 'hot' in this switchless installation.

Obviously do not do anything you are uncomfortable dealing with.

[Jake Ryan]

The fire dept just left this is their second time out in 2 days. The air is clear.

They said that the smoke detectors should last about 10 years and the life of the smoke / CO2 detector is about 5.

They suggested that I replace all of them for my piece of mind.

I am at my wits end and can't wait until 8:00 am and I will call an electrician.

[joanchris2000]

The batteries are there for backup in case the power goes out. We had the same problem just months after moving into our new home here. It started with the one in our master bedroom, the only one in the house that was so high up it required a ladder to get to (rather than a step stool), at 2 am.
I believe that one will start going off first (the defective one), then the others will go off to alert the rest of the house. We literally ripped the one out (2 am remember?) of the ceiling (gloves on) and went back to sleep. Replaced just the one the following week (builder gave it to us....we'd have had to wait longer for them to install, so we did ourselves). It's VERY simple wiring. You can wait til daytime, open all the curtains/blinds etc and turn off the main switch for the house, to be able to safely remove and replace the defective one....(if you know which one started it all), or replace all yourself. An electrician will cost a bundle, and if you've got the cash, I'm sure some electrician will have a nice payday