How often to replace wired smoke and CO detectors? (ceiling, install, cleaning)
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Is the general agreement that smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years? And batteries should be replaced every year? What about carbon monoxide detectors? Are they on the same schedule? Mine are all about 13 years old. Will most electricians be happy to do the replacement work for you? I have a company I'm pretty happy with.
The general rule is you replace everything when it's 10 years old, regardless if battery only or hardwired. Some people say replace the batteries whenever you change to and from DST. Others say change batteries once a year. Since my detectors are hardwired, I change all the batteries when the first one starts chirping. Not recommended, but it's what I do. Since it's time to replace all your detectors, I would recommend getting dual sensor detectors where you do not have the combination smoke/CO detectors. Dual sensor detectors use two different technologies that detect smoldering fires and flash fires.
In a lot of areas, the fire department will install or replace detectors. Check with yours to see if they do.
CO detectors, I believe, are supposed to be replaced after 5 or 7 years.
The latest one I got has an internal counter/clock in it where it starts doing the 'chirp' after 5 or 7 years telling you it needs to be replaced. Regardless of whether it has good batteries or not.
I never heard of replacing the smoke detector every 10 yrs. Mine are hardwired.
I moved into my current house and within a month, all the hardwired CO detectors started chirping. I had no idea what it was, but after searching online, it wass exactly what Labonte18 said... they have an internal timer that starts the chirp at year 7. There is nothing you can do to turn off the chirp. All you can do is throw it away.
If you get the same make/model, all you have to do is twist it off and pull apart the wire connection. Then reverse the steps to put the new one in. Unless you have a really high ceiling, should be fairly simple.
I never heard of replacing the smoke detector every 10 yrs. Mine are hardwired.
I moved into my current house and within a month, all the hardwired CO detectors started chirping. I had no idea what it was, but after searching online, it wass exactly what Labonte18 said... they have an internal timer that starts the chirp at year 7. There is nothing you can do to turn off the chirp. All you can do is throw it away.
If you get the same make/model, all you have to do is twist it off and pull apart the wire connection. Then reverse the steps to put the new one in. Unless you have a really high ceiling, should be fairly simple.
10 years is pretty much the universally accepted replacement interval. I'm not aware of any internal timer that has detectors chirping away at seven years. All of mine have made it to 10 years with no problem.
As for replacing, be aware there are several different types of connectors. It would be advisable to take one of the old detectors to the store with you to make sure they match. Otherwise, You'll have to also swap out connectors, which isn't too terribly difficult. But you will have to turn off the circuit breaker.
My CO2 detector started chirping after 15/16 yrs. - not sure when I got the hard-wired smoke detectors put in (I have to investigate that) - but I don't change the batteries for them when the time changes, they did (well, one did) start chirping at 3 a.m. (of course) after many yrs. so I replaced the batteries in them all. (silly req. IMO that that have to be in each b/r as well as hall, etc. when you have a Cape Cod that only has a small upstairs w/t b/r's at ends upstairs and have to have 3) - on that note, I can't find a plug-in only CO2 detector anymore.
We recommend detectors to be replaced at 10 year intervals maximum residential. If you don't plan on replacing, then at least get a can of computer air and if you can service the detector by cleaning out the optical chamber. If it has a movable chamber. Some do some don't. I do commercial fire systems also and detectors do go bad. Those are more expensive and we replace as they go bad. I service mine every year. Replace every 5.
If the chamber is removable pop it off and wash the dust that settled in the chamber. Let it dry and reinstall. Don't touch the optical eye
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