Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You need to clean the chamber (round black plastic cage inside the detector)
Cleaning the outside does nothing to actually clean the detector. If it's older than 10 years toss it install new one
I had that happen to my fire detectors. Mine are also whole house hard wired together so when one had a detection, they all went off. After I cleared each one and waited in less than an hour they often all went off again. The cause was a small spider spinning a web in one. When they went off, it exited the smoke detector, but when all was clear it started the web again. Killed that sucker, and all was well again, after several days of it going off constantly. Look for spiders and their webs!.
Another time, the one in my basement went off a few hours after my sister had backed her car out of my garage. I was surprised that's what caused it to go off.
CO bonds to the hemoglobin in your blood, it can no longer carry oxygen. It takes a lot of time for your body to get rid of it. Lower concentrations over many hours or even days can be just as bad as high concentrations for short period of time.
CO detectors have thresholds. They will go off if the PPM exceeds X for days, if it exceeds it for a higher amount for a day, an even higher amount for an hour and a level that will set it off regardless of time. These thresholds with the exception of the last one are not immediately dangerous but certainly something you need to address.
These detectors should of been built with two alarms. One for there is an issue you need to look at and another for "Get the hell out of the house". I always recommend having at least one with a readout that will tell you what the PPM is so you can understand what the levels are and why it's going off. That doesn't mean to go look at it if it's going off either but if you have gas stove for example that is creating an excessive amount of CO you can monitor what the levels are and know what the issue is.
Interesting replies , I guess I was trying to avoid buying all new, but that seems the problem , I'm sure there the original ones in here 17 years old before I moved in , very high ceilings too mad:
My friends goes off now and then in her kitchen , different house ...I never heard of a smoke alarm installed in a kitchen I don't think it's suppose to be there , is it ?
...I never heard of a smoke alarm installed in a kitchen I don't think it's suppose to be there , is it ?
No. Instead they have "Rate-of-rise / Heat sensors (135 F.) which can be placed in a kitchen. Smoke (my cooking ) will not set them off, but heat from a fire will.
Following are instructions for professional / commercial / fire alarm system smoke detectors. These instructions cover where to place smoke detectors, how various kinds work, how to clean them, etc. Very informative...
Interesting replies , I guess I was trying to avoid buying all new, but that seems the problem , I'm sure there the original ones in here 17 years old before I moved in , very high ceilings too mad:
My friends goes off now and then in her kitchen , different house ...I never heard of a smoke alarm installed in a kitchen I don't think it's suppose to be there , is it ?
Billy is right. The most you do in a kitchen is a rate of rise heat detector. Smoke detectors are too susceptible to false alarm from cooking oil and smoke even microwaving popcorn too long. I don't do residential fire but I think now it's required to have smoke/CO detectors not just smoke detectors. I could probably look it up but I'm not in the office.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't think it's suppose to be there , is it ?
) will not set them off, but heat from a fire will.
