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W07VH5 |
The basement smoke detector beeped 9 times and went silent. The blinking light indicated it's in latching mode which means it detected alarm levels of smoke but it dropped below alarm level. I looked around, saw nothing and smelled no smoke. It's been raining and humid but the dehumidifier had been running in the basement non-stop for days now. This is disconcerting. What should I check? | ||
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Member |
Could it possibly be the "low battery" alarm? Some detectors will beep multiple times periodically, when the battery starts getting low. | |||
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Ammoholic |
What brand is it? If it's kidde/firex call them. They will walk you through trouble shooting it. Kidde Product Support: 1-800-880-6788 If another brand, remove detector and see if there is a support number. It's quite possible the unit has failed. How old is it? Jesse Sic Semper Tyrannis | |||
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| Back, and to the left  |
It could be an old wives tale but I remember hearing recommendations to vacuum them clean and that they would give a lot of false alarms if dusty. | |||
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| SF Jake |
dust and spiders can set them off. Is there any evidence of furnace problems such as soot on unit indicating a small back fire? i'm sure you've had it maintained on an annual basis as is necessary so I won't ask. smoke detectors also don't last forever...typical life expectancy is highly variable depending on conditions but 7 years seems to be average. Look for the mfg date on the unit. ________________________ Those who trade liberty for security have neither | |||
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E tan e epi tas |
Look for cobwebs. God damn bugs love my garage detector and will set it off occasionally. At least they only do so at 3am.  Vacuum it and all around it. Chris. "Guns are tools. The only weapon ever created was man." | |||
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| W07VH5 |
There was no evidence of dust or cobwebs but I vacuumed it. It hasn't happened again. I didn't think to check the furnace since it isn't active. It is a First Alert SA320 that I installed in 2013. | |||
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| E tan e epi tas |
Not out of the question that it is going bad. Cheap enough to replace. When mine have gone bad I have gotten false alarms and batteries generally only reading as good for a short time. "Guns are tools. The only weapon ever created was man." | |||
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| Ammoholic |
That's a good brand and only four years old should not be having problems. Did you install yourself, if not do you trust electrician who did it? A loose connection can cause phantom alerts or fry the circuitry. I'd watch for next 24, if it happens again, check connections. If it happens again, try to have firstalert send replacement. When checking connections, look for paint on twisted home wiring. Crappy electricians don't wire nut the wires and paint ain't a great conductor, this can lead to premature failure. Jesse Sic Semper Tyrannis | |||
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| W07VH5 |
These are battery only. No connection to utility electric. | |||
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| Ammoholic |
Oh. Toss it and get new one, or if you have time call first alert and get replacement. In the mean time. I'd swap it with whatever room you are in most. If it goes off again there confirmation it's bad, if it goes off in original location again, call FD. Jesse Sic Semper Tyrannis | |||
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| Member |
Could be caused by humidity. | |||
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| Absolutely Positively- Retired  |
Keep an eye on your dehumidifier! My last 2 have been recalled for catching on fire! | |||
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| That rug really tied the room together.  |
I installed 5 first alert "10 year lithium battery only" smoke detectors about 4 years ago. None of them are still up. I had to replace all of them within 4 years. They are junk. I went back to wired with 9 volt battery backup ______________________________________________________ Often times a very small man can cast a very large shadow | |||
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Member |
That's a good thought. There are several dehumidifier recalls out there. IIRC correctly, if you google dehumidifier recall you can find a site to plug in your brand, model and serial number to see if yours is on the list. Place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark. “If in winning a race, you lose the respect of your fellow competitors, then you have won nothing” - Paul Elvstrom "The Great Dane" 1928 - 2016 | |||
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