Smoke Alarm Regularly Cheeping Despite Fitting New Battery...

[sandyRoe]

My smoke alarm, mains with a battery in case of a fire during a power out, (I'd be having a really bad day if that happened) started to cheep. I replaced the battery and it's still squawking. What now?

[Tilly2]

Turn the power off and leave it for a while. It might need to reset itself or something.

[BRIGHT SPARK]

What make and how old is it sandy.Try blowing in the detection chamber...it may be dusty.

[shoota]

Was it a cheep battery?

[jomifl]

Have you checked the voltage of the battery? is it a rechargeable?

[sandyRoe]

It's a Kidde Fyrnetics. I think it's 6 or 7 years old.

[sandyRoe]

It's a 9v battery

[jomifl]

Does it give 9volts?

[sandyRoe]

I thought all the small rectangular batteries were 9v.

[shoota]

Cheep ones (I'm going to persist with this until your sides split with laughter) sometimes are 'dead' when you purchase them. So my previous comment was partially serious.
Have you some other piece of kit you can test it in?

[stewey]

Sandy, even brand new batteries don't always "give out" what they're rated for. If you don't already have one, buy yourself a simple multi-tester to check batteries prior to using them.

[bhg481]

Rechargeable 9v batteries are actually 8.4v. I think Jomifl is suggesting that the new battery may not be fresh (or duff) and is not giving 9v.
Having said that, I always used to run my smoke alarms on rechargeables until I opted for lithium istead which are supposed to last about 10 years.

[Peter Pedant]

It wants a fag ?

[jomifl]

Sandy, the battery that you have removed was presumably a 9v battery. You removed it because you assumed that it no longer gave 9v. It is possible that the repacement battery doesn't give 9v. either. You can check the voltage with a voltmeter. You can buy one for less than the cosyt of a battery. If a 9v. battery giving 9v doesn't make it work then buy a new smoke alarm

[Iggle Piggle]

There are specialist 'smoke alarm' batteries, they have phenomenal shelf-life and last for years but are quite expensive. Your best bet is a Duracell 9v battery, they are good quality and the only ones I use here. NEVER be tempted to use a rechargeable, it's just false economy.

[sandyRoe]

I know there's a small transistor radio somewhere about the place which used the 9v battery. If I can find it I'll test the battery in that. If I can't I'll buy a new battery in the morning.

[stewey]

That's the method I use, Peter, for testing smoke alarms:)

[jomifl]

bhg, glad someone could follow my reasoning and also see where it was going...bloody hard work at times :-)

[sandyRoe]

Or I might just buy a new battery only smoke alarm. They're only a few quid from B+Q

[stewey]

Sandy, quit dancing around the issue and buy yourself a multi-tester:)

[Peter Pedant]

. or perhaps go the whole hog
and buy an alarm that works !