Hi folks--

I have a smoke alarm in my house that beeps at night, in the middle of the
night. When this starts, it beeps about 8 or 10 times, then stops, and then
starts doing this again about 5 to 10 minutes later. It started doing this
2 nights ago. Both nights I ended up cutting off the power into my house so
I could get a good night's sleep.

This only happens at night, and does not happen during the day.

I opened up the smoke alarm this morning, and found that it is the kind that
is wired directly into the house wiring--it does not have a separate battery
of any kind, nor a place for one that I can see.

Could power spikes/fluctuations in the middle of the night cause the smoke
alarm to go off? That's the only thing I can think of.

Lastly, my house is still standing, and I don't smell any burning in my
house. The smoke alarm is located on the second floor of my house, in the
hallway, opposite my master bedroom--so it is far away from anything in the
house that could have any residual *burning* smell, such as the oven/stove
in my kitchen.

Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully I won't have to cut the power
into my house every nite to keep this from happening in the future.

Jean in VA

Maybe a dirt on the sensor and a change in humidity at night, try
blowing or vacume it clean.

Battery backup? maybe its low cycle is coincindently at night .

Defective unit , cause ?

A dead relative trying to contact you and keep you from sleeping, or
warn you.

Having a battery only back up is always good measure.

"Jean S. Barto" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:yNMSc.19717$Bb.5577@lakeread08...
> Hi folks--
>
> I have a smoke alarm in my house that beeps at night, in the middle of the
> night. When this starts, it beeps about 8 or 10 times, then stops, and
then
> starts doing this again about 5 to 10 minutes later. It started doing
this
> 2 nights ago. Both nights I ended up cutting off the power into my house
so
> I could get a good night's sleep.
>
> This only happens at night, and does not happen during the day.
>
> I opened up the smoke alarm this morning, and found that it is the kind
that
> is wired directly into the house wiring--it does not have a separate
battery
> of any kind, nor a place for one that I can see.
>
> Could power spikes/fluctuations in the middle of the night cause the smoke
> alarm to go off? That's the only thing I can think of.
>
> Lastly, my house is still standing, and I don't smell any burning in my
> house. The smoke alarm is located on the second floor of my house, in the
> hallway, opposite my master bedroom--so it is far away from anything in
the
> house that could have any residual *burning* smell, such as the oven/stove
> in my kitchen.
>
> Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully I won't have to cut the power
> into my house every nite to keep this from happening in the future.
>
> Jean in VA

Try cleaning it with canned air, like what they use to blow out computers.
Do not use isopropyl alcohol on the sensor, isopropyl has water in it.
An dry Q-tip would work, pretend it is your eye, gently.
In higher humidity times the eye can get fooled. What does your a/c filter
look like?
Floaties in the air might cause this.
Then again it could be broken and time for an new one.

"Joseph Meehan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:N6PSc.12395$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Jean S. Barto wrote:
> > Hi folks--
> >
> > I have a smoke alarm in my house that beeps at night, in the middle of
the
> > night. When this starts, it beeps about 8 or 10 times, then stops, and
> then
> > starts doing this again about 5 to 10 minutes later. It started doing
> this
> > 2 nights ago. Both nights I ended up cutting off the power into my
house
> so
> > I could get a good night's sleep.
> >
> > This only happens at night, and does not happen during the day.
> >
> > I opened up the smoke alarm this morning, and found that it is the kind
> that
> > is wired directly into the house wiring--it does not have a separate
> battery
> > of any kind, nor a place for one that I can see.
> >
> > Could power spikes/fluctuations in the middle of the night cause the
smoke
> > alarm to go off? That's the only thing I can think of.
> >
> > Lastly, my house is still standing, and I don't smell any burning in my
> > house. The smoke alarm is located on the second floor of my house, in
the
> > hallway, opposite my master bedroom--so it is far away from anything in
> the
> > house that could have any residual *burning* smell, such as the
oven/stove
> > in my kitchen.
> >
> > Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully I won't have to cut the
power
> > into my house every nite to keep this from happening in the future.
> >
> > Jean in VA
>
>
> My guess is the battery is going. It is usually cooler at night and
the
> battery is putting out just a little less power and that is triggering the
> low battery beeps.

what battery? <g>

randy

"xrongor" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:z-Odnc9aGbK_XobcRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Joseph Meehan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:N6PSc.12395$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Jean S. Barto wrote:
> > > Hi folks--
> > >
> > > I have a smoke alarm in my house that beeps at night, in the middle of
> the
> > > night. When this starts, it beeps about 8 or 10 times, then stops,
and
> > then
> > > starts doing this again about 5 to 10 minutes later. It started doing
> > this
> > > 2 nights ago. Both nights I ended up cutting off the power into my
> house
> > so
> > > I could get a good night's sleep.
> > >
> > > This only happens at night, and does not happen during the day.
> > >
> > > I opened up the smoke alarm this morning, and found that it is the
kind
> > that
> > > is wired directly into the house wiring--it does not have a separate
> > battery
> > > of any kind, nor a place for one that I can see.
> > >
> > > Could power spikes/fluctuations in the middle of the night cause the
> smoke
> > > alarm to go off? That's the only thing I can think of.
> > >
> > > Lastly, my house is still standing, and I don't smell any burning in
my
> > > house. The smoke alarm is located on the second floor of my house, in
> the
> > > hallway, opposite my master bedroom--so it is far away from anything
in
> > the
> > > house that could have any residual *burning* smell, such as the
> oven/stove
> > > in my kitchen.
> > >
> > > Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully I won't have to cut the
> power
> > > into my house every nite to keep this from happening in the future.
> > >
> > > Jean in VA
> >
> >
> > My guess is the battery is going. It is usually cooler at night and
> the
> > battery is putting out just a little less power and that is triggering
the
> > low battery beeps.
>
> what battery? <g>
>
> randy

some systems have a wet or gel cell battery in another place that powers
alarms in case the power goes out.

Like I mentioned in my first post, I can't see a battery of any kind in the
unit anywhere--I think it is wired directly into the wiring in the wall. If
there *is* a battery in it, I can't see it.

I wasn't aware that smoke alarms *wear out* and need to be replaced
periodically. I thought only the batteries (if it has one) required
replacing.

Thanks again,

Jean in VA

"Charles Spitzer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:cfggbr$iuv$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "xrongor" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:z-Odnc9aGbK_XobcRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
> >
> > "Joseph Meehan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:N6PSc.12395$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > Jean S. Barto wrote:
> > > > Hi folks--
> > > >
> > > > I have a smoke alarm in my house that beeps at night, in the middle
of
> > the
> > > > night. When this starts, it beeps about 8 or 10 times, then stops,
> and
> > > then
> > > > starts doing this again about 5 to 10 minutes later. It started
doing
> > > this
> > > > 2 nights ago. Both nights I ended up cutting off the power into my
> > house
> > > so
> > > > I could get a good night's sleep.
> > > >
> > > > This only happens at night, and does not happen during the day.
> > > >
> > > > I opened up the smoke alarm this morning, and found that it is the
> kind
> > > that
> > > > is wired directly into the house wiring--it does not have a separate
> > > battery
> > > > of any kind, nor a place for one that I can see.
> > > >
> > > > Could power spikes/fluctuations in the middle of the night cause the
> > smoke
> > > > alarm to go off? That's the only thing I can think of.
> > > >
> > > > Lastly, my house is still standing, and I don't smell any burning in
> my
> > > > house. The smoke alarm is located on the second floor of my house,
in
> > the
> > > > hallway, opposite my master bedroom--so it is far away from anything
> in
> > > the
> > > > house that could have any residual *burning* smell, such as the
> > oven/stove
> > > > in my kitchen.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully I won't have to cut the
> > power
> > > > into my house every nite to keep this from happening in the future.
> > > >
> > > > Jean in VA
> > >
> > >
> > > My guess is the battery is going. It is usually cooler at night
and
> > the
> > > battery is putting out just a little less power and that is triggering
> the
> > > low battery beeps.
> >
> > what battery? <g>
> >
> > randy
>
> some systems have a wet or gel cell battery in another place that powers
> alarms in case the power goes out.
>
>

"Jean S. Barto" wrote:
>
> Hi folks--
>
> I have a smoke alarm in my house that beeps at night, in the middle of the
> night. When this starts, it beeps about 8 or 10 times, then stops, and then
> starts doing this again about 5 to 10 minutes later. It started doing this
> 2 nights ago. Both nights I ended up cutting off the power into my house so
> I could get a good night's sleep.
>
> This only happens at night, and does not happen during the day.
>
> I opened up the smoke alarm this morning, and found that it is the kind that
> is wired directly into the house wiring--it does not have a separate battery
> of any kind, nor a place for one that I can see.
>
> Could power spikes/fluctuations in the middle of the night cause the smoke
> alarm to go off? That's the only thing I can think of.
>
> Lastly, my house is still standing, and I don't smell any burning in my
> house. The smoke alarm is located on the second floor of my house, in the
> hallway, opposite my master bedroom--so it is far away from anything in the
> house that could have any residual *burning* smell, such as the oven/stove
> in my kitchen.
>
> Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully I won't have to cut the power
> into my house every nite to keep this from happening in the future.
>
> Jean in VA

Could be a lot of things. If you know the type, it can help. Also,
consider what is different at night.
As an example, the alarm installed in my house at construction over 28
years ago is the light at an angle type. In normal conditions, the
light never gets to the sensor since it can't travel around a corner.
Smoke will cause the light to disperse and some of it is reflected to
the sensor. Unfortunately, tiny spiders ocassionaly find a home and
construct webs which can blow and deflect the light to the sensor.
That's one possibility, and if so, you can clean the passages, or just
really blow the heck out of it with a vacuum. A burned out lamp
will also cause a noise but it won't be just at night. A failing lamp
may also set it off. Lots of other possibilities. The simplest
solution is to replace it with a battery operated unit.

If you sleep with the windows open, a temperature inversion can keep
small amounts of smoke near the ground, and it drifts in and the smoke
detector detects smoke even though you don't.

Get one with a snooze alarm.
--
Ron Hardin
(E-Mail Removed)

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

indago wrote:
>
> 040812 1750 - George E. Cawthon posted:
>
> >
> >
> > "Jean S. Barto" wrote:
> >>
> >> Hi folks--
> >>
> >> I have a smoke alarm in my house that beeps at night, in the middle of the
> >> night. When this starts, it beeps about 8 or 10 times, then stops, and then
> >> starts doing this again about 5 to 10 minutes later. It started doing this
> >> 2 nights ago. Both nights I ended up cutting off the power into my house so
> >> I could get a good night's sleep.
> >>
> >> This only happens at night, and does not happen during the day.
> >>
> >> I opened up the smoke alarm this morning, and found that it is the kind that
> >> is wired directly into the house wiring--it does not have a separate battery
> >> of any kind, nor a place for one that I can see.
> >>
> >> Could power spikes/fluctuations in the middle of the night cause the smoke
> >> alarm to go off? That's the only thing I can think of.
> >>
> >> Lastly, my house is still standing, and I don't smell any burning in my
> >> house. The smoke alarm is located on the second floor of my house, in the
> >> hallway, opposite my master bedroom--so it is far away from anything in the
> >> house that could have any residual *burning* smell, such as the oven/stove
> >> in my kitchen.
> >>
> >> Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully I won't have to cut the power
> >> into my house every nite to keep this from happening in the future.
> >>
> >> Jean in VA
> >
> > Could be a lot of things. If you know the type, it can help. Also,
> > consider what is different at night.
> >
>
> Everybody is in the house sleeping at night, exhaling carbon dioxide fumes
> and setting off the sensitive alarm system.

Yeah but! Smoke alarms don't detect carbon dioxide.

JerryMouse wrote:
>
> Jean S. Barto wrote:
> > Like I mentioned in my first post, I can't see a battery of any kind
> > in the unit anywhere--I think it is wired directly into the wiring in
> > the wall. If there *is* a battery in it, I can't see it.
> >
> > I wasn't aware that smoke alarms *wear out* and need to be replaced
> > periodically. I thought only the batteries (if it has one) required
> > replacing.
> >
> > Thanks again,
> >
> > Jean in VA
>
> Smoke detectors use a teeny bit of radioactive material (Americium) to
> ionize the air flowing over a sensor. Americium decays over time an becomes
> less energetic. The half-life of Americium-241 is approximately 430 years,
> so, if your house is about that old....

Not all smoke detectors. My 120V model uses a light in a small
passageway. Smoke entering the system reflects the light to a
sensor. There really is nothing except the bulb to wear out.