My daughter has two smoke alarms fitted in her house, one up and one
downstairs. They are mains operated and by some strange co-incidence, both
have decided to take it in turns to 'beep' similar to battery operated units
which need the batteries changed. This has been going on for two weeks or
so. Both units display the green power light. Anyone any ideas please?

"The Wanderer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> My daughter has two smoke alarms fitted in her house, one up and one
> downstairs. They are mains operated and by some strange co-incidence, both
> have decided to take it in turns to 'beep' similar to battery operated
> units which need the batteries changed. This has been going on for two
> weeks or so. Both units display the green power light. Anyone any ideas
> please?
>

Are they mains operated with battery backup? If so then change the
batteries. If not then give a make and model number.

Cheers

Adam

On 14 Feb, 19:44, "The Wanderer" <top...@sky.com> wrote:
> My daughter has two smoke alarms fitted in her house, one up and one
> downstairs. They are mains operated and by some strange co-incidence, both
> have decided to take it in turns to 'beep' similar to battery operated units
> which need the batteries changed. This has been going on for two weeks or
> so. Both units display the green power light. Anyone any ideas please?

Mine (Kidde Fyrnetics Lithium) do that if they get a bit dusty,
running the hoover over them cures it.

"pcb1962" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:3812adea-7712-45a2-9b3f-(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 14 Feb, 19:44, "The Wanderer" <top...@sky.com> wrote:
>> My daughter has two smoke alarms fitted in her house, one up and one
>> downstairs. They are mains operated and by some strange co-incidence,
>> both
>> have decided to take it in turns to 'beep' similar to battery operated
>> units
>> which need the batteries changed. This has been going on for two weeks or
>> so. Both units display the green power light. Anyone any ideas please?
>
> Mine (Kidde Fyrnetics Lithium) do that if they get a bit dusty,
> running the hoover over them cures it.

usually dusty, BUT some of the newer smoke alarms will do a battery low
style beep after 10 years of use, as that's apparantly the life span of the
sensors,

your supposed to check the things with a smoking candle every so often, but
not many people do that, instead thinking the test buttons does more than
just apply power to the bleeper,

the mains powered smoke alarms at my parents place did the beep every so
often thing, both at the same time but each one beeped alone at different
times, thought at first the link between them was down, but the manufacturer
said they were telling us the sensors were at the end of their life, and
wanted to flog us some new uns for silly prices, got some with battery
backups for a 1/4 of the price the manufacturer wanted for the ones in there
origionaly,

"The Wanderer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> My daughter has two smoke alarms fitted in her house, one up and one
> downstairs. They are mains operated and by some strange co-incidence, both
> have decided to take it in turns to 'beep' similar to battery operated
> units which need the batteries changed. This has been going on for two
> weeks or so. Both units display the green power light. Anyone any ideas
> please?

Change the back up batteries.
The warning is because the batteries are low, they last maybe 18 months if
you are lucky.

Mr Pounder
>
>

"Gazz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:hlggqq$6hd$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "pcb1962" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:3812adea-7712-45a2-9b3f-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> On 14 Feb, 19:44, "The Wanderer" <top...@sky.com> wrote:
>>> My daughter has two smoke alarms fitted in her house, one up and one
>>> downstairs. They are mains operated and by some strange co-incidence,
>>> both
>>> have decided to take it in turns to 'beep' similar to battery operated
>>> units
>>> which need the batteries changed. This has been going on for two weeks
>>> or
>>> so. Both units display the green power light. Anyone any ideas please?
>>
>> Mine (Kidde Fyrnetics Lithium) do that if they get a bit dusty,
>> running the hoover over them cures it.
>
> usually dusty, BUT some of the newer smoke alarms will do a battery low
> style beep after 10 years of use, as that's apparantly the life span of
> the sensors,
>
> your supposed to check the things with a smoking candle every so often,

Utter rubbish.
Total and utter crap!


but
> not many people do that, instead thinking the test buttons does more than
> just apply power to the bleeper,


It shows the alarm works.
>
> the mains powered smoke alarms at my parents place did the beep every so
> often thing, both at the same time but each one beeped alone at different
> times, thought at first the link between them was down, but the
> manufacturer said they were telling us the sensors were at the end of
> their life, and wanted to flog us some new uns for silly prices, got some
> with battery backups for a 1/4 of the price the manufacturer wanted for
> the ones in there origionaly,

Yeah, the man with the candle .......

Mr Pounder
>

"Mr Pounder" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:RSDfn.42086$(E-Mail Removed) m...
>
> "Gazz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:hlggqq$6hd$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> "pcb1962" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:3812adea-7712-45a2-9b3f-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> On 14 Feb, 19:44, "The Wanderer" <top...@sky.com> wrote:
>>>> My daughter has two smoke alarms fitted in her house, one up and one
>>>> downstairs. They are mains operated and by some strange co-incidence,
>>>> both
>>>> have decided to take it in turns to 'beep' similar to battery operated
>>>> units
>>>> which need the batteries changed. This has been going on for two weeks
>>>> or
>>>> so. Both units display the green power light. Anyone any ideas please?
>>>
>>> Mine (Kidde Fyrnetics Lithium) do that if they get a bit dusty,
>>> running the hoover over them cures it.
>>
>> usually dusty, BUT some of the newer smoke alarms will do a battery low
>> style beep after 10 years of use, as that's apparantly the life span of
>> the sensors,
>>
>> your supposed to check the things with a smoking candle every so often,
>
> Utter rubbish.
> Total and utter crap!

Interesting. How does "pressing the button" establish whether the alarm is
correctly sensing smoke particles and triggering the sounder? Or are they
all fail-safe?

--
Martin

"Mr Pounder" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:RSDfn.42086$(E-Mail Removed) m...
>
> "Gazz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:hlggqq$6hd$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> "pcb1962" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:3812adea-7712-45a2-9b3f-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> On 14 Feb, 19:44, "The Wanderer" <top...@sky.com> wrote:
>>>> My daughter has two smoke alarms fitted in her house, one up and one
>>>> downstairs. They are mains operated and by some strange co-incidence,
>>>> both
>>>> have decided to take it in turns to 'beep' similar to battery operated
>>>> units
>>>> which need the batteries changed. This has been going on for two weeks
>>>> or
>>>> so. Both units display the green power light. Anyone any ideas please?
>>>
>>> Mine (Kidde Fyrnetics Lithium) do that if they get a bit dusty,
>>> running the hoover over them cures it.
>>
>> usually dusty, BUT some of the newer smoke alarms will do a battery low
>> style beep after 10 years of use, as that's apparantly the life span of
>> the sensors,
>>
>> your supposed to check the things with a smoking candle every so often,
>
> Utter rubbish.
> Total and utter crap!
>

Yep, you are supposed to set fire to the setee instead:-)

I had a chat with the technical department at Firex. They do not even want
customers to use smoke canisters to test their alarms as some canisters
leave a silicone residue on the alarm sensor that stops it working.

Adam

In article <bzEfn.44479$(E-Mail Removed)2>,
"Martin" <(E-Mail Removed)> writes:
> "Mr Pounder" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:RSDfn.42086$(E-Mail Removed) m...
>>
>> "Gazz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:hlggqq$6hd$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> usually dusty, BUT some of the newer smoke alarms will do a battery low
>>> style beep after 10 years of use, as that's apparantly the life span of
>>> the sensors,
>>>
>>> your supposed to check the things with a smoking candle every so often,
>>
>> Utter rubbish.
>> Total and utter crap!

Yes. The only instructions along these lines I've seen say
to never do this.

In ionisation detectors (more common), test buttone removes or
reduces the voltage across the ionisation chamber, so the current
through the chamber reduces/stops. That's pretty much the same
effect as the smoke particles have, so you are testing pretty
much all of the circuitry.

> Interesting. How does "pressing the button" establish whether the alarm is
> correctly sensing smoke particles and triggering the sounder? Or are they
> all fail-safe?

Ionisation type are fail-safe against most types of failure.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

"Martin" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:bzEfn.44479$(E-Mail Removed)2...
>
> "Mr Pounder" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:RSDfn.42086$(E-Mail Removed) m...
>>
>> "Gazz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:hlggqq$6hd$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>
>>> "pcb1962" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>> news:3812adea-7712-45a2-9b3f-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>> On 14 Feb, 19:44, "The Wanderer" <top...@sky.com> wrote:
>>>>> My daughter has two smoke alarms fitted in her house, one up and one
>>>>> downstairs. They are mains operated and by some strange co-incidence,
>>>>> both
>>>>> have decided to take it in turns to 'beep' similar to battery operated
>>>>> units
>>>>> which need the batteries changed. This has been going on for two weeks
>>>>> or
>>>>> so. Both units display the green power light. Anyone any ideas please?
>>>>
>>>> Mine (Kidde Fyrnetics Lithium) do that if they get a bit dusty,
>>>> running the hoover over them cures it.
>>>
>>> usually dusty, BUT some of the newer smoke alarms will do a battery low
>>> style beep after 10 years of use, as that's apparantly the life span of
>>> the sensors,
>>>
>>> your supposed to check the things with a smoking candle every so often,
>>
>> Utter rubbish.
>> Total and utter crap!
>
> Interesting. How does "pressing the button" establish whether the alarm
> is correctly sensing smoke particles and triggering the sounder? Or are
> they all fail-safe?
>
> --
> Martin

It is the best that can be done.
A lot of old people have smoke alarms.
Are you really asking them to test the alarms with live fire???????

Mr Pounder
>
>