Smoke Alarm Chirp Chirp

[Scouzer]

I have 3 Kidde i2020 smoke alarms. They are AC powered with no battery backup.

I had several power failures last weekend and now all 3 smoke alarms are very intermittently chirping at me. They are not interconnected units (I believe, as they do not all alarm when I press the test button) so I don't think it's just one unit being a nuisance.

They don't seem to chirp at any sort of interval, but it happens at least once every half hour from each unit.

Any ideas? They are dated 2007 so they shouldn't be expired. I have tried the silence button which works great... for about a half hour.

 

[BoomerD]

The "Chirp, chirp" is USUALLY a sign of a dying battery. Are you SURE they don't have 9v batteries inside them?

I didn't think they even made hardwired smoke detectors w/o battery backups...if the power goes out...the smoke detector doesn't work...

edit...apparently they DO make smoke detectors w/o battery back up...:shocked:

 

[Scouzer]

The "Chirp, chirp" is USUALLY a sign of a dying battery. Are you SURE they don't have 9v batteries inside them?

I didn't think they even made hardwired smoke detectors w/o battery backups...if the power goes out...the smoke detector doesn't work...

Googling shows the i2020 with battery backup.

Better check again.

I have the manual right in front of me that says the i2020 does not have a battery backup. I'm confused. There is absolutely no battery door on this thing.

Furthermore, this link mentions no battery http://www.amazon.com/Kidde-i12020-B...pr_product_top

 

[BoomerD]

Kidde says this about "intermittent chirping:"

https://portalgb.knowledgebase.net/al/15121/16372/article.aspx?aid=308944&tab=search&bt=4

Several things may be causing your alarm(s) to sound briefly or "chirp" at regular intervals of time.

To determine your specific alarm condition, please verify what type of audible alert you are hearing:

Compare the sound you hear to actual alarm sounds samples.
Consult the "My Alarm is Making a Sound" Solution Finder for model-specific help.


The following could cause your Smoke Alarm to chirp consistently:

Low Battery Condition – The alarm will "chirp" every 30-40 seconds (some alarms every 60 seconds) for a minimum of 7 days. Replace the battery when this occurs, then test your alarm.
Alarm Malfunction – The alarm will "chirp" between flashes of the Red LED. If this occurs press and hold the Test button for a minimum of 2 seconds. If the alarm does not sound your unit has a defective battery or other failure.
Hush Condition – If your alarm has the Hush feature, the alarm will "chirp" every 30-40 seconds for approximately 7 minutes while the Hush feature is activated.
End of Life Condition (Sealed Battery Models Only) – The alarm will "chirp" every 30 seconds to indicate it is time to replace the alarm.

If you bought these in 2007, they're still under warranty. (5 years)

Might be time to replace them with newer ones that have a battery backup.

I have the manual right in front of me that says the i2020 does not have a battery backup. I'm confused. There is absolutely no battery door on this thing.

Furthermore, this link mentions no battery http://www.amazon.com/Kidde-i12020-B...pr_product_top

Yep, you're right. If you notice, I edited my post...a quick google said they DID have battery backup, but when I went to Kidde, I found out that was wrong.

http://www.thesmokedetectorstore.com/Kidde_i12020_Smoke_alarm_AC_DC_Ionization_p/21006374.htm

 

[DaveSimmons]

> End of Life Condition (Sealed Battery Models Only) – The alarm will "chirp" every 30 seconds to indicate it is time to replace the alarm.

Perhaps it's this and by no battery they mean no user-replaceable battery.

Either way, if they're under warranty you can return them before madness takes its toll.

 

[Scouzer]

Thanks for the help guys. I was having a lot of trouble believing 3 units failed simultaneously, but that seems to be the case. Maybe there was a minor power surge...

 

[DrPizza]

I thought that if one went off, they all go off with the wired ones. If that's the case, then perhaps one is causing the problem, not all three.

 

[BoomerD]

I thought that if one went off, they all go off with the wired ones. If that's the case, then perhaps one is causing the problem, not all three.

That's the way they're supposed to be wired...but it can be done as individual units too.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

The aliens are signaling their arrival...

 

[boomerang]

Disconnect them one at a time to find the bad actor. I don't believe for a second that all three went bad simultaneously.

I had this happen at my house. Unfortunately they were so old that I had to replace them both because The new would not play well with the old.

 

[LTC8K6]

They are 4 years old and cheap. Replace them all.

 

[bruceb]

Your units have a 10 year life. After that they suggest replacement as the smoke detector portion may not work properly after that time. It may have a built in battery which can not be changed. Your unit has the feature to interconnect to the other units, but it will require an additional wire to be run between all the units. Still, even if it is not fire code up in Canada (it now is in most parts of the US) you should interconnect them in the interests of best safety protection. And you should have units that are AC powered, with a Battery Backup, as these provide the best protection. If your units are under warranty, which it seems they may be, give the maker (Kidde) a call about replacements under the warranty. Best case, they send them free.

 

[Cal166]

I have hard wired kidde fire alarms and they do have a backup 9v battery. I have to replace them after 4-5 years.

 

[Squisher]

That's the way they're supposed to be wired...but it can be done as individual units too.

Yeah, I thought most codes for new housing required they be interconnected.

That is how they did it for my house. Of the 8 detectors I have the first and last on the string don't have a battery backup.