Smoke detectors play a crucial role in keeping your family safe if there is a house fire and preventing significant smoke and fire damage. Unfortunately, smoke detectors occasionally go off when there’s not actually a fire. It is best to act as if there is something going on whenever the smoke detector goes off, but if there is no fire or smoke inside the home, the next step should be to determine why it sounded.
If left unchecked, not only can this being extremely annoying which can lead to someone disconnecting the alarm, but you can have a “Boy Who Cried Wolf” situation where when the smoke detector actually detects a fire, it isn’t taken seriously and leads to major fire damage. Here are some of the top reasons that your fire alarm could go off falsely and what you can do to fix the problem.
Food Left on Stove
It’s easy to get distracted while cooking and end up accidentally burning your food. If this happens, the smoke alarm may go off, even if there isn’t any smoke yet. To prevent this, have the fire alarm placed near the kitchen, but not inside the kitchen. Smoke detectors that are triggered when something has been forgotten on the stove can prevent a minor kitchen fire from causing significant smoke and fire damage.
Burning Popcorn or Toast
If popcorn or toast are cooked a little too long, it could result in heavy particles that go into the air and are detected by the smoke alarm. Keeping the smoke detector away from the toaster or microwave can help prevent this from happening.
Wood Burning Fireplace
It’s possible for your fireplace to cause the smoke alarm to go off, especially when you’re first starting a fire and it’s more smoky. This could also be due to a chimney that isn’t clean or dampers that aren’t set properly. If there is consistently smoke in your home from the fireplace, you should have a chimney sweep come take a look and make sure everything is working properly.
High Humidity
Some smoke alarms may not be able to tell the difference between particles from smoke and moisture, so they can go off if the humidity is too high. Use fans, turn on the air conditioner or open the windows to lower the humidity.
Water Vapor or Steam
Showers with hot water or water boiling on the stove can cause your smoke alarm to go off due to the water vapor. Proper ventilation in the kitchen and bathroom can stop this from happening.
Pests
If a pest gets inside your smoke detector, it can cause the alarm to go off. If this happens, use a pest control spray around the alarm to kill the pests and keep them from getting inside again.
Harsh Chemicals
The fumes from harsh chemicals or paint can cause a false alarm. Always ventilate areas properly when painting or using chemicals to prevent your smoke alarm from sounding.
Dust and Dirt
Any dust or dirt that gets into the smoke alarms can cause it to sound. Open the alarm carefully and use a vacuum to clean out any dust or dirt that may be inside it.
Batteries are Low
If the batteries are not connected properly, or they are running low, it’s time to change them. It’s a good idea to do this twice a year to prevent false alarms or chirping.
End of Life for Smoke Detector
False alarms can become more common when the smoke alarm is reaching its end of life. Prevent this by replacing your smoke detector every ten years.
False alarms can happen, but a smoke detector going off could be a sign of an actual fire. If you ever need help with Fire Damage Restoration, call the experts at PuroClean Certified Restoration to do the fire restoration right the first time quickly and professionally.