Why Is My Smoke Alarm Beeping?
A smoke alarm that chirps every 30 to 60 seconds almost always has a low battery. Here's what each sound means, how to find the alarm making it, and what to do.
A single chirp every 30 to 60 seconds almost always means a low battery. In a 240V hardwired alarm, replace the backup battery. In a sealed 10-year alarm, the battery can't be replaced, so the whole alarm needs replacing.
What Does Each Smoke Alarm Sound Mean?
A single chirp every 30 to 60 seconds means a low battery. A full alarm with no smoke usually means steam, dust or insects. An alarm more than 10 years old must be replaced, whatever it's doing.
| What you hear | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| A single chirp every 30 to 60 seconds | Low battery. In a hardwired alarm, replace the backup battery. In a sealed 10-year alarm, replace the alarm. |
| Chirping that starts in the middle of the night | A battery that is nearly flat. Its voltage drops as the house cools down overnight. |
| The full alarm, with no smoke or fire | Steam, cooking fumes, dust or insects inside the alarm. Use the hush button, open a window, then clean the alarm. |
| Chirping that doesn't stop after a new battery | Some alarms need resetting after a battery change or a power cut. Check the manufacturer's instructions. |
| Any sound from an alarm more than 10 years old | The alarm is past its life and must be replaced by law, even if it seems to work. |
Sounds differ between brands, so check the instructions for your alarm. The model and manufacture date are usually printed on the back.
How Do You Find Which Smoke Alarm Is Chirping?
Stand under each alarm in turn and wait for the next chirp, and look for a flashing light, because many alarms flash to show they need attention.
A short chirp is hard to track down, especially when alarms are interconnected. If several alarms are going off at once, they are interconnected, and the one that detected the smoke usually shows a different light from the others.
Can You Take the Battery Out of a Beeping Smoke Alarm?
Only to replace it. In Queensland it's an offence to remove a smoke alarm or its battery except to replace it, and the maximum penalty is 5 penalty units ($863.50).
It also leaves your home unprotected. Use the hush button for a false alarm, and replace the battery or the alarm as soon as you can.
Most people know that annoying chirp a smoke alarm makes every minute or so. There's a reason it does that: it's letting you know something is wrong.
Most often it just means the backup battery needs replacing. This is usually the 9V battery you see in most smoke alarms. These only last about a year. If you've had a few power outages and the alarms have run on battery for a while, they'll need replacing sooner, and that's what the chirp is telling you.
Just remember, you can change this battery yourself. You don't need to pay anyone to come and do it for you.
Nick James, owner and licensed electrician
How Do You Stop a Hardwired Smoke Alarm Chirping?
Replace its backup battery. 240V hardwired alarms run on mains power but have a backup battery for power cuts, and a low backup battery is the usual cause of chirping.
In many hardwired alarms, including the ones we install, the backup battery should be replaced every year. Follow the manufacturer's instructions, and only work on an alarm if you are comfortable on a ladder. In a rental, the landlord replaces flat or nearly flat batteries within 30 days before a tenancy starts, and the tenant replaces them during the tenancy.
When Should You Replace the Whole Smoke Alarm?
Replace the whole alarm if it's a sealed 10-year alarm chirping for a low battery, if it's more than 10 years past its manufacture date, if it doesn't sound when tested, or if it's an ionisation alarm.
Who Can Replace Smoke Alarm Batteries on the Gold Coast?
Most people can replace a backup battery themselves. If you'd rather not, Swift Smoke Alarms replaces backup batteries in hardwired alarms anywhere on the Gold Coast, for a $149 battery service visit plus $14.99 per battery.
If the alarms need replacing, it's $119 per alarm, interconnected and tested, with your compliance certificate. See our full price list.
Sources
- Fire Services Act 1990 (Qld), Part 9, Division 5A, current reprint
- Queensland Fire Department - Smoke alarm FAQs
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Common Questions
Why does my smoke alarm chirp at night?
A battery's voltage drops as the house cools down overnight, so a battery that is nearly flat often starts chirping in the early hours. Replace the battery, or the alarm if it's a sealed 10-year alarm.
Why is my smoke alarm still chirping after I changed the battery?
Some smoke alarms need resetting after a battery change or a power cut, usually by pressing and holding the test button. Check the manufacturer's instructions. If it still chirps, the alarm may be faulty or past its life and need replacing.
Who replaces smoke alarm batteries in a Queensland rental?
The landlord must replace flat or nearly flat batteries within 30 days before a tenancy starts. During the tenancy, the tenant replaces them. If an alarm fails for another reason, the tenant must tell the landlord.
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