Struggling with a hard-wired, interconnected smoke detector that seems
to be chirping in response to humidity (we're having a cold summer in
Minnesota). I tried replacing the battery, blowing everything clean
with a blow dryer set on cool, and replacing the removable unit itself.
Nothing helped. And here's the really hard part which has even the
electricians (including the company that installed it) stumped. The
chirping is not coming from the removable part. It's coming from the
wiring up in the ceiling. I know this for sure because I took the
removable part out of the house and put it in the garage. The ceiling
hole kept right on chirping.

How is that possible?

I need to know because I want to pull the hard-wired system and replace
it with battery-only detectors. With battery-only, there IS NO wiring
inside a hole. If the detector starts chirping from humidity (and we
have a lot of humidity in MInnesota), you can remove it from the ceiling
or wall and stick it in the garage until things dry out and there won't
be anything left in a hole in the wall or ceiling to go right on
chirping. But the electrician I called seems to think if he just
removes the removable part and covers the hole with a plate, he'll be
done. He doesn't believe the chirping is coming from the hole, not the
removable part.

Thoughts?

In article , Rebecca Webb wrote:
Struggling with a hard-wired, interconnected smoke detector that seems
to be chirping in response to humidity (we're having a cold summer in
Minnesota). I tried replacing the battery, blowing everything clean
with a blow dryer set on cool, and replacing the removable unit itself.
Nothing helped. And here's the really hard part which has even the
electricians (including the company that installed it) stumped. The
chirping is not coming from the removable part. It's coming from the
wiring up in the ceiling. I know this for sure because I took the
removable part out of the house and put it in the garage. The ceiling
hole kept right on chirping.

How is that possible?

I need to know because I want to pull the hard-wired system and replace
it with battery-only detectors. With battery-only, there IS NO wiring
inside a hole. If the detector starts chirping from humidity (and we
have a lot of humidity in MInnesota), you can remove it from the ceiling
or wall and stick it in the garage until things dry out and there won't
be anything left in a hole in the wall or ceiling to go right on
chirping. But the electrician I called seems to think if he just
removes the removable part and covers the hole with a plate, he'll be
done. He doesn't believe the chirping is coming from the hole, not the
removable part.

Thoughts?

Another dectector up there ??
Holmes on homes would tear it down.


Never had a detector go off on humidity except for one in a hallwway
with bathroom steam. I bought one that has a reset button because of that.
I had high humidity last week up around 80%. The kitchen light started to
go one a frenzy. It would brighten, then dim, and kept repeating.
I had to push the mechanical off button to turn off the touch dimmer.
One car also would not crank.

greg

Rebecca Webb wrote:
chirping is not coming from the removable part. It's coming from the
wiring up in the ceiling. I know this for sure because I took the
removable part out of the house and put it in the garage. The ceiling
hole kept right on chirping.

How is that possible?

When I installed smoke detectors that were hardwired into the
house wiring they were interconnected. If one of them started
to chirp due to low battery, they all chirped until you fixed
the one with a problem. You could tell which one was really
the problem because there was a light that would blink only
on the unit with the problem. Anyway, I would suspect
you have another smoke detector up in the attic space that
is the culprit. Go look for it.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

In article , wrote:

When I installed smoke detectors that were hardwired into the
house wiring they were interconnected. If one of them started
to chirp due to low battery, they all chirped until you fixed
the one with a problem. You could tell which one was really
the problem because there was a light that would blink only
on the unit with the problem.

I'll check the lights. But...

-I replaced all 3 detectors' batteries
-Only the living room detector is chirping.
-The chirping doesn't start until the middle of the night, after the
windows have been open for several hours, the temperature inside and out
has dropped, and the humidity has increased (due to dropping temp).
-The living room detector, the one that's chirping, gets the most night
air.


Anyway, I would suspect
you have another smoke detector up in the attic space that
is the culprit. Go look for it.


That's what a professional electrician though. "You must be hearing the
sound of a nearby attic detector through the hole." But there is no
attic space. The living room detector is affixed to a vaulted ceiling.

R.

Here's an idea. Pictures!

Here's the vault of the living room ceiling. Not likely to have any
crawl space above it, right?

http://www.morris.umn.edu/~webbrl/Sm...ngRoomVault.jp
g


Here's the location of the smoke detector on that ceiling, circled in
red. Sorry it's a little hard to see. I shot this pic from the other
side of the main support beam. The room I'm shooting from is also
vaulted, but in a different direction (90 degrees perpendicular).

http://www.morris.umn.edu/~webbrl/Sm...eDetectorLocat
ion.jpg


Here's what I call the wiring, which I thought of as just sitting in
dark air above the ceiling. I see now it seems to be contained in some
sort of dome-shaped metal casing? Anyway, this is where the chirping is
coming from, not from the removable plastic part. Does that seem
feasible? And if I could find a way to remove the metal casing and
everything contained in it (red white yellow black wires, little round
blue thing that looks like a phillips screw but which I think might be
the actual sensor), the chirping would stop, yes?


http://www.morris.umn.edu/~webbrl/Sm...eDetectorInnar
ds.jpg

RW

Update.

I showed
http://www.morris.umn.edu/~webbrl/Sm...eDetectorInnar
ds.jpg to an electrician colleague. He said,

"That's a junction box, you ninny. There is no way it can make a
chirping sound. No way, never, nada, zip, no chance, can't happen.

"Your ears are deceiving you. It must be a nearby detector you're
hearing. [The bedroom detector is only about 10 feet away.] Try doing
some more trouble-shooting, beginning with pulling down the bedroom
detector to see if that stops the chirping."

Now, incorporating the info I've gained from y'all, when I look at the
bedroom detector, if it IS the problem, chances are it will be blinking
or illuminating in some manner different from the others, right? I
mean, assuming the others are okay.

RW

Rebecca Webb wrote:
Update.

I showed
http://www.morris.umn.edu/~webbrl/Sm...eDetectorInnar
ds.jpg to an electrician colleague. He said,

"That's a junction box, you ninny. There is no way it can make a
chirping sound. No way, never, nada, zip, no chance, can't happen.

"Your ears are deceiving you. It must be a nearby detector you're
....

During a power failure a while back we had something like this
problem. Chirping from what we THOUGHT was one of the hardwired smoke
detectors. After pulling a couple with no luck finally found it. It
was a CO2 detector that was plugged into the wall near the fireplace.
Those high pitched sounds are REALLY hard for us humans to echo-locate.

HTH,

Bob

Rebecca Webb wrote:
I showed
http://www.morris.umn.edu/~webbrl/Sm...eDetectorInnar
ds.jpg to an electrician colleague. He said,

"That's a junction box, you ninny. There is no way it can make a
chirping sound. No way, never, nada, zip, no chance, can't happen.

I agree. That picture is of a electrical junction box.

"Your ears are deceiving you. It must be a nearby detector you're
hearing. [The bedroom detector is only about 10 feet away.] Try doing

It can be hard to tell where that brief little chirp is from.

Now, incorporating the info I've gained from y'all, when I look at the
bedroom detector, if it IS the problem, chances are it will be blinking
or illuminating in some manner different from the others, right? I
mean, assuming the others are okay.

It's been a couple of years. I wired a whole house as a volunteer
and I remember hooking up the interconnected smoke detectors. The
one with a low battery would make them all chirp, but there was a
little red light that would blink only during the chirp, so you
had to wait around for it. You may have a different make and model
of smoke detector, so no guarantee the work exactly the same.
Your best bet is just replace all the batteries. If one is bad the
others are probably soon to be.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

Struggling with a hard-wired, interconnected smoke detector that seems
to be chirping in response to humidity (we're having a cold summer in
Minnesota). I tried replacing the battery, blowing everything clean
with a blow dryer set on cool, and replacing the removable unit itself.
Nothing helped. And here's the really hard part which has even the
electricians (including the company that installed it) stumped. The
chirping is not coming from the removable part. It's coming from the
wiring up in the ceiling. I know this for sure because I took the
removable part out of the house and put it in the garage. The ceiling
hole kept right on chirping.

How is that possible?

I need to know because I want to pull the hard-wired system and replace
it with battery-only detectors. With battery-only, there IS NO wiring
inside a hole. If the detector starts chirping from humidity (and we
have a lot of humidity in MInnesota), you can remove it from the ceiling
or wall and stick it in the garage until things dry out and there won't
be anything left in a hole in the wall or ceiling to go right on
chirping. But the electrician I called seems to think if he just
removes the removable part and covers the hole with a plate, he'll be
done. He doesn't believe the chirping is coming from the hole, not the
removable part.


I had a similar problem with a customer's smoke detector a few months ago.
They called and said the smoke detector was chirping. They changed the
battery, but the chirping did not stop. I go over there with three new
smoke detectors figuring if one was bad they are all probably ready to be
changed. I changed them, got paid and left. They called me a few hours
later and said it was still chirping. I went back over and sure enough I
heard the new one chirping. I get up on the ladder and disconnected the
wiring, take it down and pulled out the battery backup. I then pressed the
test button for a minute to reset the unit. As I was getting ready to
reinstall the new detector I heard a chirp. I waited and heard it again.
It was coming from a carbon monoxide detector that was located behind the TV
and plugged into the wall. Its battery was due for replacement.

I'm thinking that you have a similar problem. The chirping is probably
coming from something else. The fact that it happens only at night makes me
think that you might have a cricket or some other little critter around in
the ceiling or wall.

Where I'm at:

Pulled down an ancient battery-operated detector in the 'old' part of
the living room (interconnecteds went up in 2003 during major
renovation) along with the interconnected in my bedroom. Left the
windows open that night (yes, I have a safe way to do it). No chirping.

Remained in this less-protected state until the weekend. Reinstalled
bedroom interconnected. CHIRP! Replaced bedroom interconnected.
CHIRP! Plus, I couldn't get the AC indicator light to illuminate. The
space for the wires (inside the junction box) is woefully cramped. And
the wires are triple strands twisted together; not the case with the
wiring for the unit I replaced in the living room when the saga began.
Three attempts to properly hook up the new bedroom unit failed. Removed
the back-up battery, drained the capacitor (i.e. held the test button
down until the residual charge died), put the non-functioning unit back
up (unconnected) for aesthetic purposes. Yeah, the door hangs open a
little without a battery, still looks better than a hole in the ceiling
with a junction box's guts hanging out. Installed the ancient
battery-operated unit in a more desirable part of the bedroom (further
from bathroom, ceiling fan, and fresh air sources than the
interconnected). After initial chirping that always happens when the
battery is replaced, the battery-operated calmed down and now protects
me in the bedroom WITHOUT CHIRPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!

Next question: Have I compromised my remaining two interconnecteds by
taking the bedroom out of the loop? What's with those triple-twisted
wires? The bedroom wasn't the 'primary' location for the interconnected
system with some sort of system-guiding functionality, was it? Because
if it's okay to do so, I might want to stay with a battery-operated unit
in the bedroom. I think an interconnected in the bedroom is gonna be
the source of recurring problems, given its proximity to open windows
and the ceiling fan.

R.

" Where I'm at:

Pulled down an ancient battery-operated detector in the 'old' part of
the living room (interconnecteds went up in 2003 during major
renovation) along with the interconnected in my bedroom. Left the
windows open that night (yes, I have a safe way to do it). No chirping.

Remained in this less-protected state until the weekend. Reinstalled
bedroom interconnected. CHIRP! Replaced bedroom interconnected.
CHIRP! Plus, I couldn't get the AC indicator light to illuminate. The
space for the wires (inside the junction box) is woefully cramped. And
the wires are triple strands twisted together; not the case with the
wiring for the unit I replaced in the living room when the saga began.
Three attempts to properly hook up the new bedroom unit failed. Removed
the back-up battery, drained the capacitor (i.e. held the test button
down until the residual charge died), put the non-functioning unit back
up (unconnected) for aesthetic purposes. Yeah, the door hangs open a
little without a battery, still looks better than a hole in the ceiling
with a junction box's guts hanging out. Installed the ancient
battery-operated unit in a more desirable part of the bedroom (further
from bathroom, ceiling fan, and fresh air sources than the
interconnected). After initial chirping that always happens when the
battery is replaced, the battery-operated calmed down and now protects
me in the bedroom WITHOUT CHIRPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!

Next question: Have I compromised my remaining two interconnecteds by
taking the bedroom out of the loop? What's with those triple-twisted
wires? The bedroom wasn't the 'primary' location for the interconnected
system with some sort of system-guiding functionality, was it? Because
if it's okay to do so, I might want to stay with a battery-operated unit
in the bedroom. I think an interconnected in the bedroom is gonna be
the source of recurring problems, given its proximity to open windows
and the ceiling fan.


*You have not compromised the two remaining smoke detectors unless you have
disconnected the wiring. However the unit in the bedroom is the most
important because it will awaken you if the house is on fire while you
sleep. I would not take that out of the loop. The multiple conductors
twisted together is because the ceiling box is also a junction box and is
feeding other smoke detectors or outlets or lights.

I routinely install photoelectric type smoke detectors to avoid nuisance
alarms from cooking and bath steam. If your units are over ten years old I
suggest full replacement. Relocating away from the ceiling fan is a good
idea. The fan would keep smoke away from the detector.

Bob Rahe wrote:
Rebecca Webb wrote:
Update.

I showed
http://www.morris.umn.edu/~webbrl/Sm...eDetectorInnar
ds.jpg to an electrician colleague. He said,

"That's a junction box, you ninny. There is no way it can make a
chirping sound. No way, never, nada, zip, no chance, can't happen.

"Your ears are deceiving you. It must be a nearby detector you're
...

During a power failure a while back we had something like this
problem. Chirping from what we THOUGHT was one of the hardwired smoke
detectors. After pulling a couple with no luck finally found it. It
was a CO2 detector that was plugged into the wall near the fireplace.
Those high pitched sounds are REALLY hard for us humans to
echo-locate.

That would probably be a "CO detector"

Bob F wrote:
Bob Rahe wrote:
Rebecca Webb wrote:
Update.

I showed
http://www.morris.umn.edu/~webbrl/Sm...eDetectorInnar
ds.jpg to an electrician colleague. He said,

"That's a junction box, you ninny. There is no way it can make a
chirping sound. No way, never, nada, zip, no chance, can't happen.

"Your ears are deceiving you. It must be a nearby detector you're
...
During a power failure a while back we had something like this
problem. Chirping from what we THOUGHT was one of the hardwired smoke
detectors. After pulling a couple with no luck finally found it. It
was a CO2 detector that was plugged into the wall near the fireplace.
Those high pitched sounds are REALLY hard for us humans to
echo-locate.

That would probably be a "CO detector"



That would probably be right. ;-)