Smoke detectors chirping

Joyce Blaylock
by Joyce Blaylock
Smoke detectors still chirping after I change the battery. I end up pulling out the battery hollder. Whats going on?
They look like this
  12 answers
  • Helen Cocuzza Helen Cocuzza on Nov 22, 2017

    they are probably due to be entirely replaced ( that's what happened to ours at least ) if they are hard wired as well then in most cases there at their end stage or could be a bad wire see if a family member or friend that is handy with electrical can test/ check them if not you may have to consider hiring an electrician to check them and possibly replace them or fix any issues with wiring - good Luck

  • Lyn Peterson Marshall Lyn Peterson Marshall on Nov 22, 2017

    I am sure this sounds dumb, but mine did that, and I realized I put the battery in wrong. Took it down again, and put the battery in right, and no more chirping. Mine, you just push the battery in, and of course, I pushed it in backwards. When they are up high, its hard to see, at least for me it is.

  • Bobbie Hammond Bobbie Hammond on Nov 22, 2017

    Replace battery. Your battery is low.


  • Castrang17 Castrang17 on Nov 22, 2017

    Push the Reset button.

  • Sandee Trumbull Sandee Trumbull on Nov 22, 2017

    Ours kept chirping after changing the battery and hitting the reset button we went to Lowe's and a representative gave us a universal unit fix.

  • Hhi30002030 Hhi30002030 on Nov 22, 2017

    Could any of them be hard wired into electricity? This is the problem we are dealing with, New alarms were installed without connecting to entire system, so even with a new battery it starts to chirp or cause another one to.

  • Debbi Wade Debbi Wade on Nov 23, 2017

    The hard wired ones only have a life of about 10 years, we had to go through and change them all out in the same year. Just make sure to take one of the ones you take down to the hardware store because they have different style of connectors to the electricity. Our house had two different kinds wired in, drove me crazy! :)

  • Sti26561584 Sti26561584 on Nov 24, 2017

    If you have pets, try cleaning with a blast of canned air. Sometimes a cat or dog hair or even dust can cause an alarm to chirp.

  • Buffy Buffy on Nov 25, 2017

    The majority of New smoke detectors have a 10 yr lifespan. There is a chemical in them that detects the smoke, and it expires in 10 yrs. that’s why the new batteries do not help. Time to replace them in their entirety.

  • Pippin Baker Pippin Baker on Nov 25, 2017

    crickets? he,he, sorry.

  • B. Enne B. Enne on Nov 25, 2017

    Ours were doing that too. Although they said 10 years, we noticed a pattern, that they usually last about 7, even if we activate them. Often they sit on the store shelf for a couple of years. A firefighter friend told us that 7 years is the norm for them.

    Another thing I noticed is that if I store the batteries in the freezer, and put them in cold, the detector chirps.

  • 17335038 17335038 on Nov 26, 2017

    If any of the above tips do not solve the problem, take one of the smoke detectors to your nearest fire station. Staff there will be able to advise you on what is the safest route to take. We tend to perceive firefighters as those who put out fires, often forgetting that they are an important resource in fire preventions and home safety.