Battery-powered smoke detectors can beep for a true or false alarm; to stop them from beeping, you will need to disconnect their battery. Unfortunately, you can’t do the same when you have a hardwired smoke detector because the battery is just for backup.
The hardwired smoke detectors are powered through an electrical circuit; to stop them, you will need to disconnect them from the powering electrical circuit. To disconnect the alarm, you can do it by turning off the circuit breaker.
How to Turn Off the Circuit Breaker for a Smoke Alarm?
If you have a hardwired smoke alarm, you have two ways to turn off the circuit breaker; you can locate the breaker of the alarm’s electrical circuit and switch it off; it’s best if the alarm is a part of a network. The second option is disconnecting the wires connecting the alarm to the breaker circuit.
To locate the breaker of the alarm’s circuit, you will need to look at your electrical panel; if it were adequately indexed, you would find a list that matches each breaker to the circuit it’s responsible for. So, you will need to locate the breaker of your alarm system and toggle it off.
If your electrical panel were not properly indexed, which is the higher probability, you would have to go for the trial and error method. You can apply this by toggling each breaker off and on until you find your alarm system breaker. If your alarm is still beeping, this will be your first indication; if the sound stops, it’s the correct breaker.
If you already pressed the hush button on the alarm before you began searching, you would need to go for the following indication. Ask someone to help you by watching the LED on the alarm while trying the trial-and-error method. The person should alert you when the alarm LED stops to tell you that you found the correct breaker.
Some alarms use batteries and electrical circuits for power supply, so before turning off the breaker, ensure that you have removed the battery. If you have a sealed alarm or one that uses a lithium battery that is not removable, you will need to contact the fire department to tell you the suitable actions to take.
What Are the Situations Where You Need To Turn Off Your Smoke Alarm?
It may seem like a confusing thing to turn off your smoke alarm as it is the device that warns you if there is any fire and can protect you and your household from fire hazards. However, some situations require you to turn off your smoke alarm or smoke detector.
For example, when replacing or fixing wires in your smoke alarm electrical circuit, you must turn off your alarm first to protect it from any damage. If you face random unexpected beeping even if the battery is removed, the only solution is to turn off the smoke alarm.
When installing a new smoke alarm or replacing the old alarm, you will need to turn off the old one to protect yourself from electrical shocks or electrocution. Likewise, if you are trying to reset or reboot the device, you must turn it off before beginning the process.
What to Do if My Smoke Alarm Isn’t Turning Off?
Some smoke alarms can not be turned off even after following all the proper procedures; the only solution you should go with is to call the fire department. You should tell them what procedures you have taken, and they will tell you the suitable actions you should take.
The fire department is the right one to call when having a problem with your smoke alarm, as they will help you deactivate your alarm within a few minutes and ensure you are safe during the process.
What Are the Reasons for False Alarms?
False alarms can happen for many reasons, but first, you should ensure no fire in your area before you say it’s a false alarm. Then, you will need to press the hush button on the alarm, remove the batteries if found, and turn off the alarm breaker circuit to stop the beeping sound.
To determine why the false alarm was caused, you will need to look for some conditions, like if you have steam in the air, it can be from the kitchen or the shower. Smoke detectors can easily mistake the steam for smoke and can also be dust from an old heat register or other sources.
When dust is found in the air, it can quickly accumulate on the alarm’s sensor and trigger a false alarm. To solve this problem, you must get canned compressed air and blow it gently into the sensor to clean any debris or dust accumulated. Likewise, if your alarm or smoke detector is too near the kitchen, it will detect any smoke from the kitchen and start a false alarm.
Therefore, if you notice that false alarms keep happening whenever you are using the kitchen, you will need to move your alarm slightly further from the kitchen to avoid these continuous false alarms. However, you should not move it too far so it can detect if there is an actual fire in the kitchen.
Some smoke detectors or fire alarms have high sensitivity, and when you have humid air, they detect it as smoke in the air. You will need to check your detector or alarm’s model and specifications to solve this problem. You can use a dehumidifier to decrease the humidity level in the air.
How to Reset a Smoke Alarm?
Smoke alarms either work on a battery or a power supply from an electrical circuit and sometimes both. To reset your smoke alarm, you must ensure its battery can be removed first and follow the following steps. First, you will need to locate the circuit breaker and toggle it off.
The next step is to remove the batteries from the alarm; on the front of the alarm’s cover, you will find a button, usually with a label called “Reset.” Hold the reset button for almost 15 seconds and let go, reinstall the batteries into the alarm and toggle the circuit breaker back on.
If you have a sealed smoke alarm or the alarm batteries are non-removable, you must consult the alarm’s manual to reset it. The models where the battery can not be removed may or may not have the same procedures mentioned above to be reset.
If you have Kidde sealed smoke alarm, you can permanently disable them by dismounting the device and disconnecting it. Then, you will need to flip it over to be able to see the arrows pointing to the screw hidden underneath it. To break the label above the screw, you need to use a screwdriver, then turn the screw to the off position.
An important thing to know before doing the last step is that once you turn off the Kidde sealed smoke alarm, you can no longer turn it back on, and you will need to replace the device with a new one if you want to install an alarm detector again.
Conclusion
To summarize, smoke alarms can be powered by either batteries or an electrical circuit. Remove the batteries and disconnect the alarm from the electrical circuit to turn off your smoke alarm. To disconnect the alarm, you must disconnect the wires or turn off the circuit breaker.
To turn off the circuit breaker for your alarm, you will need first to locate the breaker of the alarm system circuit. Next, you will need to head to your electrical panel and check if it’s properly indexed. Indexed electrical panels make your job easier, as you will find a label next to each break; you just need to find the alarm’s breaker.
If your electrical panel is not indexed correctly, which is a common thing, you will need to use the trial-error method. In other terms, you will need to turn each breaker off and on until you find the alarm’s breaker. Some indications will help you find the breaker quickly, like the beeping sound of the alarm.
If your alarm is still beeping, you can turn the breakers off and on until the sound stops; the second indication is the LED on the alarm’s cover. Once the LED stops, you will know the correct breaker, but you might need someone to help observe the LED while you are working.
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I am Inemesit Etim and I am honest, reliable, confident, and responsible in my work. I am a highly talented, detail-oriented creative content writer with 3+ years of experience writing helpful content that gives value to readers like you. My articles are a product of intense research, both from personal experiences and from reading through the experiences of others. I love home improvement and I am glad I can help you improve the quality of your home and living experience.
