smoke alarms go off for no reason

[EightFingers]

Had that same problem, just like you, ours said its a one time deal if you silence it.,you'd think the manufacturers would have something since a lot of people live near the ocean.

[leilaniguy]

The alarms here in Kapoho are hard-wired and don't seem to have that problem. In the 15 years I lived in Leilani, the battery alarms would last 2-3 months then start chirping. I only had it because of my Ohana, which had a fire extinguisher and alarm. It was usually when we would get the Vog and start coughing that it would go off.

[terracore]

After a few days of quiet (Maybe it's different this time!) another interrupted night of sleep. I yanked them off the walls and took them back to Costco (by coincidence I was going to Kona today):

"Why are you returning them?"

"They go off for no reason, usually in the middle of the night."

"Would you like a replacement?"

"No. I hate them."

I have an ultra cheap Kidde model that goes off when we burn toast but not for no reason. So far its the only smoke alarm I've had here that works. I'm going to try the find the exact model and buy a few more of them if they still make them.

[terracore]

I did some research and there are basically two types of smoke alarms, ionization, and photoelectric. Well three types, the third being the smoke detector that uses both technologies.

Ionization alerts more quickly to fast raging fires, and photoelectric alerts more quickly to slow smoldering fires.

Ionization alarms are known for creating false alarms during high humidity. For the tin foil hat crowd, this is also the type of alarm that contains radioactive isotope americium-24, remember when David Hahn ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn ) used them to try and build a breeder reactor when he was a Boy Scout? ( https://harpers.org/archive/1998/11/the-...boy-scout/ )

The First Alert detectors sold at Costco are the third type that use both technologies. So lesson learned. No Ionization or combo units for me... or maybe, just maybe..... ?

[DTisme]

Excellent info, terracore. Maybe I can find a photoelectric hard-wired one. I'm betting the ones that didn't work for us were ionization or combo.

I think you have to have hard-wired ones now to meet building code and for sale. Anyone know if that's true or not?

[Tink]

According to the Code, (if they choose to use this section, you just don't know from permit to permit) they must be hard wired on new construction, and interlinked to all go off if one detects smoke. Existing homes without smoke detectors may have the old style battery operated ones if the home was not pre wired for smoke alarms with no interlink.

Community begins with Aloha

[terracore]

"I think you have to have hard-wired ones now to meet building code and for sale."

I've never seen an inspector remove a smoke detector to determine if it was wired or not. I've also never seen an inspector light a match to see if a smoke alarm even works. They push the button. If it makes an annoying sound, it passes. If you wanted to, you could probably forgo the smoke detector entirely and just mount a push-button-operated-mini-siren that looks like a smoke detector, and you'll pass inspection.