Alarm randomly sounds - Ei141 ionisation smoke alarm

[reubin78]

Help!!

This is slowly driving my friend mad!

She has two mains fed smoke alarms. Her downstairs smoke alarm has decided to start going off for apparently no reason and at stupid o'clock in a night/morning.

I have downloaded the instructions and check the alarms as described:

- Green light on when mains on, off when off.
- Red light flashes.
- when tested, the 1st alarm triggers the 2nd alarm (and vice versa).
- both alarms seem dust free.
- no obvious signs of heat, etc which are not there throughout the day.

Any suggestions as to what we should try next?

 

[oasistechnical]

change the unit and return it to supplier, if it is still in warrentee

 

[reubin78]

Is it a simple process to exchange? I've seen the info in the manual hence I wanted to try the quick tests/checks first. Don't want to be out of pocket sending it back then it turns out to be something daft - doh!!!

(Although I'd hopefully find out what the cause was and my mate can get a good nights sleep!)

 

[Alarm]

Last thing to try, you say it "seems" dust free.

Get a vaccum cleaner hose to it and give it a really good clean out.

Failing that change it.

 

[bob-the-builder]

 

[Tazer]

Hi

I have exactly the same problem. I have 4 of these units with a CO2 unit and half way through the night or odd times during the day it gives out a loud beep (Sounds like the battery is dying out) Which it cant be as its electric powered as well as having a back up battery.... which lasts 10 years.

Anyway I had two faulty units changed, the responce I got was there was nothing wrong with the unit and all tests conducted on the unit passed. They still sent out two new units.

Plugged these in and again, Ive got the exact same problem. I have re-checked all the wiring to make sure everything is wired in correctly and theres no earth leakage. Same prob...still beeps randomly more in the early hours of the morning then any other time.

Id be happy to get a answer on how to fix the problem. At the moment I had to power off the unit from the mains as it was getting ridiculous.

 

[reubin78]

bob-the-builder

When the alarm goes off there are usually a couple of loud bleeps then a delay (5-10mins) before the full alarm sounds.

The heating is not on during the early hours of the morning (when the alarm sounds)

Thanks

 

[Tazer]

I usually get this 1-2am in the morning and then odd times through out the early hours. During the day its pretty quite then kicks back in.

Its a loud beep every few mins not continous. And its always the first two one in the porch and one in the ground floor hallway. When I took those two off and sent them back to AiCo the one on the first landing and loft landing started the beeps, thats when I turned off the mains.

I think its time I switched it back on again...........Very annoying after spending so much money on these units to get a result like this.

 

[reubin78]

Without hopefully tempting fate, hoovering the alarm seems to have made the difference.

Many thanks

 

[Alarm]

That should do it. Sadly most do not "maintain" their smoke/heat detectors. Apart from the usual test monthly, a quick hoover out also helps. If you have the long arm type you can use it to press the test button AND clean it out at the same time.


2mins a month is surely worth someones life.

Glad its sorted.