Smoke Alarm - NL3602 - Changing Battery

[Piggybucket]

Hi,

My Smoke Alarm is making a chirping/beeping sound indicating low battery.

I haven't changed this for 4/5 years but do recall it being a total pita.

The battery drawer is stuck so I cannot change the battery.

I don't recall whether I had to stick something into the keyslot (e.g. screwdriver) to force it open or just keep trying to pull at the battery drawer a bit harder.

Can anyone help please?


Stay safe and stay indoors!


Ta

P.

 

[footprints]

It may have come with a "key" but a bit of probing in the slot above with a small screwdriver should release it lift a tab up or push down one of the two.

 

[Piggybucket]

Hi Footprints, thanks for the reply. Don't have a key but I was able to use a pair of pliers to grip the battery tray better and give it a yank to get to the battery. I have now taken some pictures and notes so that if I need to replace again I'll have a clue on what to do!

 

[RiverIsland]

Hi Piggybucket, my smoke detector has been beeping away last few days so think it needs a battery replacement. It looks similar to yours. I am having a similar problem to yours - no key for key slot and the battery carriage. Did you insert anything into the key slot when you managed to grip the battery tray with pliers to get it out? I've tried the pliers but am worried that I may end up breaking it ...

 

[AllenKski]

After unattaching the smoke alarm from the wiring and turning it over, and partially breaking the key slot when I tried to push a screwdriver into there, I finally got it by using a smaller screwdriver to pry up a long-ish piece of plastic on the bottom, and pulling the drawer out at the same time. Hopefully, a picture of the screwdriver location is attached.

 

[AllenKski]

@opps reminded, in another thread, that smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. This is true regardless of whether the alarm tests successfully.