Smoke detector/alarm won't stop beeping?

Q. We don't know if it is the smoke detector or the security alarm. We have a security alarm that will alert burglary, fire and carbon monoxide. Anyway if something is wrong it is a constant blaring alarm, but every 5-10 minutes we hear 3 beeps, a short 5 second pause than 3 more beeps. This repeats every 5-10 minutes. And sometimes there is a single chirp between the beeps. There is no danger, or anything. We replaced the batteries in the smoke detector but it still beeps. We are getting really fed up with this beeping, anyone know what it is?

Answer
These things, like so many things these days, are built only to last a few years. Then, the components start to go.

If a new battery hasn't worked, then the wiring connecting the battery to the unit is gone. And that isn't worth fixing.

I'm not sure about the security alarm; that you would need to discuss with people who did the installation. I'd buy a combo smoke/fire/carbon monoxide detector at Home Dump for 15 bucks and pull the other thing out, especially if you have another security alarm. Or, have the unit replaced, which probably would be more like 100-150 bucks.

Getting it repaired would be a waste of money. Once the wiring goes, it's shot. They will repair it only so they can charge for that call, and they will (if honest) tell you that it's better to replace it.

Good luck.

Carbon monoxide...really stupid...what to do?

Q. Okay...I know this was reeeallyyyy stupid, but at the time neither I nor my husband thought about it. We put a couple of charcoal in our oven to cook some ribs this afternoon. About 20 minutes ago the carbon monoxide detector went off. We threw out the coals and opened the doors, we also have a huge fan blowing air toward the door. The detector stopped beeping but I'm still worried, I don't know much about carbon monoxide. I feel kinda dizzy and short of breath but I think it may just be from anxiety because it didn't start until after the detector went off. How dangerous can this be? Since the coals are outside do you think the monoxide will go out quickly now? Should we go get checked out? Thanks a bunch...and yes again, I know it was stupid. We won't be doing it again.



btw I'm 15 weeks pregnant
I know that ultimately it can cause death...but just in severe cases right?
"People on the internet" may have experience.
Thank you Diva...that eases my mind a bit.

Answer
Don't worry the same thing happened to me 3 weeks ago and I was 13 weeks pregnant at the time. I called the fire department (panic) just to be on the safe side to protect me, unborn child, son and husband. They checked my whole house and everything was ok and they did tell me to open windows (duh why didn't I think of that first) But u did good u opened the windows if it goes back off call the fire department right away better safe than sorry.

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CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING INJURY PLEASE HELP WITH THIS CASE. Need a jury simulation?

PRMOLOMEE

20 year old gets Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from Incorrect instalation of furnace in town home rental?
Colorado 20 year old male suffers from carbon monoxide poisoning in a rented town home after a contractor worked on the furnace. Exposure to the carbon monoxide continued for 1 month resulting in hospitalization. The 20 year old man suffered a loss in color vision to his left eye, headaches 2-3 times week, memory loss, and incurred medical bills in the process. Please keep in mind that under colorado state law the property owner can not delegate there duties to maintain a safe environment for tenants to a contractor. They will still be held responsible for the actions of there employees (ie) contractor. Please decide if the owner should be held responsible for the injuries to the 20 year old? Should the contractor share that liability? how much compensation should the 20 year old get for his color vision, future medical care, loss of enjoyment, and loss of potential earning capacity?

Please put your idea of a fair settlement and what a likely verdict would be if you were on the jury?

Thanks
Additional Details
There was a carbon monoxide detector in place that the owner had by state law. When the contractor was working on the furnace he removed the co detector and when he replaced it he put the batteries in wrong.

Answer
I feel that both parties the landlord and contractor are liable. However, without knowing all the facts from both sides I cannot set a value amount. Usually only an attorney can do this.

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Kidde Carbon Monoxide Plug-In beeped every 10 seconds until we re-plugged in it. Should we be worried?

Laur

My sister's boyfriend didn't bother to look at the alarm before he unplugged it, but when he plugged it back in it stopped beeping and the light is green next to "operator". It hasn't gone off again since.

I feel a little lightheaded right now, and I'm not sure if it's because I'm worried or if something is actually wrong.

I feel like if it was something it would've gone off again already?

I'm freaking out and I don't want my sister blowing money unless it could actually be something.

Answer
You have a 9 volt battery backup in the detector. The manual says that if the battery is low it will beep every 15 seconds. If you had a problem with carbon monoxide you would hear a pattern of 4 quick loud beeps followed by 5 seconds of silent. The cycle will continue as long as a dangerous CO condition exist . So, unplug it from the receptacle and change the 9 volt battery. Be sure to use a new battery, not one on sale. BTW: Mild exposure symptom would be headache,nausea and vomiting.Medium exposure bad headache, confusion and drowsiness.Extreme exposure unconsciousness.If you still are worried, then get out of the house and call 911.

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If there are two smoke detector looking things next to eachother, do you think one is a carbon monoxide detect?

Nate

This is on a hotel room ceiling.

Answer
it could be that. or if your in a nonsmoking room its a cig detector.

If there are two smoke detector looking things next to eachother, do you think one is a carbon monoxide detect?

Nate

Perhaps I am not clearly expressing my question, because I do not find any senselessness in this.

Answer
Could be a carbon monoxide detector or it could be a sensor for you fire/alarm system.

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Should i be worried about carbon monoxide in my house?

What's up

for the last couple of days, my heater fan blower thing outside has been making loud sceeching noises.

this morining, the fan doesnt work at all. cool air was coming out of the vents.

is it possible for carbon monoxide to come into your house because of this.

do we got to keep the indows open all day long if there is any in the house?

Answer
No heat = no combustion = no carbon monoxide.

Close your windows, stay warm, and get it fixed.

And a detector is a good investment.

Carbon Monoxide Detector wont stop beeping?

Cici

im dog sitting for my neighbors and thier dogs got sprayed by a skunk last night so i took emidate action and kept them outside and washed them. They dont smell anymore (except for one dogs ear) but the smell came into the house so i used TONS of Glade and Febreeze spray and order eliminator for the carpets and furniture. About 1 hr late the Carbon Monoxide Detector went off and has not stopped so im wondering if from the sprays? is this possible and what should i do. I have the windows open, doors open and fans on. I plugged the detector back in and about 10 15 min later it went off again. Should i just wait it out alittle longer?

Answer
Well im really not sure that glade and febreeze can ruin the sensor in the detector but it could be possible. But on the chance that there is a problem keep the windows open and buy another detector. If that one starts going off I would call your local fire dept they will come out and find the source of CO. Good Luck

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Time to change my Carbon Monoxide Detector?

Guy Robert

I've had the same CO detector in my home for many years now, perhaps more than 7 years. The lights work (both POWER and CAUTION) and every time I press the TEST button it lets out the loud beep that it should when CO is in the air. My concern, however, is whether or not the detector is still as functional as it was when it was purchased.
Granted, I've been using the same smoke detector for 20 years and it seems to work A-OK, but are CO detectors any different?

Answer
There is a certain life expectancy in smoke and CO detectors. I read in a technical bulletin they last about 7 years. Reason is, sensitivity parameters change through the years. Put your mind at ease and install new units, also change batteries when we set our clocks ahead and back. (Easy to remember)

My CO alarm went off. will it go off again after resetting it?

stax

i aired the house out an d reset the alarm. it has not gone off again. will it go off again i8f the CO level gets too high?

Answer
CO detectors usually have a five year life expectancy. Over time they can become less accurate and affected by temperature and humidity swings. Even low levels of carbon monoxide can be dangerous for your family so don't take the alarm lightly. Take the time to find out why the alarm went off and have the issue resolved. Detectors usually trigger above 70 parts per million after 15 minutes. Once the concentration of CO goes down, the alarm will reset and monitor the air for future conditions.

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carbon monoxide / fire alarm detector going off?

Q. i don't know which one it is... one of them keeps going off and whenever someone goes near it it stops. i can't tell which one it is because they are right by one another and there's no sign to see which one it is. i'm scared. help?

p.s. there's no smoke or anything.

Answer
to tell which is going off---take down fire alarm-take out batteries....if alarm stops-it is the fire and probably needs new batteries---but do a real good sniff test around to make sure there is no smoke up where the alarm was...


if the alarm continues-it is the carbon monoxide one--i'd check to see if the thing takes batteries-or is it plugged into the wall--if it is in the wall--get out and call 911, or the fire co direct---if it doesn't--try putting in the battery from the fire alarm....if it still sounds---get out and call fire co.

Why didn't the carbon monoxide detector go off?

Q. We recently had our AC/heating unit replaced. The installer said the old one was leaking carbon monoxide. So why didn't the carbon monoxide detector go off? It was and still is working(the installer tested it).
The installer didn't try to sell us a new one.

Answer
The way gas furnaces work is the blower motor that circulates hot air through the house has a higher static pressure than the combustion blower moter that creates the fire making the heat exchanger get hot. When the heat exchanger goes bad or gets holes in it it can leak carbon monoxide but more likely it will lose pressure from the blower motor air forcing air into the heat exchanger and not into the house. This would cause a roll out event. This is where the flame from the furnace would travel in the wrong direction tripping a safety limit shutting down the furnace. The way furnaces are designed even if they leak carbon monoxide or have holes inb the heat exchanger they will still keep the levels in the house at safe limits.

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My carbon monoxide detector keep going off?

kevin

So this morning I woke up and it started to beep. I tried to switch batteries and now it beeps once every twelve or so seconds.

Answer
Periodic beeping or chirping, rather than a continuous alarm, is indicative of a problem with the detector itself rather than a carbon monoxide problem. Assuming the battery you put in was good and properly connected, then it could be the detector has reached its end of life (they're only good for 5-7 years, depending on make and model).

Where is the best place to put my carbon monoxide detector?

Flynn2

I live in a 1100 square foot condo. Living area, 2 small bedrooms downstairs. Upstairs is a master bedroom and master bath only. From the master bedroom upstairs, there is a small door that goes to the attic space. The hot water heater and inside HVAC unit are right next to each other. Nothing else in the house runs on gas at all. There is also an outlet next to the door on the inside.

Should I put the detector right next to the two appliances? Should I put it right outside of the small door or put one downstairs? I'm afraid if I put it in the attic and the CO came through the vents, the detector would be too late.

I would like to have this answered by a HVAC expert or emergency personnel. Thanks.

Answer
Install your carbon monoxide detector according to the specific manufacturers installation instructions that came with it. If you do not have the instructions or cannot find them for your unit, throw it out. Buy a new carbon monoxide detector with complete installation instructions and warranty information. The new co detector will come with the manufacturers placement recommendations for that specific product.

The Ultimate Solution; You can have a commercial alarm company come out and install a full set of fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide units that will be monitored 24/7.

Also, have a licensed Plumbing, HVAC, or Mechanical company inspect your gas appliances at least once a year.

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Carbon Monoxide detector goes off after ATV (Motorcycle) running in garage 3 hours ago?

Jack

I ran my ATV (Motorcycle) in the garage with the doors closed for about 5 minutes or less, and 3 hours later the smoke alarms started going off. My smoke alarms also go off if there's carbon monoxide. Could this be caused by the atv even though it was 3 hours later? I'm trying to find the source and I'm not having much luck. I opened the windows and since then, it hasn't gone off. I don't want to contact the fire department being that it's 3AM on Christmas day...

I plugged in a carbon monoxide detector into the wall, and shortly after about 15 seconds, it started going off as well... .So it wasn't a false reading.
Just to give a safety update, the alarms haven't gone off in about an hour.

Answer
There are smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors & combination units. You most likely have all but one, smoke detectors. The other one is a combo unit. The combo units are a bit bigger in size / look different/ have two vs one light on them. You might have ALL combo units (prickly building department).

A detector with a weak battery should be beeping once, every couple / 15-30 minutes.Only the one with the weak battery will beep. It's telling you there is a problem. A weak battery will cause it to malfunction, most likely NOT work. If the light is on, but not beeping , the battery is OK.

If they ALL go off, they are most likely interconnected. This can be checked by testing. Push in the test button on one, wait a few seconds. Every second or two, you should here the next one going off. If they progressively go off, they are interconnected. It's hard, with the one right there going off, but it can be heard that they are progressively going off. Stick the free finger in an ear. Stretch to reach that first one. One going off will cause all to go off. This is to wake you up, before the basement fire gets up stairs.The CO detector is probably picking up some un ventilated CO & causing the alarm. In my area, the Building Inspectors want the CO detector on the upper/ second floor / by the bedrooms. It took some time for the CO to travel to the Co detector, then it went off.

If they go off the next day, it's the furnace / hot water heater / fireplace, bad cooking, etc causing the alarm condition.

Ventilate your home. Open the doors, windows for a bit. Get some fresh air in there. Make it bit cold in there, then close it back up. If you don't get rid of the CO, you will at least dilute down to where it doesn't matter.

Does the plug in unit have a meter reading on it? My experience is, they do. What does it say? Hopefully zero. If it has a number, what does it say for a safe reading? Above zero, doesn't necessary mean bad. If it's sounding / alarming, etc, THAT'S NOT GOOD!

Interconnected CO detectors going off means an UNSAFE condition, not necessarily a DANGEROUS condition. If they went off & you ignored this (how??), for several hours, this would be bad. Going off, then opening doors, then they go silent would be OK, until they go off again.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors?

RoRo

I live in a 2 story home and I was wondering where you were supposed to or the most ideal place is to put a carbon monoxide detector? I currently have it in the basement but I'm afraid that if it starts going off we may not hear it on the 2nd floor.

Answer
They should be mounted near bedrooms and living areas. It is recommended you install one on each floor.It is not recommended that you install them in garages, kitchens or furnace rooms. Installation in these areas could lead to nuisance alarms and may expose the sensor to substances that could damage the unit or contaminate it or may not be heard by persons in the home. Read this from the manual.I have mine plugged into a receptacle about 12 to 16 in. from the floor. BTW: The one I have plugged into the receptacle does have a battery backup,they all do in case the power goes out.

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