Chirping in Smoke Detectors With the Battery Removed

What Chirping Means

• The chirping sound is a warning that there is something wrong with your smoke detector and that it will not work properly in case of a fire. Specifically, the sound means that the battery in the smoke detector is very low, dead or missing.

Battery-Operated Smoke Detectors

• You would think a battery-operated smoke detector with no battery would not chirp, but smoke detectors have made provisions for this eventuality. Many battery-only smoke detectors are designed to store power in case the battery dies completely before it is replaced or in case someone removes the battery to try to stop the chirping noise or to keep the smoke detector from going off at all. This design feature is a safety precaution to alert you that the smoke detector is not working and will not provide any protection to you and your family in case of a fire. To make the smoke detector stop chirping, you must replace the battery.

Hardwired Smoke Detectors

• Chirping in a hardwired smoke detector can be perplexing because you'd assume a hardwired device does not have a battery, and so you do not think to look for it or perhaps you do look for it and cannot find the battery compartment. However, a chirping hardwired smoke detector is chirping for the same reason a battery-operated smoke detector would chirp --- the (in this case backup) battery is low, dead or missing. The smoke detector gets the power to chip from the household current to warn you the battery needs to be replaced so that the detector will sound even if the household power goes out. If you cannot find the battery compartment, take the smoke detector down and consult your user's manual for directions on how to replace the battery.

Chirping for Other Reasons

• Your smoke detector could be chirping for reasons other than a low, dead or missing battery. The battery might be loose or installed improperly. The smoke alarm sensor may have collected dust or dead insects. Hardwired smoke detectors sometimes chirp as a result of a power surge. Whatever the cause of the chirping, it is a warning that it is not functioning properly. Either identify and repair the cause of the chirping, or replace the smoke detector.