Can a Power Surge Set off a Smoke Detector?

How Smoke Detectors Work

• The design of smoke detectors let the machines scan the surrounding air for temperature changes and smoke, which indicates a fire. You might notice that your detector sounds when exposed to cigarette smoke because the smoke in the air is a sign of fire. The smoke detector also sounds when cooking smoke reaches the surrounding air, including smoke from burning or burned food. Battery-operated devices run on attached batteries, while hard-wire designs plug into an electrical outlet or run off the wiring system in your home.

Power Surges

• Power surges occur when a system experiences an overload of electrical currents. You can experience a power surge in your own home when you plug too many items into one outlet or when a storm passes through the area. When lightning hits an electrical breaker or in the ground near the breaker, it can cause a power surge. Manufacturers produce power surge protectors that keep those surges from affecting your electrical devices.

Signs of a Power Surge

• If a power surge affects your smoke detector, you should notice the device behaving oddly. The detector might make a beeping sound that continues uninterrupted until you reset the device. On some models, the detector beeps, but only makes the beeping sound every few seconds. While making the beeping noise, the light on the detector flashes. In some cases, running another electrical device can set the smoke detector off, making it beep and flash until you unplug the other item.

Considerations

• After a power surge or after you notice the smoke detector behaving differently, flip the circuit breaker in your home. Turn the circuit breaker to that room off, wait five to 10 seconds and turn it on again. Flipping the circuit breaker causes the smoke detector to reset itself. If the detector uses batteries, even as a backup method, replace them. A power surge can ruin the batteries, as the electrical surge pulses through the area. Your smoke detector might feature a manual reset button. Pressing the button down and holding it for several seconds forces the detector to reset itself.