How to Reset Heat Detectors

Locate your fuse box. It is often located in a basement or in the outside perimeter of the house.

Pull the panel door from the side of the fuse box, or possibly pull the raised indent provided on the face of the panel door to expose all functional breakers. The fuse box will likely have several circuit breakers.

Identify which circuit breaker provides electrical power to the area of the home, apartment or facility where the heat detector is located. Check the inside of the fuse box panel door to see if there is a diagram that shows this information. If there is no panel diagram, check to see if labels were placed next to each circuit breaker inside the fuse box. If no diagram or labels are provided, then you have to use the process of elimination, which will require assistance from another person and a black permanent marker. Ask the person to watch for power to be lost. As you turn off each breaker, ask him to tell you where the power was lost, then label the breaker for future reference. Continue this process until you find the breaker that you are looking for. Label it as well.

Switch off the circuit breaker that sends electrical power to the heat detector according to the particular switch functionality. Different types of circuit breaker switches exist; however, they all have a label encased on either the bottom or on the side that says "On" or "Off." The switch can be made to function like a standard light switch, so if you flip the switch up toward the "On" label it turns the breaker on, and if you flip it down towards the "Off" label it turns the breaker off. The switch can also function from left to right or as a toggle button that turns the power on when the button is pushed in or off when released.

Dismount the detector from the wall or ceiling by removing the surrounding screws with a Phillips screwdriver. You may have to pull the detector to detach it from its mounting place.

Inspect the wires. Look for wires that may have exposed parts that could possibly touch another wire. This can cause the wires to short out, which can cause the detector to malfunction. Wrap strips of electrical tape around the exposed wire parts to prevent a short.

Place the treated wiring back into the space.

Place the detector back into its mounting place, and insert the screws in their place.

Return to the fuse box, and switch the circuit breaker back on to restore the electrical power to the heat detector.

Return to the heat detector, and press and hold the "Test/Reset" button and release it once you hear the alarm sound.