9 Reasons Your Fire Alarm Randomly Goes Off

Fire alarms are significant devices to detect fires before it is too late. It helps to take immediate action to prevent injuries. But the false alarm going off now and then will be annoying. Isn’t it? Let’s discuss why the false alarm goes off in your home. 

The fire alarm may go off randomly when dust and debris accumulate. High humidity, cooking smoke, and low battery also trigger the fire alarm. You can prevent this by inspecting the system regularly and placing the fire alarm in the right place following local law. 

In this article, you will learn the common reason for false fire alarms and tips for their proper placement in your home. So, keep reading.  

Several reasons your fire alarm goes off randomly

Fire alarms’ purpose is to save people’s lives and property.

It is designed to give people early warning so they can take immediate steps to save themself. 

When the fire alarm goes off, it creates panic among people and ruins the peace, hindering people’s day-to-day activities. 

After the fire alarm indication, most obviously, people will start searching for fire sources to try to control it. 

But what if a false fire alarm goes off due to other issues? 

Won’t it be frustrating? 

The exact situation happened to me last week.

We were utterly panicking and scared of what might happen next. 

I tried comforting my family and started looking for the cause, but I couldn’t find any indication of fire. 

Fortunately, the fire didn’t happen, and a fire alarm went off due to other issues. 

After extensive research, I found several other reasons that can cause a fire alarm to sound even if there is no sign of fire. 

I am sharing the common reason so that next time a false fire alarm goes off in your house or your office, you don’t want to panic and can easily spot the reason behind it. 

Here are the 9 common reasons why a fire alarm goes off randomly: 

1. Dust and Dirt Accumulation

Changing the batteries of the fire alarms every 12 months is mandatory. 

Still, it is equally important to clean the fire alarm at least once every six months. 

If you have not cleaned the fire alarm for the longest time, there are more chances of dirt and debris accumulating. 

The dirt and debris will block the sensors of the fire alarms. It ends up provoking false fire alarms. 

In the worst cases, dirt and debris accumulation will also prevent the fire alarm from performing even if the fire occurs. 

Once every six months, clean the fire alarm using a vacuum cleaner. 

Remove the outer cover of the fire alarm and wipe all the dirt and debris in it. 

Clean the outer vent of the fire alarm either with the vacuum cleaner or whipping tissues. 

Maintaining the fire alarm’s cleaning schedule will help avoid false alarms, and your fire alarm will work efficiently. 

2. Steam and High Humidity

Fire alarms don’t distinguish between smoke and moisture in the air. 

If you shower or boil water in the kitchen, steam will come out of it, which contains moisture. 

Moisture from these will trigger the fire alarm. 

You can avoid this by ventilating the kitchen and bathroom. 

Consider hiring a professional to give you an idea about ventilating your bathroom and kitchen; if you have no idea how to do it. 

3. Cooking Smoke and Grease

If you have placed a fire alarm near the kitchen, there are chances of grease accumulating. 

Often smoke comes from the kitchen and deposits greasy substances in the fire alarm. 

Also, if you have burnt food in the kitchen, the smoke coming from it will trigger the fire alarm alert. 

The burnt smoke is similar to the fire, and it often causes the fire alarm to go off. 

You can avoid this by placing the smoke detector out of the kitchen. 

Ventilate the kitchen well to avoid such instances. 

4. Low Battery or Malfunctioning Sensor

If batteries are low or not connected properly, the fire alarm will cause a chirping sound for 5 to 10 seconds. 

It indicates that you must replace the battery or check if it is correctly connected to the fire alarm. 

In such a case, you do need to replace a fire alarm. It would be best if you replaced the batteries in it. 

When the chirping lasts for 5 to 10 seconds, you must know that it is not an indication of fire but an indication of battery fault. 

5. Insects and Pests

Insects and pests can easily enter your home through openings. 

After they crawl into your money, they prefer dark and closed places for their accommodation.

 Fire alarms are their preferred place for insects and pests to reside. 

Like dust and debris accumulation, insects and pests also trigger fire alarm sounds. 

To check if the insects are causing issues in your fire alarm, remove the cover and check if they are insects in it. 

After confirming that insects are causing the issues, consider using insect spray to remove insects from the fire alarm. 

While using an insect spray, ensure you spray it around, not directly at the fire alarm. 

Spraying the insect spray directly will cause harm to the fire alarm as there are chances of damage to its internal parts. 

6. Nearby Fire or Smoke

If you have placed the smoke detector near your fireplace, it will trigger the fire alarm sound. 

In such a case, placing the fire alarm away from the fireplace is best. 

In other cases, smoke nearby your house also triggers the fire alarm sound. 

7. Chemical Fumes and Sprays

If you remodel or paint your house, the harsh chemicals will dissolve in the air. 

When the air comes in contact with the fire alarm detectors, it usually causes a fire alarm sound. 

It is good to ventilate the place while you store harsh chemicals. 

8. Aging Fire Alarm System

The average lifespan of a fire alarm is 10 years. 

If your fire alarm crosses the average of 8 years and produces a fire alarm sound frequently, it is time to replace it with a new one. 

In such a case, it is hard to repair a fire alarm, and it will keep producing a chirping or fire alarm sound now and then. 

9. Improper Installation and Placement

Placing the fire alarms near the kitchen or fire area will cause constant fire alarm sound. 

So, while installing a fire alarm, ensure you have not placed it near the kitchen or the bathroom. 

Improper installment of the fire alarm will also cause it to go off randomly. 

Check if the fire alarm is placed correctly and installed properly if it goes off randomly. 

Tips for adequately placing fire alarms

Batteries or hard-wired circuit current connections power fire alarms.

Battery-optimized fire alarms are cost-effective and easy to install. 

But in that case, batteries need to be checked and replaced regularly.

Hard-wired circuits and current fire alarms have a battery back in the system. 

Even though it is an expensive option, hard-wired circuit current circuits interconnect all the fire alarms. 

If one fire alarm detects a fire, all other alarms emit alarm sounds. 

Whatever type of fire alarm you have, it is crucial to place it in the right places for its efficient function. 

Here are a few tips for the proper placement of fire alarms in your home based on the local code requirement: 

• Install the fire alarm in each bedroom and outside of the sleeping area. 
• Install the fire detector in the basement and every level of your home. 
• Install it in the stairway up to the height of the ceiling. 
• While installing the fire alarm in the base, please attach it to the ceiling near where the next level starts. 
• Install the fire alarm 10 feet away from the cooking appliance to avoid false fire detections and accumulation of grease in it. 
• You must install fire detectors on the walls and ceilings. If you decide to install the fire alarm on the wall, the distance between the ceiling and the location of the fire alarm must not be more than 12 feet.
• Some homes have pitched ceilings. In such cases, you can install the fire alarms 4 feet down the pitch, not directly onto the pitch. 
• Don’t decorate the fire alarms with paint, stickers, or other materials. It prevents the fire alarm from working. 
• It is best to interconnect all the fire alarms. So that if one fire alarm detects smoke, all other alarms will emit a fire alarm sound. 
• It is best to purchase all the fire alarms from the same manufacturer if you plan to interconnect them. 

Here are a few tips on where not to place the fire alarms: 

• Avoid placing fire alarms in dusty or greasy areas. Areas like the furnace room, unfinished attic, and garages must be avoided. 
• Place the fire alarms 20 feet away from the area that produces combustion particles, such as stoves, heaters, water heaters, and space heaters; if you cannot place it 20 feet far, at least place it as far as possible. 
• Avoid placing the fire alarm near the cooking appliance. If you do, place it 5 feet away. 
• Avoid installing it near the humid area. Ensure the fire alarm is placed 5 feet from a vaporizer, humidifier, dishwasher, laundry room, and utility room. 
• Don’t place the fire alarms in the area of direct alarms. 
• Avoid placing the fire alarm in insects and pest-infested areas. 
• Avoid placing it near the fluorescent lights as they interfere with the sensor of the fire alarms. 

How to silence the fire alarm temporarily? 

You can silence the fire alarm by pressing the hush button. 

Pressing the button will reset the alarm in eight minutes. 

You can press the hush button again to remove the silence settings. 

How to reset the fire alarm? 

You can reset the fire alarm by following the steps below: 

• Turn off the fire alarm and disconnect the battery from the alarm. 
• While removing the cover, clean the dust and debris from it. 
• Locate the reset button. Hold and press it for 3 seconds. 
• Reconnect the fire alarm to the power, and it will produce a chirping sound. 

How to maintain a fire alarm for its efficient function? 

Here are the proper maintenance tips for the efficient function of the fire alarms: 

• Inspect the system regularly. It is vital to check the system at least once a month. Check batteries, sensors, and alarms regularly. Ensure that it is working correctly. 
• Dust and debris accumulation can cause issues with the fire alarms. Keep the fire alarms clean by removing the dust and debris regularly. 
• Low batteries will cause fire alarm sounds for 5 to 10 seconds. Replace the batteries once every 6 months. 
• Schedule professional services to check the system regularly. 
• If your fire alarm crosses over 10 years, it is time to replace them. Replace it as soon as possible to avoid fire hazards in your home. 

Final thoughts

A random fire alarm is one of the scariest things no one wants to happen. 

Dust and debris accumulation are among the most common reasons fire alarms go off randomly. 

Other common reasons are high humidity, low battery, insects and pest accumulation, chemical fumes, and old fire alarms. 

It is also essential to place the fire alarm in the right place to avoid false alarms. 

Monitor the system regularly to check whether the detectors and sensors work well.

Reference: Fire alarm system Wikipedia

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