Smoke alarm beeping

[DermotDuffy]

Hi Folks

Perhaps one you worldly types can succeed where our local sparky is flummoxed.

Our smoke alarm has been beeping every thirty seconds. We have two, both hard-wired to the electric and also with a 9v back up battery in each detector. We replaced the 9vs in both this morning and vacuumed the detectors. No joy. We've since disconnected both detectors from the wires in the ceiling and cut the mains power. There's still a beeping noise coming from the area in the downstairs ceiling from where the detector was (there's no noise from the upstairs unit).

Anyone shed any light? Is there another possible power source I'm missing? Like I said, mains is off, units disconnected and 9v batteries removed. Are we looking at knocking out the ceiling here?!

 

[alarm man]

an old co detector stuffed in the cupboard somewhere,like the free british gas ones people get.

 

[DermotDuffy]

Thanks, champ. Any idea how I'd know what this looks like?

 

[alarm man]

Thanks, champ. Any idea how I'd know what this looks like?

follow your ears,it can be a bit of a job as that sound does resonate around the room,looks like a little smoke detector

 

[DermotDuffy]

Hmm, that's exactly the problem - the sound seems to be coming from an area within the ceiling that we can't get to. Would it be common practice to build these into a crawl-space when a house is being built?

 

[alarm man]

Hmm, that's exactly the problem - the sound seems to be coming from an area within the ceiling that we can't get to. Would it be common practice to build these into a crawl-space when a house is being built?

only if you upset the builder...thats the thing with those things the noise isnt where you think it is,try looking in cupboards and drawers and wait till it beeps again,should get a bit louder when your near it...

 

[DermotDuffy]

I found it, you were exactly right. Many many thanks.

 

[alarm man]

you were exactly right.

if i could get the wife to say that,id be a happy man..:wink5:

 

[PC Electrics]

Don't forget to reinstate your smoke alarms!!

 

[Phil]

I found it, you were exactly right. Many many thanks.

Alarm Man i foresee a job in consultancy for you

 

[alarm man]

Alarm Man i foresee a job in consultancy for you

im more qualified for insultancy,not many of those jobs a round at the moment tho...

 

[Phil]

im more qualified for insultancy,not many of those jobs a round at the moment tho...

When I was reading the OP`s first description of the fault I nearly sent him into the loft looking for kids toys. I got the usual yearly job the other year just before christmas to bag up and pop the toys which they had grown out of into the loft. not a sound for weeks then all of a sudden there was this dam noise not every night but like 1 in three and never at the same time. it was driving me nuts and my eldest was giving me the hard ear. I replaced the batts in the smokes and after that was ragging things from all sorts of areas trying to find whatever it was. turned out to be a toy bus. "the wheels on the bus go round and round" somehow it would semi recharge itself over a couple of days and when it was quiet on a night time you could hear some mumbling. the thing drove me insane. if this had been in the arms i could have really told you what i was saying but ill keep it clean in her my head ached and i was in a shed :32:

 

[1shortcircuit]

When I was reading the OP`s first description of the fault I nearly sent him into the loft looking for kids toys. I got the usual yearly job the other year just before christmas to bag up and pop the toys which they had grown out of into the loft. not a sound for weeks then all of a sudden there was this dam noise not every night but like 1 in three and never at the same time. it was driving me nuts and my eldest was giving me the hard ear. I replaced the batts in the smokes and after that was ragging things from all sorts of areas trying to find whatever it was. turned out to be a toy bus. "the wheels on the bus go round and round" somehow it would semi recharge itself over a couple of days and when it was quiet on a night time you could hear some mumbling. the thing drove me insane. if this had been in the arms i could have really told you what i was saying but ill keep it clean in her my head ached and i was in a shed :32:

Oh Phil, You're a silly sausage but that did make me chuckle

 

[Des 56]

Put the power on in a house occupied by 2 pufters
Had a call off the builder that the smoke alarm was bleeping
Told builder to tell pufter to remove alarm from base
Pufter removed alarm but there was still a bleeping
Told builder,Tell pufter to throw them out into the garden and I will sort out next day
Pufter threw smokes into garden,then made complaint that they were still bleeping (only the bases left on ceiling by now)
Visited property,old battery smoke alarm found in draw
Don't you just love pufters

 

[Knobhead]

Probably as much as pufters despise smart arse strait electricians!