Is your First Alert smoke Alarm beeping? How many times is it beeping, is it 2, 3,4 or 5 times? Probably you’ve experienced a series of beeps on your First Alert smoke alarm when there is no sign of smoke, fire or danger, but you’re trying to figure out what it means.
If that is the case, you are in the right place.
One thing you ought to take note of is that an emergency beep will never have the same sequence as a beep signifying low battery, end of life or hardware failure.
Instead, you will notice a difference in either the sequence or pausing time when the first alert smoke alarm beeps.
But then, you might put yourself in a state of constant fear when you don’t know what this beeping means. However, it is much better to understand what this blinking means to better understand how to self-diagnose it.
That being said, let’s delve into the reasons behind your first alert smoke alarm beeping and the necessary step you should take to resolve it
Why is First Alert Smoke Alarm Blinking
Below, I will be talking about the different things you should check if your First Alert Smoke Alarm is Beeping while also specifying the different kinds of beeps you might encounter and what they signify
NB: If you notice 3 beeps and a pause. It’s an Emergency and you need to move out of the house or call 911.
However if what you notice is different from this, then keep reading to gain awareness of what the other kind of First Alert smoke alarm beeping means
1. Check the Battery
Your First Alert Smoke alarm device will blink once per minute to signify that the battery is low. This is something you have to take note of before trying to tinker with anything.
There are different kind of first alert smoke alarm batteries, some are simply backup batteries which lasts for 6 -12 months. While others can last for 10 years ( throughout the lifespan of the smoke alarm)
The latter is dependent on the battery while the former is more dependent on the power supply.
If you are using a lithium-based smoke Alarm, you might not come across a battery issue since the battery lasted for 10 years. However, with a 9V AA battery, you can come across a beeping on your first alert smoke alarm.
If you are unsure of how to replace the battery follow the steps below
- Remove alarm from wall or ceiling and open its cover.
- Take out the battery and press the test button for around 30 seconds.
- The test button resets the alarm and removes any charge.
- Now add new batter and close.
- Again, press the test button, it will help you to identify that the alarm unit is functioning properly.
If you are looking for a good pointer to determine if your battery is low you should check here.
2. Inspect the Battery Drawer
Do you know that your First Alert Smoke Alarm will beep if your battery Pull Tab is not properly closed?
A pull battery tab, Damaged one or opened one will prompt your smoke alarm to beep. The beeping pattern is also similar to that of a low battery.
Now, if you notice this, all you have to do is check your battery drawer and push the drawer inward while applying some force till it closes. If after doing this, the First Alert Smoke alarm beeping doesn’t stop, then it means the battery drawer is closed and you should proceed to the next troubleshooting steps below.
3. Check the battery Terminal
This issue is common with the 9v AA battery smoke alarm since the battery stays for a long time inside the first alert smoke alarm and it is rechargeable.
What this means is over time, when the battery begins to get weak, you might notice some liquid coming out of it.
This liquid can cause the terminals to rust herby making the contact between the battery and terminal less effective.
Anytime you are replacing the batteries, you should always check the terminal to ensure it is free of rust before replacing it with a replacement battery.
4. Hardware-Related Issues
In a scenario where you are faced with the First Alert Smoke Alarm beeping 3 times then you have a hardware issue.
It could be a simple glitch or one of the components in your smoke alarm is malfunctioning.
If it is a little glitch, it might come to a half, but a malfunction will keep beeping repeatedly
If you are experiencing this, follow the steps below
- Press the test button to pause the alarm
- Wait for the beeping to stop after 4 minutes
- If the alarm keeps beeping then the smoke alarm has a technical issue that needs repair. You can get a new one instead.
5. Smoke Alarm End of life
Is your first alert smoke alarm beeping 5 times per minute, it is a pointer that your smoke alarm is close to its expiry date.
For some, you might feel, that it can last longer since the battery is still good, but once a smoke alarm is getting close to its expiry date, it begins to show some defects such as excessive beeping when there is no emergency, battery not lasting. and others.
So it is much safer to replace it once you notice 5 beeps per minute coming from your smoke alarm
6. Danger Detected
Lastly, you might be faced with a fire situation or a smoke situation. In either case, you will notice your first alert smoke alarm beeping 3 times and pause and it would continue with that repeatedly.
This distinct sequence means it is an emergency. If you can’t figure out where the fire, smoke or smell is coming from, simply evacuate the house and call 911.
First alert smoke alarm beeping 3 times but no smoke
If your First Alarm Smoke alarm is beeping 3 times, but you are not seeing any smoke, It means your smoke detector has hardware-related issues. probably one of its internal components is malfunctioning.
However, you want to be double sure before concluding that there is no smoke.
First alert smoke alarm beeping how to change the battery
Is your First Alert smoke alarm beeping once per minute? if yes, then you need to replace the battery of check the terminals if it is maintaining contact with the battery.
Recommended: How to Change Smoke Detector Battery
If you are unsure of how to replace the battery follow the steps below
- Remove alarm from wall or ceiling and open its cover.
- Take out the battery and press the test button for around 30 seconds.
- The test button resets the alarm and removes any charge.
- Now add new batter and close.
- Again, press the test button, it will help you to identify that the alarm unit is functioning properly.
The smoke alarm beeps 5 times then stops
If you are experiencing your first alert smoke alarm beeping 5 times a minute and then stopping then this means your smoke alarm is closing on its end of life and needs to be replaced soon
First alert smoke detector beeping after battery change
If the beeps continue after changing the battery, check the terminal to ensure it is neat and not rusty. If it isn’t and the blinking continues for long. Performa reset.
To reset your first alert smoke alarm proceed to the next heading
How to Reset First Alert Smoke Alarm?
Before you reset your Smoke detector you have to do some checking to it to ensure you are approaching the right problem with the right solution. That said, here is how you can reset your smoke detector.
NB: The test instruction is always on the user manual since the reset procedure slightly varies based on the brand
That said, here is how you reset your First Alert smoke detector
- Disconnect the Smoke alarm from its power source.
- Open the smoke alarm battery drawer.
- Remove the batteries out of the device.
- Connect the smoke alarm unit to a power source again.
- Hold the Smoke Alarm test button for 20-25 seconds.
- Reinsert the batteries into their proper positions in the unit. Fully close the battery cover on the smoke detector unit.
If your smoke detector is always beeping and chirping check here for a comprehensive guide to resolve that.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve gone through this article a first alert smoke alarm beeping should be an issue you shouldn’t fret about. The only thing that might give you challenges is when your smoke alarm has hardware issues and you can’t resolve it, you can chat with first alert customer support over here