Mains powered smoke alarm beeping

[Madmog]

One of my smoke alarms has started beeping either in the night or when the heating is on. Could it be a back up battery going or something else. Also, how do I get the cover off, just pull or twist.

I have two other mains powered smoke alarms and they are fine.

[Testificateman]

If it is beeping every minute with just 1 beep then your battery is low.
To remove, normally has clips and you pull it off. They take the rectangle batteries x 1.
You'll need something to stand on.

[Madmog]

Yes, it is 1 beep every minute or so (I know the smoke alarm is a high piercing continuous sound!). Will see if I can get the cover off just to check on battery size.

[bigredboat]

Check the fuse for the smoke alarm, mine had tripped and I hadn't noticed hence why the battery went flat (and the one I replace it with before I checked!)

[FinnMcCool]

Yes, the backup battery needs replaced.
Getting the cover off can be a bit of a faff. On mine, you have to push a tab in with a screwdriver then slide it sideways.
I'd recommend googling the make of the alarm before you get up the ladder.

[GreenREM]

Ours did this and we hoovered it out and it stopped!

[PigletJohn]

Mains powered ones often have a long-life, non-replaceable battery, and have to be changed for a new detector at end of life. Life somewhere between five and ten years.

You may be able to tell once you get to grips with it.

[PigletJohn]

...for example

www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/KDKF1R.html

[VeritysWatchTower]

Ours beeped, replaced the battery, still beeped so we needed to swap it out. It was about 12 years old.

We bought an emergency battery one so we were not without a smoke alarm upstairs until the new one was delivered (online order to match existing one.)

Ours is a twist off one. Hope you managed to get it sorted.

[dementedpixie]

Ours has a replaceable battery. Needs a removal tool or flathead screwdriver to get the cover off. Our whole unit needs replacing every 10 years too

[boobah23]

I'm so grateful to this thread, it helped us to not have a completely sleepless night filled with intermittent chirping. 🐤 Thanks everyone!

[boobah23]

In case it helps anyone else, we had the chirping every minute as well. My husband balanced precariously on a high table while I ran to fetch various sized flat-head screwdrivers. (The medium one worked for us). Once he stuck the screwdriver in the slot the lid came off quite easily. Luckily we had a spare rectangular battery. (If we hadn't, my plan was to stick the unit in the garden). After he replaced the square battery in the lid, it still beeped for a while! But once he reattached the lid to the ceiling, it did two more beeps in close succession, and then it stopped! (Hopefully that's it now, and we won't hear another peep from it for the rest of the night..) 🤞