Please help with my smoke alarm problem

[Hoverfly1]

Sorry not an aibu but I need some help. My hardwired interconnected smoke alarms will not stop going off I think there is dust stuck in one of them but no amount of hoovering or dusting will stop them going off for the last 2 hours. I live in a rented house so didn’t install them, I have looked for a fuse but can’t find one. Tried just turning the electricity off at the mains but that didn’t make any difference as they must have back up batteries and I suspect trying to remove them will make all the connected alarms go crazy.

I am currently sitting under with a brush silencing it every 5 mins when it goes
off but I can’t spend all night like this and they are still waking my kids and probably neighbours up every time…. Does anyone have any kind of solution? 🙏

Ring your landlord

They need replacing. We had this and had to put in 2 new ones as one sets the other off. We changed the back up batteries prior to contacting the electrician.

Have you tried changing the batteries? This happened to me and it was because the batteries needed changing.

Google the non emergency number of your local fire station and ask if someone will come round? If it's a quiet night they might do it.

You either need to replace the batteries, or you need to replace the smoke alarms themselves. Mine did this after about twelve years. They are supposed to last around ten years.

Thank you, I have no idea how to even change the batteries there doesn’t seem to be anyway to get into it,
I’m sure it’s dust as kids were messing around chucking teddies around under it when if first went off. This has happed before but usually hoovering it will fix it

I'd call the landlord too.
If they whip them out they MUST also stick up new working alarms with batteries at the same time.

Can you unscrew them? Ours did this once because of dust - we could unscrew them from the wall and blow into them and that sorted it.

Random but have you tried opening windows? This happened to me, apparently too much stale air in a room can set them off or something along those lines.

I’ve just spoken to the housing association emergency line and they won’t send anyone out to deal with them tonight.

from the instructions I can find online i thin you have to turn of the electricity to remove them and there is no mention of changing the batteries!

https://www.eielectronics.ie/wp-content/uploads/B20222-R3-Ei3014%EF%80%A23016%EF%80%A23024-IRE-SERIES-UC-ENG.pdf

I Believe these are the alarms

It's a hard wired alarm so not amount of looking for battery is going to resolve anything. You could unscrew the cover and flick the fuse out but ring your landlord.

I’ve tried they won’t come out, it’s housing association so just goes through to a call centre and they said its not in the list of things they will help with

MN thread about calling out the fire brigade for a faulty smoke alarm: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4969968-had-to-call-the-fire-brigade-out-smoke-alarm-kept-going-off?page=1 Controversial it seems, but you can't spend the whole night pushing a button every couple of minutes, and they obviously won't prioritise you over an actual fire.

Our fire brigade is all retained/voluntary I dont think they would come out!

Probably at the end of their life, mine did it when it needed a full replacement

I’m actually in tears sitting here now. I can’t believe the HA won’t send anyone out to deal with it. I’m just doing tj have to sit here pressing a button all night. I have to be up for work at 6 and my kids are also going to be awake all night.

They are less than 5 years old!

Have you tried twisting the cover of the smoke alarm to remove the cover. It might feel a bit stiff. Once off, remove the battery. If it's still beeping, turn off the electricity. It can't beep with no power source.

Mine are also hardwired but do have a backup battery. They all should, if the power goes off for any reason they need to still function!

I don't know but I feel your pain. Mine have been acting similarly for a few weeks, except not quite as full on as yours- they just go off intermittently, usually at night time, and I have to get up and silence them with the broom. Usually when I get back into bed, they'll go off again 🙄
I've changed the batteries on a couple of them (ran out of batteries for the others) but it still does it.
Google said it was may be a wiring/electrical problem, so I have been meaning to call an electrician but I just haven't had the money.

Reset the memory. Press and hold the test button for at least 20 seconds.

When my carbon monoxide one was doing this I quite literally whacked it with a broom until it no longer functioned! Obviously you have to weigh up the risk of having no alarm until it gets replaced.
Do try to find the battery first though, it has to have one. Some can't be replaced, that's why they have an expiry date, but some can, and even if it can't be replaced you can hopefully remove it!

They do have a back up battery pg 30 describes how to check they are working, ours are those 9v rectangular style.

They seem similar to ours.
Opening them for the first time is a complete nightmare ( pics on your link). You need to be high up ie on ladders as uou have to find a tiny slit, insert a flat screwdriver and push a little catch to release the alarm cover which slides off from the base.
Ours were going off and I had to go very early morning shopping for new batteries (not cheap) .

They should have a date on which tells you when the unit needs replaced, batteries should be replaced yearly.

If I could just get open and take the battery out and leave the power off all night I would take it at this stage. I have a horrible feeling it would trigger and the connected alarms though and make a massive racket .mg neighbours must be being driven crazy already!