HELP PLEASE!

[Chatterboxy]

My hard wired smoke alarm battery obviously needs changing, been beeping since the early hours 😩
but for the life of me can’t move or work out how to get to the battery, the piece that’s stopping me won’t move forward/backwards or side to side?
posted a pic! Any advice very welcome!

Ooh that looks bizarre! We are in the UK and just ring the fire company they come and replace them with new ones for us. Is it still beeping now? X

With mine the whole top twists off the base

Yep, it’s driving me to take a hammer 🔨 to it!

There may well be a video on YouTube, have you got the make & model?

The pic is with it off the base, it’s the underside.

Some detectors are no designed to replace batteries. It’s a ‘replace the whole thing’ jobby.

is it one of those?

@Chatterboxy You wiggle a screwdriver under the curved bit with the wires and it will pop up and off

Some of these are designed not to change the battery and just get a new one - the ones the fire brigade fitted were if I recall (DD’s pre-school had them visit and they said they’d visit anyone who needed new ones). There’s a sticker on there saying “replace before 2026” and we are nearer to the end of 2025 now. It’s a new smoke alarm for you so take a hammer to this one with pleasure 😁

You need to pop the wire casing out before flipping the battery case open as indicated

I think I’ll give them a call!
yes, we have something on it to say replace by 2026.
thanks for this information. 👍

It says 'remove this connector' - just be a bit more forceful with it!

We had this recently and the advice on Google was to hold down the button so that it sounds continuously until the final battery life dies. My DH tried this but it continued beeping so for now the alarm lives in the boot of our car! You may have better luck though (earplugs needed!).

It actually says replace BEFORE 2026 so now would be the time. So strange there’s a battery compartment but no way to open it. You’ve reminded me to test my smoke alarms though so this has been useful 👍

Just to add we have a replaced the smoke alarm (one with removable batteries!) and haven't left ourselves without one.

Anyone else thinking of Phoebe in Friends?
😂

That connector with wires looks as though it slides off downwards from your pic, so you can then open battery cover but you have probably tried that already.

It contains radioactive material so please don't take a hammer to it!

The incessant beeping has stopped!
Husband has cut the wires (safely) phone call Monday to get it sorted. Why do these things always happen on a weekend.
we have another smoke alarm on the landing too, we know that works as we’ve just tested it.
Thanks everyone

Yep lol

Do you own your house? How much does it cost to get someone out? Is it free if you own your house?

Why would the fire company replace it mine is hardwired it was put in when the house was built. Why would it have an expiry date.

YES 🤣

@Laundrywitch
It's free for everyone in the UK. Owned or private or council, doesn't matter. Give your local station a ring, or there's a website you can apply, they will ring you back and come straight out x

@Iloveeverycat
Most don't last forever and it's a free service they offer for every household to be safe x

Because the radioactive sources decay and the sensors deteriorate over time.