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what invisible thing could set off my smoke detector? (lemm.ee)

submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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(I have carbon monoxide detectors that are not going off)

I have smoke detectors that are incorporated into my home alarm system. The other day, the one by my front door went off for no apparent reason, twice, and when I changed the batteries, it started alarming again immediately.

there was absolutely no reason for it, there were no open windows or doors nearby, it just went off. so, my alarm company replaced it. installed the new smoke detector yesterday and... it just went off again. completely different smoke detector.

there's absolutely nothing in my house that could produce carbon monoxide, but I have separate CO detectors anyway that aren't going off. there's no smell, there's nothing visible, and these are those ~~electro optical~~ photoelectric style ones.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Spiderwebs or insects can mess with the sensors, likewise with dust. Try spraying some canned air inside. Or if it's a few years old, you may want to replace it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Firefighter here. Brush and gently vacuum your smoke detector. Insects are attracted to the LED and can set off the alarm. They may be very small. Dust can also set it off.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

now there's an idea. I live in south Florida and my house was built in the 1950s. I wonder if some spider has decided that the inside of this detector is a good place to hide. blowing it out isn't going to help though, because I replaced the entire detector and if there's a spider going in there, they just went back into the new one immediately. I'm going to have to set up a security camera on this thing

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I used to live in Miami and I had a detector do that. Maybe it's pollen? There's a shit ton of weird-ass pollen in Miami.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

The instructions for my smoke detector recommend spraying the openings with compressed air regularly.