Hello,

Got called for a fault in which a smoke detector was activated twice in a row at about the same time (late in the night/ very early morning) without apparent reason. Building always empty at those times and room with no obvious source of smoke, steam or spray.

The smoke detector didn't look dirty. I was advised to replace it so that was what I did.

Just wonder what you guys normally do in these situations. Do you just give it a good clean or just replace it?

Thank you.

Clean it and swap with another head location.

This checks the head and also if it trips again then you can tell if same head trips or the location is causing it.

Dust and cobwebs can interfere with the proper operation of a smoke detector. They may cause the detector to become less sensitive or even more sensitive in some cases. Smoke detectors should be cleaned regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. Smoke detectors generally can be cleaned with a standard vacuum cleaner hose and attachment. Do NOT remove the detector's cover when cleaning. And also based on statistical performance information, it is recommended that smoke detectors be replaced every 10 years or as monthly testing indicates. It's always good to have a system at home but you should also be responsible in maintaining it's functions. Have a number of fire department for emergency.

Edited January 27, 201214 yr by jameswilson

If its an Apollo conventional series 65 etc, you could use the Apollo test set to indicate state of chamber contamination,

most addressable panels like the kentec have it built into the panel.

Clients don't normally want return visits by swapping detectors about, this only leads to losing confidence in the system, 90% of the time a new detector does the job!