Fire Alarms

Change the batteries.
Sometimes they go off if they get dusty or if there's a lot of humidity.

Do not leave it uninstalled.... It is not worth the potential risk to your family.

We change our batteries every 6 months when the time changes. It's a good habit to get into. Every now and then, we'll hear the chirping of one of them and that typically starts about 2am or so.... which is very annoying.

We go through the house trying to determine which one is chirping.. It is a pain in the rear because we have 6 downstairs and 6 upstairs to monitor until we figure it out.

You may need to replace the fire alarm itself due to a malfunction. Whatever you do, please don't leave it disconnected.

I agree to ask the Fire department through the non-emergency line.

Check the battery....... they frequently "chirp" or go off when the battery is low.

Other than that, there maybe dust covering the sensor, giving it the impression that there is smoke. If you can figure out where the sensor is, wipe it off with a damp cloth and see if that helps.

You can call your local fire department and they will come out and check your home. If your fire alarm goes off - call 911 - get out of the house. You may not always smell smoke - but it could be a slow burn in the attic.

DO NOT disconnect the fire alarm!!

do you and your family have an escape plan?
Do you know where to meet in case of a fire or an emergency?
If not - get it set up.

Fire alarms should be replaced every 5 years. As a matter of fact - two weeks ago - our fire department came in to our home and changed all of our alarms and told us to change them out after 5 years.

I would call my fire department have them come out - call the non-emergency number right now - and tell them what happened. Ask them to come out and help with the fire alarm.

Good luck!

Have you changed the batteries? Batteries need to be changed each year.

Change the battery? Vacuum the device?

Accept they put in a lemon and replace it?
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I just wanted to add our fire alarms are hard wired. Two were put in by the builder three by our alarm company. The builder ones have been disconnected because they started malfunctioning. They were right next to the ones that are monitored. Those we just vacuum once a year because dust gets in them and could give a false alarm.

Our slmoke detectors pick up the slightest hint of smoke. If they go off we leave the house and don't come back in until either we find the source or we figure out why they went off.

Since your hubby checked the house and couldn't find anything I'd have done the same as you. BUT my hubby would have gotten dressed and went to Walmart, there are stores everywhere that are open 24 hours, and he would have bought 2-3 new ones, got all new batteries for all of them, even the ones already in the home, and we'd have not gone back into the house to go to bed without something telling us if there was an actual fire, like in the wiring that is behind the walls. It could have been leaking smoke from around the ceiling somewhere you couldn't see or smell.

I would not have gone back into a home where the smoke detectors kept going off even after checking the house. What a risk you took with your life and those of your children.

I would have made the trip to buy new ones even if I had to put the kids in the car and took them to Walmart with me to get new ones. I'd have never gone in and gone to bed after the alarms going off then turning them off because they kept going off....I don't get that at all.

Call your local fire department (NOT 911) and ask if they have a program for testing fire alarms. It could be as simple as needing new batteries. Do not leave it turned off! Replace it. Replacing it is better than losing your lives.

Not to gross you out, but when we lived in a not quite gentrified yet neighborhood in DC, our smoke detectors did this because there was a cockroach inside!
We exterminated and it never happened again.

Is it a smoke detector only or a combination smoke/CO2 detector? CO2 is scentless and invisible, if it is a combination detector it may be reacting to a CO2 leak somewhere (for example from your furnace). So if it is a CO2 detector you need to have the fire department come by and check out your house.

If it is just a broken smoke detector simple change it. It may just be the battery or it may be that the sensor or wiring is defective. You can pick up a battery operated smoke alarm for a few bucks at a hardware or department store (Target has them).
Good luck.