Thread: Smoke detector battery problems

Always buy top quality batteries, what price/value do you put on family?? Plus, they last longer.
Kryn

Every X-Mas I buy a pack of 4 top quality alkaline 9v batteries and give the detectors their present.
Easy to remember

Seems pretty expensive for a Toshiba battery.

A friend is a smoke alarm inspector so any battery he checks that is below 60%(not sure how that is measured) is turfed so he has hundreds of the things at home.

Hi,
Lucky you checked the new batteries before turfing the smoke detector.
Regards

I *believe* that by law they have to be Lithium batteries or wired.

We are selling and we were told that we need to wire our alarms.

John

I really don't like climbing up a step ladder, especially when you have to climb up to the third last rung, but there was nothing else for it.
The old batteries are a bit tricky to get out, but succeeded without falling off the ladder. Safely back on the ground, the detector chirped again.

For a next time, most fire services now offer a change your batteries service as apart of community service programs to their area. This service mainly for the elderly and the handicapped. Especially advertised as part of community awareness programs in conjunction with 'change your smoke alarm batteries' on the change back from daylight saving.

As a volunteer fireman, I would rather change the batteries as a community service then to return at some time in the future for a fire only to find that the smoke detectors were not working because of dead batteries.


Nifty.

I refuse to purchase from the overpriced eveready/duracell retail duopoly.

I use a lot of batteries in test equipment and radio microphones.

There is some real crap out there on the market ..... but there is also some very well priced good quality alkaline product out there.

I buy mine from a wholesaler, variously top spec generics, panasonic or paralell import duracel.
that said
both Aldi and Ikea stock respectable quality generics.

Stay away from the jaycar alkalines.

To may knoweledge there IS NO requirement to run lithoums in smoke detectors.

Good quality Alkalines should have a shelf life of 5 years and should represent no issue if changed anually.

Buy only alkalines ...... it must say alkaline on the battery ..... zink carbon batteries are just band value.

cheers

Just a comment, why not remove smoke alarm then down ladder change battery then up ladder to replace alarm.
In nsw, fire rescue has a program call Smoke Alarm Battery Replacememt for the Elderly.(SABRE)
They will supply and replace the battery with a Duracell battery. These are recommended by most smoke alarm manufactures.
One more important note. Smoke alarms have a life span of 10 years regardless of type and power source. It has to do with the sensor, so if yours is over 10 it's done its job.

many smoke alarms don't come of the ceiling redily ..... its more work to take them down than replace the battery in sutu.

as for smoke alarms lasting 10 years ...... yeh good luck with that ..... our last 2 did not last that long, the most recent only lasted a bit over 12 months.

cheers

Hi,

Do be aware of the 2 main types of alarm, as well - photoelectric and ionisation. They behave differently, and the photoelectric type is now being recommended by NSW Fire Brigades and the Govt here. All types should carry the Aust Std 3786 mark, or they don't measure up.

BTW lithium batteries aren't mandatory, but they are recommended in NSW.

Smoke alarm buyers guide - Fire and Rescue NSW

Cheers

In SA it depends. All new builds need wired alarms. All houses sold or rented must have Lithium batteries or wired.

All existing houses must simply have smoke alarms fitted.

https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/propert...y/smoke-alarms

John