Smoke detectors remain essential devices that serve the primary purpose of notifying you when there’s a fire outbreak. These smoke alarms have several alerting signals, and you must be able to interpret them. This article will try to educate you on the Smoke Alarm Red Light Flashing every 10 seconds.
Remember, these devices can chirp or show flashlights based on either the condition, danger, or silence mode. So, they are professionally designed with a Red Light that flashes after every 10 seconds when the smoke is not too dense.
Smoke Alarm Red Light Flashing Every 10 Seconds
Silence feature
This is one of the handy features that you are likely to find in most smoke alarms. The Silence Feature is essential in silencing the smoke alarm temporarily for at least 10 minutes. Some of the reasons for silence mode are;
- The smoke is not too dense
You need to understand that the Silence Mechanisms doesn’t altogether disable the Alarm but deactivates it temporarily for less smoke. So, sometimes you might see the device flashing Red Light every 10 seconds, but no sound. Don’t worry about it because it has already sensed less danger.
However, sometimes a smoke alarm might be affected by other factors like temperature fluctuations, delaying its functionality. This happens as you may see too dense smoke around the Alarm, yet there’s no sound. The unit once senses a thick smoke; it will re-alarm quickly, showing potential danger.
- Unwanted Alarm
A smoke alarm can ignore unwanted Alarm, but it turns to be dangerous when you don’t know the smoke source. These units might fail to meet unreasonable practical dangers. It would be best if you were careful because the fire source’s distance and the smoke alarm can be significant.
So, ignoring an alarm can therefore result in injuries, property loss, or death. If the Alarm doesn’t silence and there’s no heavy smoke, or if it goes on Silence Mode for an extended period, replace it immediately.
Silencing Smoke Alarms in interconnected series:
You have to press the TEST/SILENCE key on the device that triggered the Alarm to silence many alarms in an interconnected series. Remember, the initiating Alarm’s RED light will blink rapidly. Doing so will switch the RED LED on all the non-initiating units. You will not hear any audible sound, and the Alarm will exit the ‘SILENCE MODE’ in 10 minutes approximately.
While your Alarm is in the ‘Quiet Mode’ press and hold the ‘TEST/SILENCE’ functions for 10 seconds approximately to test the Alarm, after testing, your unit will automatically re-enter the “SILENCE MODE“; the 10-timer will be reset.
Intermittent chirps in smoke alarms
The CHIRP is an issue usually enhanced by problems related to either miss-wiring or battery. However, you should be in an excellent position to differentiate intermittent Alarm from a chirp. An intermittent alarm tends to happen randomly for various seconds. Besides, its pitch tone is a bit lower.
On the other hand, the CHIRP is associated with a bit higher-pitched tone. Besides, its sound occurs in intervals.
Reasons for chirping in smoke alarms
You forget to remove the battery Pull-tab from the Alarm. Once your Alarm is provided with AC power, remember to remove the battery pull-tab. Leaving such a component in the unit will trigger chirping.
- The battery drawer isn’t closed
Leaving the battery drawer open, the Alarm will sense something is not right’ hence chirping. Therefore, you should ensure that the drawer is completely closed, allowing the battery to contact the unit’s terminals.
- Low battery
A smoke alarm with a low battery will chirp at least once in 60 seconds to alert the need for battery replacement. Remember, the Alarm with a low battery is the only device that can tweet.
- Obstructed terminal
You have replaced the battery, and still, the Alarm is not working. It’s possible due to the obstructed terminal, the battery is not making good contact with the Alarm’s terminals. Inspect to remove any obstruction or battery pull-tab.
- Temperature fluctuations
This is another reason that might be making your smoke alarm chirp or beep erratically. Setting your thermostat at an abnormal very low or high temperature, the unit will detect this problem, triggering a warning sound. The Alarm can also chirp when it notices hot air from the bathroom or kitchen.
This happens mainly when you cook at a high temperature or someone leaves the bathroom door unclosed after a hot shower. It’s not, therefore, advisable to install smoke alarms near kitchen or bathroom doors.
- It has reached its lifespan
If your smoke alarm keeps on beeping, chances might be that its lifespan is over. I thought you should know that these devices can last up to ten years. So, if you see premature beeping, then this can’t be the problem. Have a look at the date of manufacturer and expiry.
If the Alarm is older than eight or ten years, then it might be the right time to go for a replacement. Ignoring this warning sign means that you are ready to bear the irritating noise.
FAQs About Smoke Alarm Red Light Flashing:
I. What are the reasons for my smoke alarm flashing red every 15 seconds?
A red light is always associated with danger and once you see a unit displaying such, know there is danger. It can blink red every 15 seconds once theirs is a dangerous carbon monoxide or smoke level.
II. When will my smoke detector stop chirping?
It’s not advisable to ignore a chirping sound; it’s annoying. However, the annoying sound might also be due to low battery, open battery drawer, obstructed terminals, etc.
III. Why does my smoke detector sleep in the mid-night?
Mid-night hours like 2-6 AM are associated with low temperatures, increasing the resistance. The power to run the detector is insufficient. The sensor will therefore go to ‘beep mode.’
Conclusion
Smoke alarms remain essential devices to ensure you, and the entire family is notified in case of fire outbreaks. Being an indispensable protection means, you should ensure that your compound/house has enough smoke detectors. So, spotting the red light blinks on your unit should not worry you, but experts recommend not ignoring the WARNING sign.
What your Smoke Detector’s blinking lights and beeping/chirping tones actually mean? I explain some of the more common ones in this video. Not all brands are the same, but many are similar.
