# Why is my smoke detector STILL chirping? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679 "2005-12-21T20:17:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Winnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e480ec/32.png) [@Winnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnie)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/1 "2005-12-21T20:17:19Z")
I came home today to find the smoke detector in my basement “chirping”, you know like when the batteries are going dead or you have a power surge which often happens on my block due to ongoing construction and whatnot. Batteries (brand new) were replaced on Daylight Savings, so it can’t be that I don’t think. The “hush” button did nothing. I finally yanked the thing from the ceiling, removed the batteries and the connectors… and it’s STILL CHIRPING! What the eff is wrong with my smoke detector? Is it haunted? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/2 "2005-12-21T20:29:02Z")
If you still have a manual, you’ll want to read that. Failing that, see if you can look it up online. Failing that, my WAG is that there’s a sensor that’s stuck in “low battery” mode. There may be a reset process you’re supposed to follow after taking out the battery (did you try the “TEST” button?), and it might still be thinking the battery is low if it hasn’t been reset. Now that the battery is removed, it’s got some kind of capacitor in it that keeps enough charge to chirp every few minutes to tell you the battery’s been removed. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/3 "2005-12-21T21:18:35Z")
Perhaps you need to clean the sensor? It might be dusty, which reduces effectiveness. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/4 "2005-12-21T23:05:03Z")
Since yours is a battery-powered model and not a wired-in model using house current, I’d just do a few simple tests as suggested and if that didn’t work, can the dang thing and buy a new one. They don’t cost very much, and your piece of mind at having one that functions properly is priceless. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/5 "2005-12-21T23:08:45Z")
I had this problem and it drove me apeshit. I googled for the manual and downloaded it. Turned out that it will chirp for several hours after batteries are replaced and then stop. What a crappy design. ---
**Author:** ![LadyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@LadyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyMack)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/6 "2005-12-21T23:23:11Z")
Spiders. We kept being woken up in the middle of the night at Mom’s house. Did everything mentioned, and couldn’t take it apart further. Finally got a can of compressed air, and sprayed the thing in every nook and cranny. Out came a tiny spider. Reassembled and all was fine. Or it may be haunted. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/7 "2005-12-22T01:24:23Z")
Actually, I think smoke detectors have a lifespan independent of the battery. Sometimes when they keep chirping, it’s the smoke detector itself that needs to be replaced. They’re pretty cheap these days. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/8 "2005-12-22T01:32:21Z")
> [@LadyDragon](#): > > Finally got a can of compressed air, and sprayed the thing in every nook and cranny. Out came a tiny spider. > > Reassembled and all was fine. It must have been a heck of a tough job reassembling a spider. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/9 "2005-12-22T03:33:36Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > It must have been a heck of a tough job reassembling a spider. 😃 Oh yeah, it’s like replacing the spark plug wires on your car; if you don’t get the order of the legs just right, the spider won’t start. And how embarrassing is _that_?? ---
**Author:** ![LadyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@LadyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyMack)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/10 "2005-12-22T06:42:34Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > It must have been a heck of a tough job reassembling a spider. 😃 No, no, no. It was made into a nice pate’. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/11 "2005-12-22T14:36:47Z")
Oh. Have you checked to make sure your house isn’t on fire? ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-smoke-detector-still-chirping/336679/12 "2005-12-22T15:27:13Z")
> [@Winnie](#): > > I came home today to find the smoke detector in my basement “chirping”, you know like when the batteries are going dead or you have a power surge which often happens on my block due to ongoing construction and whatnot. Batteries (brand new) were replaced on Daylight Savings, so it can’t be that I don’t think. The “hush” button did nothing. I finally yanked the thing from the ceiling, removed the batteries and the connectors… and it’s STILL CHIRPING! > > What the eff is wrong with my smoke detector? Is it haunted? I had this problem too. I noticed there was a strong correlation between the temperature and the chirping. Neither cleaning nor new batteries solved the problem. Bringing it to the warmer upstairs did. I bought a new, different model for the basement and it had the problem too. A second new, different model solved the problem. YMMV.