Working Smoke alarms save lives!
They give you vital time to ‘get out, stay out and call 999’ in the event of a fire.
For smoke alarms to do their job effectively and provide an essential early warning to allow time to escape, they must be tested regularly. Test yours at least monthly to make sure they are in good working order.
Looking after your smoke alarm
- Once a month - test the battery. Press the button until the alarm sounds.
- Once a year - change the battery (unless it’s a long-life alarm) - use family birthdays, or a special occasion, to remind you to change it.
- Twice a year - open the case and gently vacuum the inside to remove dust from the sensors. If it doesn’t open, vacuum through the holes.
- After 10 years - replace your alarm with a whole new unit.
- Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Sealed detector units will have an expiry date on and will need to be replaced entirely.
Bleeping smoke alarms
If your smoke alarm is making an intermittent bleeping/chirping noise, please follow these steps:
- Check that your smoke alarm is definitely the source of the bleeping/chirping; make sure the noise isn’t coming from another alarm (smoke/carbon monoxide/gas/burglar alarm) by process of elimination.
- Clean the alarm as per the instructions above
- Test the alarm by pressing the ‘test’ button
- Change the battery (unless it’s a ten-year alarm) or a hard-wired alarm
If you have trouble fitting or testing your smoke alarm why not ask a friend, family member, neighbour or carer to test it for you to make sure you’re protected.
If you know someone that may struggle to fit or check their smoke alarm when you’re testing yours once a month, why not check theirs too!
If the low battery alarm is bleeping, you will need to change the alarm. This will continue to work in the event of a fire for another two weeks, giving you time to replace it. If we fitted your smoke alarm as part of a Safe and Well visit or you meet our criteria, then please either submit another referral or contact us
