Trouble Shooting

Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms may not operate properly because of dead, missing or weak batteries, a bad electrical connection, a build-up of dirt, dust or grease on the smoke alarm cover, or installation in an improper location. Many problems can be solved by cleaning the smoke alarm as described in the "Regular Maintenance" section of your user's manual, and by making sure the alarm is receiving power - either from a battery or your household electricity. If the problem persists, replace the smoke alarm immediately.

It is recommended you replace smoke alarms before they are ten years old.

For technical help, please contact Customer Service at +61 3 9538 9200, 8:30AM-5:00PM EST.

Smoke alarm sounds when no smoke is visible
This Means... You Should...
1. The smoke alarm may be dirty 1. Gently clean the smoke alarm as indicated in your user's manual.
2. The smoke alarm may be installed in a location prone to non-emergency or "nuisance" alarms. 2. Check the location of the smoke alarm. Clean the smoke alarm, then try re-installing it a few feet away.


You experience frequent "nuisance" alarms because of cooking smoke.
This Means... You Should...
1. The smoke alarm may be installed in a location prone to non-emergency or "nuisance" alarms. Air streams near kitchens, for example, can pull cooking smoke into the smoke alarm. 1. Check the location of the smoke alarm. Clean the smoke alarm, then try re-installing it a few feet away.


Alarm horn doesn't sound when you press and hold the test button.
This Means... You Should...
1. The smoke alarm might not be receiving battery or electrical power. 1. If you hve a battery powered smoke alarm, make sure the battery is fresh, and properly installed. If you have an electrical (AC) powered smoke alarm, TURN OFF POWER to the circuit and check all the connections. Restore power and restart.
2. You may not be pressing the test button firmly enough. 2. Press and hold the test button firmly, until you hear the alarm sound. Depending on the smoke alarm, you may need to press the button down for a few seconds. If the smoke alarm still does not alarm, replace it immediately.


The alarm keeps sounding after you release the test button.
This Means... You Should...
1. This is normal. 1. Make sure the horn is silent after a few seconds.


Battery-Powered Smoke Alarms and AC Smoke Alarms with Battery Back-up

Smoke alarm sounds briefly when you install the battery.
This Means... You Should...
1. This is normal. 1. Make sure the horn is silent after a few seconds.


The battery door, drawer, or hinged smoke alarm cover will not close.
This Means... You Should...
1. The battery has not been properly installed. For your protection, special safety tabs or guards prevent the covers, battery doors, or drawers from closing unless a battery is installed. 1. Make sure a battery is properly installed in the smoke alarm.


Smoke alarm "chirps" intermittently.
This Means... You Should...
1. The battery may be weak, loose, or improperly installed. 1. Make sure the battery is fresh and that it is snapped in all the way so it cannot be shaken loose.
2. The smoke alarm cover may be dirty. 2. Gently vacuum the cover of the smoke alarm using your vacuum's soft brush attachment.


Smoke alarm "chirps" regularly, about once every minute.
This Means... You Should...
1. You are most likely hearing the low battery warning. 1. Replace the battery immediately and test the smoke alarm.


Smoke Alarms With a Silence Feature

Alarm will not silence when you press the Silence button.
This Means... You Should...
1. The amount of smoke present indicates apotentially dangerous situation. 1. Do not ignore the alarm! Smoke present may be too dense, indicating an emergency situation.


Smoke alarm "chirps" once a minute after you press the Silence button.
This Means... You Should...
1. This is normal. It's your smoke alarm's way of reminding you ti is in silence mode. 1. Make sure the chirping stops once the smoke has cleared and the smoke alarm is no longer in the silenced mode. This may take up to 15 minutes.


Pressing the test button does not make the alarm horn sound.
This Means... You Should...
1. On some models, when the some alarm is in silenced mode, the test function is temporarily disabled. 1. The test function will be re-enabled when the smoke alarm comes out of the silenced mode. This may take up to 15 minutes

Note: The silence feature does not disable the unit. For your safety, if smoke around the unit is
dense enough to suggest a potentially dangerous situation. It will stay in alarm, or may re-alarm
quickly. If you do not know the source of the smoke, do not assume it is a non-emergency
alarm. Not responding to an alarm can result in property loss, injury or death.



Smoke Alarms with Remote Flashlight Test Feature

Alarm will not sound when you try testing with a flashlight.
This Means... You Should...
1. The flashlight may not have a strong enough beam. 1. Use a flashlight with a bright beam.
2. You may not be waving the beam fast enough across the light sensor. 2. Wave the flashlight very rapidly back and forth across the gold light sensor on the smoke alarm cover.
3. The smoke alarm might be installed out of the flashlight beam's range. 3. This feature works best on flat ceilings. If you have a beaked or gabled ceiling you may have to press and hold the test button on the smoke alarm's cover.



Smoke Alarms With Escape Light® Feature

Escape Light® does not shine when the horn sounds..
This Means... You Should...
1. The alkaline battery powering the Escape Light is weak or dead. 1. Make sure both batteries are fresh and installed correctly (an alkaline battery must be installed in the slot makred "Alkaline Only").

"Be Safe... Replace®"

Fire safety professionals recommend you replace smoke alarms before they are 10 years old.
Why? Think about it. After working for 10 years, 7 days a week, 24 hours every day, that smoke
alarm has been on the job for over 87.000 hours!

How long would it atke other appliances to reach 87,000 hours of service?

Appliance Hours per day of use Number of years
TV set 5 hours, average 48 years
Stove or oven 1 hour, average 238 years
Hair dryer 10 minutes, average 1,430 years

While you can't really compare a smoke alarm's service life to a TV set or hair dryer, it does
give you an idea just how many hours smoke alarms work over a 10-year period. If you know
your smoke alarms are almost 10 years old - or if you're not sure how old they are - be safe
and replace them today!


CO Alarms

Since each type of carbon monoxide alarm works a little differently, we have broken out the most commonly asked troubleshooting questions by product type. For technical help, please contact Customer Service at +61 3 9538 9200, 8:30AM-5:00PM EST.

The following applies to ALL First Alert® Carbon Monoxide Alarms.

The alarm sounded, but no high levels of CO are detected during an investigation.
This Means... You Should...
1. CO dissapated in fresh air when doors and windows were opened. 1. Continue to monitor the situation closely. Do not ignore the alarm if it sounds again.
2. The alarm sounded in response to an intermittent or slowly developing CO problem. 2. If frequent alarms continue, have home rechecked for potential CO problems.
3. The CO Alarm may be improperly located. 3. Relocate your alarm. Make sure it is not installed closer than 15-20 feet from a furnace or fuel-burning heat source, or 10 feet from areas of high humidity like bathrooms or laundry room.


CO Alarm goes back into alarm 4 minutes after you press the Test/Silence
(or Test/Reset) button.
This Means... You Should...
1. CO levels indicate a potentially dangerous situation. 1. There may not have been enough time to clear the CO from the sensors IF YOU ARE FEELING SYMPTOMS OF CO POISONING, EVACUATE your home and call 911 or the Fire Department. If not, press the Test/Silence button again and keep ventilating your home.



Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms

Combination Smoke/CO Alarm
(Model SCO1)
Combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are designed to alert you to two different types of household threats: smoke from a fire, and carbon monoxide. It is important to understand which alarm is sounding and what each type of alarm means.


The BATTERY light turns YELLOW. It flashes and the horn "chirps" twice a minute.
This Means... You Should...
1. Low battery warning 1. Install a new 9V alkaline or lithium battery. Suitable replacement batteries are listed in the battery compartment door.


Horn "chirps" and yellow SERVICE light blinks three times every 30 seconds.
This Means... You Should...
1. The device is not working properly, and needs to be replaced. 1. Units under warranty should be returned to manufacturer for replacement. See "Limited Warranty" in your user's manual for details.


During testing, the BATTERY light turns YELLOW when you press and hold
the Test/Silence button.
This Means... You Should...
1. Low battery. 1. Install a new 9V alkaline or lithium battery. Suitable replacement batteries are listed in the battery compartment door.


Smoke alarm alarms when no smoke is visible.
This Means... You Should...
1. Unwanted alarm may be caused by non-emergency source like cooking smoke. 1. Clean the alarm's cover with a soft, clean, dry cloth, and vacuum the cover using your vacuum's soft brush attachment. You can also blow with clean, compressed air.  If frequent unwanted alarms continue, relocate your alarm. Alarm may be too close to a kitchen, cooking appliance, or steamy bathroom.




Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms

Battery Powered CO Alarm
(Models in the FCD3 and FCD3N Series)


The BATTERY Light turns YELLOW. It flashes and the horn "chirps" twice a minute.
This Means... You Should...
1. Low battery warning. 1. Install a new 9V alkaline or lithium battery. Suitable replacement batteries are listed inside the battery compartment.


During testing, when you press and hold the Test/Silence button, the BATTERY
Light turns YELLOW.
This Means... You Should...
1. Low battery. Install a new 9V alkaline or lithium battery. 1. Suitable replacement batteries are listed inside the battery compartment.


Horn chirps and yellow service light blinks three times every 30 seconds.
This Means... You Should...
1. End-of-Sensor-Life Signal. Unit needs to be replaced. 1. Install a new CO alarm. Units under warranty should be returned to manufacturer for replacement.