Question about weird things going on with my firealarm

[Busaman5000]

So im sleeping in my bed last night when all of a sudden the fire alarm in my house goes off, I think its the one in the spare bedroom. When it went off the one in my bedroom went off. So there both screaming! Scared the crap out of me! It lasts for about 5 seconds after I wake up and they both shut off.

So I get up and check the house, no fire, no smoke no nothing....

I lay back down start to dose off again and BAM they both start screaming AGAIN! Again it last for just a few seconds and they both shut off.

So now im laying here in bed wondering if that's it. a few minutes go bye and BAM they both start screaming again. This time it lasts for a good 30 seconds or so. Then the both shut off at the same time.

So this time I get out of bed and go sit in the living room so I could see which one is going off. (I have a fire alarm in EVERY room of the house, it was like that when I moved in) Well they never go off again. I sit for about an hour watching TV and nothing.

Funny thing is this has happened about two other times. The same thing happens. It has NEVER happened during the day. ONLY at night when im sleeping at around the same time.


What could be causing this? And why would it be setting off the one in my bedroom as well?

They all have fresh batteries but I guess i'll go change them all out again just to be sure.

Oh and there was one time when it was just a long solid long beep and then they shutoff.

 

[Pinky Winky]

How often do they do it and are they all wired together on the same power?

 

[Busaman5000]

How often do they do it and are they all wired together on the same power?

Its happened about 2 or 3 other times this year. Yeah they are all wired together on the same power as far as I know. But only two are going off. the other 3 or 4 remain silent.

Oh it would probably help if i mentioned when it did it last night it was 3 long beeps then silence, 3 long beeps then silence, etc...

 

[tbonebusa]

I will be interested to see the replys...my house did the exact same things a couple months ago.

Never did get a answer as to what the deal was...took all them apart and did a good cleaning, and it hasn't repeated since. :huh2:

 

[Professor]

Fire alarm or smoke detector?

Newer NFPA code, introduced around 1994-1995 requires that smoke alarms be interconnected. If one alarms, all of them do.

 

[300Busa]

ghosts

 

[Busaman5000]

Fire alarm or smoke detector?

Newer NFPA code, introduced around 1994-1995 requires that smoke alarms be interconnected. If one alarms, all of them do.

Whats the difference between the two? I assume its just a smoke detector?

Well that would explain why the one in my bedroom would go off if there all interconnected. But I only hear two going off. Maybe the one in my bedroom is the only one thats interconnected?

 

[tbonebusa]

Fire alarm or smoke detector?

Newer NFPA code, introduced around 1994-1995 requires that smoke alarms be interconnected. If one alarms, all of them do.

My house was built in 2001. I believe they are smoke detectors in my house. I do know that they are not Co2 detectors as well, as I thought that might be the issue. They are all (6 total) hard wired. Same scenario...3 very loud alert beeps, then 30 seconds or so off, then 3 beeps. Not the same alarm as when they fire due to smoke, like when I burn something in the kitchen, that brings on a continious beeping until the smoke clears.

 

[Busaman5000]

ghosts

I thought I was getting bombed or WWIII was starting last night or something before I came to my senses. Scared the bejezzus out of me.

 

[Busaman5000]

My house was built in 2001. I believe they are smoke detectors in my house. I do know that they are not Co2 detectors as well, as I thought that might be the issue. They are all (6 total) hard wired. Same scenario...3 very loud alert beeps, then 30 seconds or so off, then 3 beeps. Not the same alarm as when they fire due to smoke, like when I burn something in the kitchen, that brings on a continious beeping until the smoke clears.

Does yours only happen at night? Or have you been up and awake when it happened?

 

[GSX1300R-T]

Mine has done that as well. DANG GREMLINS!!!

 

[tbonebusa]

Does yours only happen at night? Or have you been up and awake when it happened?

Middle of the night...3 AM...and I had a house full of 10 year olds on a sleep-over...I absolutely freaked out thinking I needed to clear 6 kids out of a burning house....not cool. It did the same thing about 4 nights later, also around 2-3 AM. Since I cleaned the units, it has not happened again. (2 months or so)

 

[Busaman5000]

Strange. Mine did it probably 4 months ago or so. and it did it again a few months before that. All at night, all around the same time. Its very very strange.

 

[mikeled86]

I bet its an ex-girlfriend in your closet messing with you

 

[Professor]

Whats the difference between the two? I assume its just a smoke detector?

Well that would explain why the one in my bedroom would go off if there all interconnected. But I only hear two going off. Maybe the one in my bedroom is the only one thats interconnected?

Fire Alarm is usually a term for a complete system, like a home security alarm. It uses sensors that may or may not include smoke sensors. Usually it contains heat detectors, water flow sensors on sprinklers systems, infrared and or ultraviolet flame detectors, etc. Typically it is what you see in commercial application and will have a panel to control everything/report. Rules might have changed, but smoke detection was not usually required by NFPA code (national fire protection association) unless there was sleeping rooms such as dorms, hotels, etc.


Smoke detectors come in various types.
Basic battery powered
120v powered with battery backup
120v powered with battery backup with interconnect.

They usually are not set up to report to a service and serve only to wake sleeping occupants.

Code started requiring the interconnection in new construction as well as being served by 120 AC power. I remember seeing the rules come out before I changed career fields in 95. All I did was industrial/commercial so it didn’t affect me.

I think only the bedrooms on the same floor must be connected. I think the code was written to require it either or outside each bedroom. However when looking for houses noticed the smoke alarms/detectors were usually inside each bedroom with one in the main hallway.

Local ordinances might add stricter requirements as well.

Some home security systems will also tie into this interconnect wire to report it to your alarm monitoring service.



What could be happening is the house may have had the minimal number of smoke alarms and the own might have added others without correctly installing them. (or stand alone battery units)

 

[dadofthree]

Check the power and batteries. Have the detectors ever been cleaned ? how old are they ?
It's that time of year and if your heat comes on you could have dust accumulation burning off, setting them off. Smoke detectors detect particles not necessarily smoke. Spiders and insects use to cause trouble but newer detectors installed properly avoid that.

 

[Busaman5000]

Ok, well its smoke detectors then.

Well I had the house built and the smoke detectors were all installed by the builder so I assume there all connected correctly, though maybe not.

 

[Busaman5000]

Check the power and batteries. Have the detectors ever been cleaned ? how old are they ?
It's that time of year and if your heat comes on you could have dust accumulation burning off, setting them off. Smoke detectors detect particles not necessarily smoke. Spiders and insects use to cause trouble but newer detectors installed properly avoid that.

The detectors are about 4 years old now. Batteries SHOULD be good, but I will replace them again. No they have never been cleaned.

I have not turned on the heat yet, im still running the AC.

 

[dadofthree]

Typically they beep and silence due to low battery or malfunction, some maintenance reason. On alarm they lock in until reset.

 

[Mr Bogus]

I had a daisy chained fire alarm system like this and they all went off together when any one of them had low batteries... took me a bit to figure out but sure was annoying..

I learned to change ALL the batteries at the same time...