How to replace old hard wired smoke detectors - easy DIY

[@yourfavoritethings4687]

You have no idea how much you have just helped me. I am on my own with no one around me that remotely has a clue on how to do this. All of my female friends do the hand off to the men, and well...no reliable men around me right now. I thought I was going to have to pay someone to handle this for me....and then I found this video. GRATEFUL for life. Anyone who helps me feel more empowered is my hero. Thank you!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Wow, that is a tremendous comment. You are welcome and I'm glad it was helpful 😃

[@Truth4Lyf]

I'm that guy in my house that helps with this kind of stuff, and I always use KZbin too 💯💯🤣

[@ryanwalsh5305]

Straight to the point no extra BS video. This is what KZbin needs to go back to. Thabks for the information.

[@Marxistcorgi69]

Man that was the best labeled breaker box I’ve ever seen lol

[@girl_friday9185]

Super helpful, moved into a condo that is 15 years old and I have those same exact models of old, dilapidated hardwired units (their ability to discolor IS uncanny!). One started chirping, which naturally meant they all started chirping, in a cycle… Given their ‘vintage,’ I didn’t even bother w/ replacing batteries-chalked it up to good housekeeping. Upgraded to CO + Smoke combo detectors for the added peace of mind. Was able to keep them hardwired after gaining self-confidence watching your walk-thru. Did them myself, saving some much-appreciated 💸. Thanks again!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Comments like this are exactly why I made the video. I'm glad that it was helpful and gave you some confidence to try it yourself, saving some money along the way 👍👍

[@donyadrewitt5265]

This was so incredibly helpful! My home is also just over 13 years old. I have the same smoke detectors and they, too, have turned that ugly yellow color. I will be changing all of mine out this weekend. Thanks again and BTW, I have a magic eraser sponge so I'm ready!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Awesome, so glad it was helpful for you 🙂. The magic eraser is one of the best inventions ever

[@thezacpizza2840]

@@PlatoonGarage make sure to also buy off brand magic erasers because it's all just the same type of spongey foam so the cheap ones don't get torn up as easy because they're thicker and cover more surface area

[@PlatoonGarage]

@@thezacpizza2840 good advice right here

[@suskagusip1036]

Omg thank you so much. It's been years I've been listening to that darn chirping. Me and my kids just got used to it. I thought it's complicated but you showed me the easy way. Thanks again.

[@PlatoonGarage]

Glad it's helpful 👍

[@tabsabs3390]

EXACTLY what I was looking for! Had no idea how to upgrade my smoke detectors. Thank you very much!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Glad it was helpful

[@augustacorns]

Thank you for the helpful video. I had to change my old smoke detector for a state inspection at my condo, and I just completed the job with your video. 👍🏾

[@PlatoonGarage]

👍 nice!

[@BlueThunderboltsiren]

I don't have any smoke alarms to replace yet, but it's still satisfying to watch these things.

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for watching

[@inhumanesounds]

Thanks so much for the help! On my own now and I didn't get the chance to learn stuff like this when I was a kid, so this was huge for me.

[@PlatoonGarage]

@@inhumanesounds glad it was helpful

[@Island_Landlord]

Getting rid of the old connector was tripping me up- thanks for including the how to! This was perfect

[@keithwalker5078]

great simple video and demo. thanks. one started chirping even after replacing battery so they are original, 25 years old so will replace them all. TY

[@PlatoonGarage]

👍

[@uh-1flyboy632]

I just replaced my original smoke detectors (just like yours ) that are hardwired. My replacements that look the same as yours came with 3 different adaptor wires. One of them is triangle shaped and plugs right into the wires hanging from the ceiling and then you just plug the rectangle white piece into the new smoke detector. Screw it back onto the ring and you are done. Don't even need to disconnect power. I did discover that ALL of the detectors wired from room to room need to be replaced at the same time. If you leave one old one plugged in, the alarms will beep until you disconnect the old one and plug in a new one. I replaced the bedrooms but not the hallway. Once I did the middle hallway, everything worked fine.

[@hom296]

Great video...thanks for posting it! You get an award for the best looking circuit box too!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks 👍

[@Arportia]

I am extremely grateful for you to take the time to create this video. 😢 thank you from the bottom of my heart and I hope you have a happy new year💝

[@PlatoonGarage]

You are very welcome.

[@nikeetamaddox8004]

The best video out of all the ones I’ve watched.

[@PlatoonGarage]

Glad it was helpful

[@MultiZoozoo]

Thanks for sharing this wisdom .. I had no idea how to do this ... After watching this, planning to change mine over the weekend.

[@PlatoonGarage]

👍

[@libaaxalee]

Thanks man it is easier than I thought as I have never replaced them before and I need to do now with one that has the capability of Carbone detector.

[@PlatoonGarage]

Very straightforward. Good luck

[@SeeSaw444]

Excellent tutorial!! You have a great way of explaining and some interesting content.

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for the kind words. 👍

[@shilpisaini4051]

Well, one of my old style smoke detector alarms is chipering every after 30 seconds. Most probably changing the battery will resolve the problem. But yes, your tutorial would be helpful in the near future forsure. Thank you so much.

[@handsomeawkward1822]

Thank you so much for this! I’m pretty dumb when it comes to handyman stuff and this video made the job pretty easy even for me.

[@PlatoonGarage]

Glad it was helpful 👍

[@adohko]

Excellent tutorial, covering everything from A to Z 👍👍

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks!

[@Atulipan]

Thank you, simple and direct to the point.

[@Harris316]

Great video, methodical explanation with step by step instructions 👍👍

[@k9casablankino845]

Great video! I just replaced mine but I didn’t replace the wires. I just plugged the new smoke detector to old wires. It seems working!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Nice, my old plugs didn't fit the new smoke detectors

[@dolemite44149]

Yes. Mine fit too

[@donnaferreri9080]

Thank you I know what to do now. This would have been my husband's job if he was still alive. I feel a lot more comfortable now.

[@PlatoonGarage]

Glad that it is helpful for you, comments like this one is exactly why I make these videos

[@Biggarou]

Finally someone that this vid right. Thank you for posting, ran through like 4 yahoos that talked about dum stuff for minutes then showed you nothing important other then how to drill holes..

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for watching 👍

[@johnd9031]

Good review. I’m getting ready to replace mine soon.

[@puppoobhaiMBBS]

Excellent demonstration. I wish other KZbin DIY videos are like this- no unnecessary, useless talking. Thanks for posting it

[@aquafishes]

Thank You! Would a good Final test of the system be to pull out the adapter on one smoke alarm to make sure the remaining attached smoke alarms go off?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Look online and see if the manufacturer has a testing procedure

[@samuelkim8730]

This was very helpful thank you!

[@lynneb9909]

Very helpful video - thank you so much! If you don't know which breaker goes to your smoke detectors, turn the power off to the whole house. We have 2 breaker boxes - one in the garage & one in the basement. The garage box has a main breaker to turn off everything. We thought this would turn the whole house off because the basement box did not have a main breaker to turn everything off. When we were changing out the 2nd smoke detector, we found there was still power to it. So, we turned all the breakers off in the basement as well. As suggested, if you have the time, have someone help you figure out which breaker goes to the detectors. We had old Firex detectors. I wish I would have known the Kidde bought out Firex before I bought the replacements but it wasn't a big deal. We just direct wired all of them with the accessories that were included in the boxes. Some of our wires were yellow instead of red so we connected the red one to these & it worked fine. You do need to replace all of the hardwired detectors or you will still get chirping. They are all working & no more incessant chirping :)

[@ethanmacias7287]

Great video! You should make sure there's also a Carbon Monoxide Alarm in every level (Including the Basement and outside of sleeping areas

[@DaruDhillon]

Great point! It’s required by code.

[@oxoxabbyxoxox]

@@DaruDhillon 0 fd udjdjnd n n

[@Deletemycomment]

Possibly an all electric house

[@curtw8827]

​@@Deletemycommentif it's all electric you may have an integral garage when I car might be accidentally left running. So carbon monoxide detection is needed.

[@G4M846]

Hi Ethan

[@paldenoshoe5746]

That was very well done!! Thank you!

[@stevemcclanahan3845]

Awesome instructions! Thank You for your help!

[@paulhart2065]

In the UK I have Kidde detectors which have a 10 year replace by date on them. They have all yellowed badly which I believe is due to lack of sunlight. I will try a different make next time but to ensure compatibility I will replace all of them, and the kitchen heat detectors, at the same time.

[@loridean8936]

Thankyou so much!! I did it, and feel good i accomplished it..Thanks to you. 😉

[@PlatoonGarage]

Congratulations to you. Feels good saving yourself some cash 👍

[@mohamedmagdi7515]

Great video! I have a question, Do I have to replace the wire? Couldn't I just connect to the already installed adapter if it fits? Thanks!

[@PlatoonGarage]

If the wiring adapter is identical, it should work without having to replace it

[@mohamedmagdi7515]

@@PlatoonGarage Fantastic!! Thank you so much for taking the time.

[@thomaschristopher8593]

great video. i was able to replace my two smoke detectors. thank you.

[@jameshenderson3238]

Very informative video. Thank you

[@farmervee_yt]

Great video! Now I can do this myself. Thank you.😊

[@PlatoonGarage]

Glad it was helpful!

[@KarlEng-m5g]

Can you use the existing wires of the old smoke detector and just swap out the old detector & bracket with the new? I replaced the old one which was a hard wired BRK 4919 with a First Alert 9120B because it was chirping most likely due to end of life since there was no backup battery. I didn't swap any wires. However, afterwards it was still chirping between the 3 hallway detectors on the first and 2nd floor. I proceeded to replace the backup batteries while shutting off the circuit breaker despite them being new. I was sure to bleed any remaining charge in the unit before reinstalling the batteries and turning back on the power. Despite this, I'm still getting the chirp. What do you think I did wrong? Question, if one battery is low will all units chirp if they are connected or will only the problem unit(s) chirp?

[@PlatoonGarage]

if the plug is an exact fit/match between the old and new smoke detector it should work. you can always try and see. if it doesn't work then just wire in the new connector

[@oneshoe123]

Nice, easy to follow instructions thanks

[@robertrasband8235]

🏆 EXCELLENT VIDEO PRESENTED CLEARLY! Thank you. 👍

[@Gingercandies]

Thank you so much!! About to switch from First Alert to Kidde and although you did the opposite this video will definitely come in useful! 🙏

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for watching

[@hafnium911]

Great video! Much easier to change out the connector for the new smoke detector than I thought. Thanks!

[@rockymtn1291]

Before buying a new alarm, make sure to take out the battery and unplug it then press the button to clear out the memory. It still chirped with a new battery until I did that.

[@kevinsomerville7298]

Easy to follow- Great instructions!!

[@PlatoonGarage]

cheers!

[@Mike_Spina]

is this is the same for heat detectors?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Not sure what a heat detector is

[@johnozarchuk507]

Super awesome, thank you!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Glad you found it helpful

[@fernandorodriguez4382]

Nice work. Thank you sir.

[@ambergrey5131]

What happens if you don't have a smoke detector breaker? Do you turn off all power?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Good question. I've not seen that before. I would double check, I can't imagine that a wired detector isn't on a breaker

[@lcymds]

Very helpful. Thanks so much! 71 yr old female DIYer.

[@PlatoonGarage]

Glad it was helpful 👍

[@Laverdad999]

Gracias mi hermano. Excelente vídeo. Thank you so much.

[@PlatoonGarage]

De nada amigo

[@lnystrom9044]

Very good demo / thank you

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks 👍

[@SLloyd-qb8kt]

Wow, this was so helpful! Thank you so much!!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for watching 👍

[@heidismith6148]

Thankyou so much, mine are about 30 years old, I will challenge this soon.

[@PlatoonGarage]

It's very easy, and save some money by diy 👍

[@heidismith6148]

@@PlatoonGarage can I ask y a question? My old base is only 4 plus inches round and the new ones are 6", do you think I'll have to make new screw holes?, Thanks in advance 😊

[@PlatoonGarage]

@@heidismith6148 screw mounting holes should be standard sizing based off of the electrical box that is in the ceiling. You can take the old one off and measure where the screws go to be sure before doing the work

[@admwadenx]

Great tutorial! One question: What if you have a yellow wire instead of a red one? Does the yellow serve the same purpose as the red?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Not sure. I've not seen a yellow travel/signal wire before, but it could be. Open up your other smoke detectors and see if they all are using that yellow wire

[@admwadenx]

@@PlatoonGarage Thanks for that! I think I figured it out, at least in part! My setup has the plug extending down from the ceiling allowing me to simply plug into the smoke detector (might need an adapter for the unit though)! The other option is to rewire, which I think is where the black, white, and red wires come into play! Not sure I'm totally on point, but it's a start!

[@cristobaltorres7203]

Thank you so much for the help!!!! I almost paid some electrician 50 bucks for each fire alarm reinstall. Saved me some $$$$$$

[@PlatoonGarage]

Nice! That's exactly why I make videos like this. Now go treat yourself to a beer 🍺

[@50hellkat2]

Do you turn your power off before you do the electrical?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Yes. It's in the video, did you watch?

[@dyntfilament]

ya def save me there i almost started without turning the corrwct breaker off but lucky i dont mess with wires unless im a 100% sure is off but still i didnt know the breakbox had a breaker for the smokes detects.

[@kenbourne3159]

Great video! Thanks

[@jimrich4192]

Be sure to say "don't over tighten screws holding plastic ring to ceiling/wall" or it might crack. Also, when replacing a battery, observe the polarity (+ -) marks or it won't fit inside.

[@donnaleiber6214]

Thanks for the video. Very useful.

[@PlatoonGarage]

👍

[@TheBandoury]

Helpful. thank you!

[@0xSol_Invictus]

what screws and screw holes are being used here? are the screws supposed to go into the screw holes in the electrical box, or separate holes in the drywall?

[@PlatoonGarage]

They go into the electrical box

[@dolly0315]

Awesome 👏 thank you

[@alexalarcon8737]

I have two of these fire alarms. My house was built in 1986. These are the fire alarms that were install during the construction of the complex. They are still working fine The Firex FX1020 is a great product but they're ugly.

[@PlatoonGarage]

These smoke detectors really are great, but definitely ugly 😂

[@gp2654]

What if the breaker isn't marked "smoke detector"? I can't find one that is marked? Can I replace the pigtail hot?

[@PlatoonGarage]

@@gp2654 I wouldn't replace the pigtail with hot wires. Get someone to help you and slowly turn each of the breakers off until you find the right one

[@gp2654]

@@PlatoonGarage Thanks, I won't mess with it. I found that the old and new detectors have common connection plug in types (they are Kidde detectors). I thought my problem was solved and that I would just disconnect one and plug into the new detector. BUT, there was a loose black wire (which usually indicates "hot", but not always) that I wasn't expecting to see. Without a multi-meter I won't try to guess which marrette to connect it with.

[@alextsarevskiy9886]

Hey I purchased a replacement smoke alarms that are compatible with my old ones (New ones are BRK 7010B) and they are identical to the old ones, I came with the same pigtail that you showed, but I didn’t use it. Instead I just plugged it to the existing wires. The smoke alarm is connected properly with the green light. Do you think I should still replace the old pigtail with the new?

[@PlatoonGarage]

if the new pigtail plugs directly in and you already have a green light, push and hold down the test button and if it triggers all of your smoke detectors, then it is working properly.

[@H.pylori]

Still a great video in 2024...thanks!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for watching

[@markb.1259]

Thank you for this video! Did I miss the part where you VERIFIED the power was off to those wires before you touched them? :-?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for watching. Yes, there's a part in there where the LED is off

[@maheshpandya8892]

Thanks

[@7kwhite1997]

I would do mine myself but I would need someone to hook up the extra smoke and heat alarms to the box since the last owners didn't bother getting it done

[@cxvitoz]

Ours are pretty clean and new!

[@josjo8574]

Questions, can I leave the red one alone, since I am only have black and red wire???

[@PlatoonGarage]

I don't think I can give advice on that. You should have more than just red and black wires

[@highersight2332]

I changed one of my smoke detector and all the other smoke detectors went off once connected. Do I need to reset the other detectors or is there another possible reason they alarm once thee new smoke detector is connected?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Not sure about that one. Maybe you have a short somewhere??

[@sitymanpt]

I have the same issue. How did you resolve it?

[@favoritemyvideo]

Could I unplug the wire from the smoke detector with the electrical on? My wired smoke alarm is malfunctioning and keeps going off. I need to temporarily shut it off. I have a battery operated detector as backup.

[@PlatoonGarage]

You could unplug the pigtail yes

[@favoritemyvideo]

@@PlatoonGarage Great, thanks a lot for the video!

[@Slamjam88]

I have white, yellow, and black wires so would the yellow just goto the red?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Most likely that is the case. Generally black is the hot wire, white is neutral (pretty universal), then you have a traveller wire which is a 3rd color(normally red) and either green or bare copper for ground

[@sgtz113ang]

thanks ! got a new set on order

[@timallison8560]

you got very lucky, in florida the code is that the smoke detectors cannot be on one circuit or everyone would just turn them off.

[@PlatoonGarage]

Haha, Florida is wild. Only there would people turn off life saving devices for convenience

[@isovideo7497]

Unfortunately, the distance between the ceiling mounting screws is not always the same from old to new. The red signal wire voltages should be compatible between brands, so you can, in theory, mix and match various other types of detectors (e.g carbon monoxide), and only replace those that are necessary. Nevertheless, changing all alarms to at least the same brand may be prudent. Some states mandate that the smoke alarms share power with lights in one of the bedrooms, in order to encourage people not to turn off a dedicated smoke alarm breaker. Hopefully it will be labelled appropriately on the breaker box, otherwise you may have to switch power off each bedroom until the alarms green lights go out. In most cases, this video shows exactly what most people need to know.

[@Sylvestershows]

That second one looks like it got pooped on, seriously though thank you for this information.

[@PlatoonGarage]

It was definitely ugly 🤣

[@Katrinabiloxi]

Thank you!

[@vichetmeng2015]

Man your house looks NICEEEE what year is it?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Built 2007

[@vichetmeng2015]

@@PlatoonGarage oof, just like my house.

[@charlesrodriguez7984]

I’ve seen some houses with 10+ year old detectors that were still white colored.

[@tikab7051]

Super helpful thank you !

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for watching

[@darrenreyes6408]

Thank you very helpful

[@anadanco]

Can you reuse the existing pigtail if you are replacing with the same exact smoke detector?

[@PlatoonGarage]

If the plug fits you should be good to go, but if you need to replace them, it's very easy to do

[@GTAEmergencyVideography]

Great video

[@AbosulteNoDoubt]

I have 3 kidde kn-cosm-ba And 5 kidde i4618ac

[@cxvitoz]

And they work pretty well but there is one with the crack down the hallway

[@mrmaddocs68752]

You could have gone from that Kidde to the first alert without rewiring with the included wiring adapters

[@PlatoonGarage]

Nice tip, I wasn't aware they used the same adapter

[@rubyrainsong]

Am I the only one who hates hardwired smoke detectors? For some reason, in the 2 houses we had them, they start chirping in the middle of the night. FOR NO REASON! Less than 2 years old both times. So I took them all out and replaced them w/ independent ones and haven't had anymore problems.

[@CHRISTIANS1977]

Mine had 4 wires , black, white , brown and green or blue

[@alekogosh332]

You should replace them with nest protects

[@Dfuselovesvideos]

how old all smoke detectors you have that are kidde yellow brown

[@wasilli6179]

Thank you so much

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for watching

[@robertbeyers1308]

If you are in the state of California, Florida, and Texas. And you have at least one gas Appliance. You are required to have carbon monoxide detectors as well. This law is only in California, Florida, and Texas. But it is highly recommended that everybody gets carbon monoxide detectors regardless. If they haveat least one gas Appliance. And they do make smoke detectors with carbon monoxide detectors built in. My recommendation is buy enough smoke/carbon monoxide combination detectors for your whole entire house. Carbon monoxide is a odorless deadly gas that can kill you. And carbon monoxide detector should be taking it to consideration due to the carbon monoxide gases are odorless.

[@Blueknight84]

your smoke alarms went to the beach and got a tan, LOL

[@Blueknight84]

plus i like first alert better

[@PlatoonGarage]

this is hilarious. they definitely got a tan