"Pro-Tip...", Swapping Out Wired Smoke Alarms

In this "Pro-Tip..." segment, the Fire Bureau's Colin Cumesty walks us through some of the "great to know" tips that will make our interconnected smoke alarm replacement swap an easier DiY project.
If you are a Knox County (TN) resident and you need assistance with your smoke alarm swaps or have questions about your smoke alarms. Please follow this link, complete the form and one of our Fire and Life Safety Educators will contact you.
For Smoke Alarm Requests and Installations:
knoxcounty.org/fire/forms/smo...

[@phosphor112]

Smoke detectors should have standardized wire connectors and brackets.

[@srduke]

It's 2023 and I've just discovered that my alarms required replacing in 2005. I didn't realise that they had a "sell by" date. That means they were out of date before we moved in here in 2006. Thankfully they've been replaced and we're all well again.

[@MacKenziePoet]

Excellent presentation!

[@uh-1flyboy632]

I just bought 5 new smoke only detectors from 1st Alert at Lowes. I replaced old units that were hard wired. Rooms A-B-C are in a row. I replaced room A without a problem. I then went into Room C and plugged in another unit and the alarms all started beeping. I put a different unit into Room C and it still did it. I figured out that Room B is still an old unit and replaced that one. Then went and installed Room C again, and now they all work fine. I'm no electrician, but I believe that since the wired units are in series A-B-C.....it sensed that B was still and old unit and not compatible. Once I installed the middle room, they all worked. I almost had to call an electrician and spend some money. Glad I figured it out. I was a NY cop for 28 years and I can't tell you how many homes/apartments I went into had chirping alarms, that had been chirping so long that the occupants didn't even hear the annoyance. Stupid people out there.

[@carolynbakersemail]

Think I should disconnect all three smoke detectors before replacing them? I replaced 1 and all 3 chirped. A=basement, B-first floor, C=second floor. I wonder if the order of installation matters as well.

[@robfeist5012]

Wow how happy I am to have found this video, I was thinking I'd have to rewire my five or call an electrician, googled videos on it and found this video. I saw the part about to adapter for these and wala for less then $15 I had them ready to go. So thanks from Okaloosa county in Florida for the great information from Knox county!

[@rjj8794]

Thank you very much for this video. I have no knowledge about smoke detectors, this was very helpful!!!

[@customframingnyc]

Thank you very much for this video. I bought new smoke detectors and my wiring didn't match. Your video showed me the adaptors and my home depot had them. Keep up the good work.

[@ralphbaran]

If anyone would care for additional escape time from a fire, you may want to install models that comply with ULs updated smoke alarm / detector standards: 217, 8th edition & 268, 7th edition. Otherwise, installing an obsolete technology, like ionization, may cost you your life due to their unreliability & delayed sounding times. There are plenty of lawsuits involving the failure of ionization type smoke alarms & a class action one now in CA. This is more important than sticking with what came with the house. Let's help our fire departments by using more advanced smoke detection technology.

[@hmac163]

You just saved me so much money! The Electrician quoted $320 Cdn. to swap out 4.

[@douglasnakamura6753]

Mine just quoted $2600 AUD to swap out 4 wired and install an additional 3 wired, seems a bit over the top.

[@user-kt4gd6oz2d]

Thank you this was so helpful. I didn’t know about the adapters or being able to buy ones that match the plug you have.

[@kskj23]

Thank you! This was very helpful.

[@wiredawg2005]

Thanks for this vid, mine are way overdue for smoke detector replacements.

[@jimmysandhu5018]

Thank you very much it was very helpful.🙏

[@JohnKorvell]

If I may add, if the device has a batery back up and you need to pull out a tab to activate the battery, do so before you hang the device on the ceiling. This reduces the risk of torquing the mounting screw.

[@eamonnd5501]

I had an electrician replace my old linked detectors with some new Kidde detectors recently. Although assured they were wired up correctly, there's no power getting to the detectors. He suggested a break in the cable somewhere, (possibly caused by mice). Not easy to trace, but I'm still investigating!!

[@rubyrainsong]

I hate hardwired smoke alarms. Both times we had them, in less than 2 years they started chirping in the middle of the night. At least w/ the independent ones, if it fails in the middle of the night, as they do, you only have to deal with that one then the rest during the day.

[@Onlyinbean]

That means you need switch the backup batteries…

[@kennglee]

I have 8 of these in my 2 story house. My electrical box does not have a dedicated breaker for the smoke alarms. I just used the adapter to make the proper connections.

[@cliffordrandell735]

Smoke alarm compatability is a racket :)

[@teerexness]

Supposedly such a critical safety device, but when profits and Chinese manufacturing are involved, it's a sh*t show. I remember when you had to twist the covers off and they never went back on with breaking. These things have sucked for decades.

[@ChromeLuxx]

If you READ the docs you MUST CLEAN THE DETECTORS every 6mos to a year, not just change the battery. You can also have a hold or hush mode which will cause it to go off. You must clear/reset.

[@mikeferretti7422]

So one of ours was chirping and I replaced the battery and it set the entire alarm off with the new battery. I swapped out the smoke detector itself and it again set off the entire alarm. Thoughts? While we wait for a professional to take a look as its now above my pay grade.

[@user-hk7tp6ss8v]

These interconnected smoke alarms are the worst. I've since replaced them all with stand alone. It would take hours by trial and error to figure out which one was tripping all of them to go off.

[@sidandsof12]

Is there a brand where only the one that detects a faulty issue is flashing its light instead of trying to figure out which smoke detector is the faulty one as they are all alarming?

[@Agent77X]

My licensed electrician did this switch in around 3 minutes time without turning anything off!

[@Hezelcarl1]

Please note you can do that with older homes, but new construction require wired with battery back up. Because of the age of my trailer home this smoke detector that came with it was wired but it did not have a battery back up. I replaced it with one that had a battery back up just a few years ago a Replacement was long overdue. I also have standalone smoke alarms. I only had the place for one wired unit.

[@krause2012]

My favorite part is how the detector stopped chirping as soon as you let go of the button. I've never had one stop so quickly after testing it.

[@brentbroussard6896]

I bought this exact brand kidde to swap out in my home. Half worked right out the box, the rest caused all my smoke detectors to go off when I plugged in the new one. Not sure what is going on here but the connector was the same.

[@fishman-tr9im]

Other smoke detector replacement videos stated that if plugging in a new detector causes other detectors to alarm, that it means there is a small electrical charge in the new detector. That small charge in the new detector needs to be drained before connecting it. The other video demonstrated how to drain the small electrical charge, by disconnecting the new detector, of course, from your house. Set on some work surface and remove the battery in the detector. Then, press and *hold* the detector activator button. Their demonstration showed an audible sound occur and then that sound faded as the button continued to be held. When the sound stops, the electrical charge has been eliminated. Reinsert the battery and re-attempt to hardwire connect the detector to your house again.

[@folajifadeyibi9965]

Thanks 🙏

[@johnclyne6350]

Thank you for giving a tutorial on this. My old smoke detectors expire this year. My question is why do you use a step ladder? I never use a ladder in my house. I'm freakishly large. I just lift my arms over my head & unscrew everything & put everything back standing flat footed. Don't smoke detectors have radioactive material in them? I thought they had to be disposed of properly?

[@teerexness]

How about manufacturers using a rechargeable circuit in these A/C connected units, so that you don't have to STILL replace a f*cking battery when they start chirping at 3AM in a 14' tall cathedral ceiling? I'm thinking target practice with an air rifle is probably the better solution.

[@mcgarrett6414]

good to know

[@steveanderson461]

Hi Colin, question, I have a kidde carbon monoxide detector that died exactly at the 10 year mark. It is hard wired with the back up battery encased/sealed, 3 pin just like that one almost, I was told I could just unscrew the lower half, purchase the exact same type, and literally just pop the bottom half three prong into the excisting 3 prong one in the ceiling without touching any woring etc and not even having to touch the power as its just the main half already to pop in the 3 pins then thats it. Is this a safe and applicable way to do it? I am not great at doing this kind of thing and you seem to know your stuff. It seems almost to simple to be? Thanks,

[@ncooty]

It would've been helpful to hear what you'd have done if anything had gone wrong. E.g., what if the test hadn't set off the other devices? Would you have called an electrician (e.g., to test continuity in the signal wire)?

[@laurelspriggs4434]

Can I replace a hardwired alarm that is linked to others with hardwired alarms that work independently from one another? The linked alarms are really not ideal and always seem to be going off. Appreciate direction on this before we purchase new. Thank you

[@trixie1636]

How do we replace hard wired with battery ones? Do I need to cap off the electrical wiring? The detector in our unit is ancient.. the one downstairs didn’t even have batteries in it. We got new ones and discovered the one upstairs is hardwired 😒 but we don’t want to mess with electricity, we want it to just be disconnected and use the battery one. How do we ensure no electricity is running to those wires?

[@kcsunnyone]

my upgraded/current kid has a different slot for the wire adapter so I have to change the whole thing out.

[@jenniferreid7652]

If my wired-in smoke detector starts to "chirp", does that mean the battery needs to be changed? Ours were only installed about 3 years ago.

[@jenniferreid7652]

Lol sorry, I think you just answered my question as I started watching this

[@theweldor757]

I sold fire alarms in the 80s . Like 90% of house fires are electrically started . So the first thing that happens is your breakers kick . Now your alarms are all off . Not good ! The ones i sold were like sprinkler system . Heat tab to activate a spring loaded alarm . No wiring . No batteries . Nothing to go wrong !

[@5cloudwalker]

he replaced it but it chirped again not a good sign plus he pulled out a 9 volt battery that could be easily replaced unlike a lithium battery

[@kmwatso1]

I can Knox County FD is plenty busy putting out fires having Kane for a mayor

[@Zebra_3]

I drop off my used batteries at my local public library.

[@onlyme8870]

I have a wired system that drives me nuts. The original install was 35 years ago with 2 Wire. And 1 detector. Later then the owner added a 2 more detectors and added a 3rd wire red single wire to make them in series. Now 30 years later years tell me about it. He asks me to change them out. No big deal right wrong. 1st none of them have a box 2 don't even have wire nuts. I shit breaker off well someone left a backdoor it was still hot at the original detector. Glad I always check ✔️. Found the culprit and disconnected and isolated and reclaimed continuity for the series. And added my boxes and wires all the harness 3 prong clips. Plugged each detector in and they all chirped after connecting. All in series did their test. Since batteries were installed. Now I turned breaker on. And omg the original location for number 1 that I had to isolate and connect the detector led isn't coming on. I did a quick swap with another in case it was dead. Same issue. So if I have continuity why no led? If anyone has a clue before I start connecting a fish tape and pulling new wire and running conduit so I know my install is clean and charging versus doing a maintenance call within my contract. I am missing something and it's not coming to me. I rechecked the breaker. And wire nuts are tight and the correct wire nuts. I could use a different connector if suggested. Maybe there was a reason they backdoor that wiring. But doesn't make sense. And dangerous imo. If someone sees this and has a thought I am willing to read and test. But yeah it's not on video and maybe I wrote confusingly.

[@desmirage]

What does AC stand for?

[@MrDaveWTF]

Alternating Current

[@ivonnea.462]

Is it legal to change a wired smoke detector for a battery powered smoke detector? Like. Lets say one just wants to get rid of the wires in the ceiling, and just install the battery powered one.

[@KnoxCountyFireBureau]

Legal - Yes, a downgrade in the level of protection overall in your house - Yes also. A battery powered, “stand-alone” smoke alarm needs smoke to activate. So if the fire occurs outside the kitchen and you sleep a story up and on the opposite side of the house, 1. Would you hear the alarm if it activated outside the kitchen? 2. The one closest to your bedroom Will Not activate until smoke reaches it. At this point the fire is potentially so large that you’ve eliminated your ability to safely exit your home in a fire emergency through your front door only because the alarm was delayed due to fire growth and smoke development. In a home with wired devices, in the same scenario, when the one outside the kitchen activates All the smoke alarms in the home activate giving you the earliest, swiftest warning to exit your home. So you can swap out wired for battery powered but in most cases you’ve effectively downgraded your level of protection.

[@ivonnea.462]

@@KnoxCountyFireBureau thank you for your insight!

[@CelestialTrailblazer]

@@KnoxCountyFireBureau Unless you install multiple ultra loud battery-powered devices for all rooms. Checkmate!

[@Splib1]

Here's what you should be telling everyone- a demo of it actually going off for smoke or something then show the steps to turning off the noise w a wall mounted switch at eye level to kill the noise of all of them - also show them why smoke detectors don't work this way now and that they are just as useless as fog lights or labia

[@neilmurphy845]

Why do they need to be changed every 10 years

[@KnoxCountyFireBureau]

Neil, the sensing module of the smoke alarm begins to perform less than reliably after the 10-year mark. The device will activate, but NOT in the timely manner you’d expect to be an effective warning. The device may also require more smoke to reach that activation than it’s independently tested parameters. I could draw a comparison to car tires. They need to be replaced because over time they start to lose the ability to provide the traction we paid for - same with smoke alarms.

[@neilmurphy845]

@@KnoxCountyFireBureau oh yes the rubber gets hard.