A Clipsal smoke alarm that chirps every so often is usually telling you about its backup battery or its age. A full, loud alarm is different: treat that as a possible fire until you've checked.
If the chirping won't stop or the alarm is due for replacement, ring 0421 772 661. Hardwired alarms are replaced by a licensed electrician.
If the alarm is sounding loudly, check for smoke or fire first. If there's any sign of fire, get everyone out, close doors behind you, and call 000 from outside. Don't stay to work out which alarm went off.
Clipsal hardwired smoke alarms are connected to mains power. Never twist a hardwired alarm off its base, disconnect it, or remove it to stop the noise. That leaves the home unprotected and exposes live terminals.
A short chirp every so often is a warning, usually low battery or end of life. A continuous loud alarm means the alarm has detected something, or there's a fault. Check for smoke first.
Most hardwired alarms have an indicator showing mains power. If it's not on, check the switchboard for a tripped circuit. What each light means is explained in the manual for your model.
Some Clipsal models use a replaceable backup battery; others have a sealed long-life battery that isn't meant to be changed. The manual or the label on the alarm tells you which. Only replace a battery if your model is designed for it, following the manual.
Smoke alarms have a manufacture or replace-by date on them. Alarms are generally replaced after about ten years. If yours is around that age, the chirp may be an end-of-life warning.
If cooking smoke or steam set it off, press the test or hush button as described in the manual and ventilate the room. Don't cover the alarm.
Backup battery low. The most common cause of chirping. On models with a replaceable battery, a new battery of the type specified in the manual fixes it. On sealed models, a low battery means the alarm has reached the end of its life.
End of life. Smoke sensors degrade with age and dust. Older alarms may chirp to warn you they're due for replacement. A hardwired replacement must be fitted by a licensed electrician.
Power interruption. After a power cut or a tripped circuit, an alarm may chirp as it switches to battery backup. If mains power doesn't come back on, there's an electrical fault to find.
Dust, insects or steam. These can trigger false alarms, especially in alarms near bathrooms or kitchens. Repeated false alarms may mean the alarm is in a poor spot or is failing.
Call us if a hardwired alarm keeps chirping after a battery change on a replaceable-battery model, if it has a sealed battery and has started chirping, if it's past its replace-by date, if the power light is off, or if alarms keep going off with no cause.
We replace and test hardwired alarms, check the circuit and interconnection, and make sure the setup suits NSW requirements. Our general smoke alarm beeping guide and NSW smoke alarm rules have more detail, and our Clipsal smoke alarm installation page covers replacements.
Battery warnings often show up at night because temperatures drop, which affects battery voltage. It's still a warning to act on.
Not if it's hardwired. Removing it exposes mains wiring and leaves you unprotected. Call an electrician instead.
Only if your model has a replaceable battery. Follow the manual. Sealed-battery alarms are replaced as a whole unit.
Generally every ten years, or sooner if they're faulty. Check the date on the alarm.
Where alarms are interconnected, replacements must be compatible with the others. We check this when we replace them. See interconnected smoke alarms.
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