When hardwired smoke alarms are interconnected, one alarm detecting smoke sets them all off. That's by design: it means you hear a fire in another part of the house. The task is to work out which alarm started it and why.
If there's no fire and the alarms keep going off, call 0421 772 661. We test and replace hardwired alarms across the Inner West.
Always treat a full set of alarms as a possible fire until you've checked. If there's smoke, flame or a burning smell, get everyone out, close doors behind you and call 000 from outside.
Don't pull alarms off their bases, disconnect them, or turn off the smoke alarm circuit permanently to stop the noise. Hardwired alarms are on mains power, and disabling them leaves your household unprotected.
Walk through the house quickly and safely. Check the kitchen, bedrooms, laundry and anywhere with appliances running.
Many interconnected alarms show which unit triggered the alarm, often with a different light behaviour. What your model shows is explained in its manual; don't assume.
Open windows, turn on exhaust fans and clear steam, cooking smoke or dust near the alarm that triggered. Use the hush button on that alarm as described in the manual.
If the alarms started after a power cut or a storm, check for a tripped circuit. Alarms can sound briefly as power returns.
Do they go off at night, after showers, during renovation work, or at random? That helps us find the cause.
Real smoke or steam. Cooking, toast, a hot shower, a heater or a candle near an alarm will set it off, and interconnection makes the whole house hear it.
Dust, insects and renovations. Dust from sanding or building work, or small insects inside the sensor chamber, can cause false alarms. Renovation dust is a frequent culprit.
An alarm at the end of its life. Ageing sensors become more prone to false alarms. Because they're interconnected, one bad alarm can set them all off. Replacing that alarm, or the whole set if they're the same age, fixes it.
Electrical or interconnection faults. Mixed brands or incompatible models on one interconnect, a wiring fault, or power fluctuations can cause random alarms. That needs a licensed electrician to test and sort out.
Call us if the alarms keep going off with no smoke, steam or dust, if the alarms are around ten years old or older, if alarms of different brands are linked, or if false alarms started after a power cut or storm.
We find the triggering alarm, test the circuit and interconnection, and replace faulty or end-of-life alarms with compatible units. Read how interconnected smoke alarms work, our smoke alarm beeping guide, and NSW smoke alarm rules.
They're interconnected, so one alarm detecting smoke triggers them all. That's the intended behaviour.
Not as a fix. It leaves you unprotected, and the alarms may keep chirping on backup. Have the fault found and repaired.
Interconnected alarms must be compatible with each other. In practice that usually means the same brand and range. We check when replacing.
Often an ageing alarm, dust, insects, or a change in temperature and humidity. Note the time and the room.
Alarms can sound briefly as power returns. If they keep sounding afterwards, have them tested.
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