Kidde smoke alarms going off for no reason can be an annoying experience. For this reason, you must have it fixed as soon as possible.
To fix a Kidde alarm that goes off for no reason, you will first need to identify whether the unit is hardwired or not. Depending on whether your device uses cables or not, you can try changing the batteries, hard resetting the device, ensuring that the unit is clean, and doing a factory reset.
Let’s find out more about the possible reasons why your Kidde smoke alarm beeps even when there isn’t a fire.
Why does Kidde’s 10-Year Smoke Alarm Keep Going Off For No Reason?
Remember that if you smoke, the smoke produced by the smoking device may occasionally trigger the alarm.
Ensure that the space where your smoke alarm is located is always ventilated and that no smoke from smoking reaches the alarm’s hardware.
But if you don’t smoke and the Kidde alarm keeps beeping for no reason, here are some possible explanations:
Uncharged Battery
First and foremost, it is wise to check that your smoke alarm has a sufficient charge, and if it is hardwired, make sure the AC is safely connected to the power source.
Error Clearing
The warning might sound a few times after the battery has been fully charged to clear any processor errors accumulated up to this point.
Open Battery Drawer
Users claim that until the battery drawer is properly closed, your smoke alarm will continue to beep if it is left open.
An area of the Terminal that is Obstructed
An incorrectly placed battery will cause the alarm to sound immediately, signaling a serious charging problem.
Changes in Temperature
Last but not least, the alarm may also sound if there are any significant temperature changes or if smoke from smoke-producing devices in your home reaches the detector.
Now that we’ve addressed most of your inquiries let’s talk about how to effectively troubleshoot the problem without wasting too much of your time.
How To Fix a Kidde Smoke Alarm Going Off For No Reason?
Please remember that if your Kidde alarm is older than ten years, its life may have expired.
This will actively set off false alarms, and the beeping will continue even if the conditions are met.
Here’s how to stop your Kidde smoke alarm from going off for no reason:
Solution 1: Reinsert the Battery
Reinstalling the battery is what you are advised to do first.
Remember that your alarm might sound a few times to clear up processing faults after reinstalling the power supply unit.
After 30 minutes of reinstalling, the battery was most likely installed improperly if the problem still exists.
Here’s how to reinsert the smoke alarm battery in your Kidde:
- Flip the circuit breaker for the room that contains your Kidde alarm.
- Remove the smoke alarm from its socket.
- Open the alarm’s battery compartment by unscrewing the two screws.
- The battery should be removed and then reinserted after five seconds.
- After finishing, connect the batteries with the screws and wait for the debug alarms to sound.
Solution 2: Discharge the Alarm
Discharging the alarm directly is a quick way to address all false alarm-related problems.
The instructions below must be followed depending on whether your Kidde alarm is battery-operated or powered by an AC power connection.
Battery Operated Alarm Discharge
Please follow these instructions to discharge a Kidde smoke alarm that runs on batteries:
- Toggle the room’s circuit breaker.
- Remove the batteries from the smoke alarms‘ battery compartment.
- Hold down the test and shush buttons on your smoke alarm for 15 seconds.
- Put the batteries back in.
You might consider changing the Kidde alarm’s internal batteries if that didn’t work.
AC Power Cord-Operated Alarm Discharge
Here’s how to discharge a Kidde alarm with an AC power cord:
- Remove the power cord from the alarm.
- Wait for 15 to 20 seconds before reconnecting the AC power cord
- Reconnect the power cord.
Additionally, it is recommended that you reconnect the power cord of your smoke alarm to a different socket.
Your alarm may continually go on and off if there is a problem with the current socket, which will cause false alarms.
Solution 3: Maintain Constant Room Temperature
Customers claim that their Kidde alarms continuously beep when there are significant changes in the room’s temperature.
For instance, the alarm will sound if you turn on your air conditioning during the summer at a temperature significantly lower than the ambient temperature in the room.
It is advised to leave your AC set at a constant temperature to find out if an unsuitable room temperature brings on these false alarms.
Solution 4: Try Out the Hush Feature
The hush feature will actively ventilate the air of the situation that is setting off the alarm.
In other words, the hush feature will stop your alarm from going off if you’re smoking or cooking next to the smoke alarm.
How To Turn On the Hush Feature
First, the hush feature only operates for around 7 minutes before shutting off. After that, any mist or smoke may set off your Kidde alarm.
Push the Hush button on your Kidde smoke alarm‘s hardware to switch on the hush feature.
The hush feature will silence the Kidde alarm for the next 7 minutes after activating it.
Remember that when the 7 minutes are over, you will need to press the button again to maintain the silence effect.
Solution 5: Factory Reset
Keep in mind that Kidde smoke alarms that are directly powered by an AC connection and a battery and those powered by battery-only units have different factory reset procedures.
How To Reset A Kidde Alarm That Is Battery And AC Operated
Below is the procedure on how to reset a Kidde alarm that is battery and AC operated:
- Take down the smoke alarm.
- For devices older than ten years, the battery must be removed; to do this, you must also unscrew several small internal screws.
- Disconnect the AC power cord.
- Your smoke alarm‘s test button should be pressed and held for five seconds.
- Put the battery back in.
How To Reset A Kidde Alarm That Is Battery Operated Only?
Check out these procedures to reset a Kidde alarm that uses batteries only:
- Take down the smoke alarm
- Remove the battery.
- For 15 seconds, press and hold the test button.
- Reinstall the batteries
- Once the battery is in place, the chirp will begin to sound. Don’t forget to wait for the sound before turning the top panel on.
Final Take
We hope this article has helped you know what causes your Kidde 10-year smoke alarm to go off. To fix the alarm, the troubleshooting tips discussed above will be helpful.
