How to Stop a Chirping Smoke Detector

A chirping smoke detector is a loud and startling noise that can quickly become an annoyance. Not only is the sound obnoxious, but it can also prevent you from getting a good night's rest. Most importantly, however, you'll want to determine if the unit is malfunctioning in anyway so that you can fix it as soon as possible.

• Take out the batteries and dust the smoke detector. Vacuum the vents and then replace the batteries.


• Try inserting new batteries to see if the problem goes away. If the current batteries are weak the device will chirp as a warning that they are running low. The annoying sound is meant to bring your attention to the problem so that you can change them before they die, which would leave the detector useless.


• Ventilate the house. Some smoke detectors can be set off by cigarette smoke. Others are overly sensitive to smoke coming from the kitchen. Opening windows and turning on fans may help stop the chirping.


• Consider getting a new smoke detector if it's old.