How to turn the smoke alarm off

How to temporarily silence your alarms:

DO NOT USE THIS FEATURE IF A FIRE IS PRESENT. ONLY USE THIS FEATURE AFTER YOU HAVE CONFIRMED THERE IS NO DANGER.

The Hush® feature of most alarms provides the capability to temporarily lower the sensitivity of the smoke sensor for up to 10 minutes. This feature should be used only when a known alarm condition, such as smoke or heat from cooking, activates the alarm.

• For hardwired or wireless alarms, only hushing the initiating unit will silence all other interconnected alarms (see below on how to find the initiating unit).

• The smoke alarm is desensitized by pushing the “Test/Hush” button on the smoke alarm cover. If the smoke is not too dense, the alarm will silence immediately. If the smoke or debris is interfering with the sensor, the alarm will override the Hush.

• The smoke alarm will automatically reset after approximately 8 minutes unless particles of combustion are still present.

• The “Hush” feature can be used repeatedly until the air has been cleared of the condition causing the alarm.

• Pushing the Test/Hush button on the alarm will end the hush period.

How to clean and reset your alarms:

If you have hardwired alarms, the first step is finding the initiating unit, as that is the key to stopping all of the interconnected units from sounding:

• To find the initiating unit, look for one that is flashing RED or GREEN at least once every second while in alarm mode, then follow the reset procedure on that unit. 

• If the alarm stopped on its own before you could find that flashing light, the initiating unit will flash for 1.5 seconds every 10 seconds.

• If there are no obvious signs of a fire, the alarm should be cleaned before being reinstalled. False alarms are most commonly caused by something interfering with the sensor.

• To clean, after disconnecting the alarm and removing any removable battery: hold the unit by its edge and thoroughly blow through the gap on the side of the unit with compressed air (like keyboard cleaner).

See examples below:

The arrows are showing the areas to clean using compressed air on an ionization alarm. Shown here is an i12060.

The arrows are showing the areas to clean using compressed air on a photoelectric alarm. Shown here is a P3010.

Resetting a hardwired unit with a removable battery backup

To reset a hardwired unit with a battery backup, perform the following steps:

• Remove the smoke alarm from the mounting bracket and disconnect the power.

• Remove the battery (for a sealed-battery model, see Battery Settings for a 10-Year Alarm to learn more).

• Press and hold the test button for five seconds.

• Reconnect the power and reinstall the battery. NOTE: The unit will chirp once when the power is restored, but should not chirp afterwards.

Resetting a removable battery-only unit

To reset a battery only unit, perform the following steps:

• Remove the battery (for a sealed-battery model, consult your user guide).

• Press and hold the test button

• Reinstall the battery. NOTE: The unit will chirp when the battery is first connected, but should not chirp afterwards.

If the problem persists, please call Product Support at 1-800-880-6788 (Hours are M-F from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST).

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There are a couple of reasons why your fire safety devices might be beeping away at you (often, your device will integrate both a smoke detector and a fire alarm in one).

Let’s take a look at them here:

No. 1: your smoke detector is just doing its job and has picked up on smoke in your home

Your detector might have picked up on a real fire that’s started, or it could just be a false alarm because someone’s burned a bit of toast in the kitchen.

False alarms can be frustrating, but it’s hugely important for residents’ safety – and, of course, a legal requirement – that you keep your smoke detectors and fire alarms fully operational.

Remember, smoke detectors are often designed to pick up on other fumes within the home.

These could be toxic (such as carbon monoxide leaking from a faulty boiler or gas appliance) or non-toxic (like steam from the bathroom).

No. 2: your smoke detector is faulty or incorrectly installed

If your smoke detector/fire alarm continues beeping for no reason, it could just be faulty.

Before coming to that conclusion, make sure you’ve tried to fix the device by following the advice below.

Fixing the issue

• Check the batteries – if they’re running low, the beeping might be your smoke detector or fire alarm letting you know that you need to change the batteries

• Read the manual that came with the smoke detector or fire alarm to see if there are any obvious installation or function issues

• Reset the smoke detector/fire alarm with that old favourite: turning it off and on again

• Clean the smoke detector or fire alarm, as a build-up of dirt might be affecting its normal function

• If your smoke detector/fire alarm turns out to be faulty, buy a new one as soon as possible

As a UK landlord, you’re legally responsible for installing smoke detectors in your property, according to specific regulations outlined in British Standard 5839-6:2019.

You’re also responsible for checking that the property’s smoke detectors are fully functional at the start of each new tenancy agreement.

After that point, the tenants are responsible for regularly checking the function of the installed smoke detectors and fire alarms (UK government guidelines suggest checking once a month).

Where’s best to install smoke detectors/fire alarms in the home?

Smoke detectors and/or fire alarms should ideally be installed on the ceilings of hallways and landings in the home (all areas that would be used in the event of a fire evacuation).

But, you might choose to optimise fire safety levels in the home by installing detectors/alarms in all living spaces, such as bedrooms and lounges.

Bear in mind that you should keep your home’s detector/alarm equipment fairly easily accessible, to be able to check the batteries regularly.

If you’re also looking to install carbon monoxide detectors, these should be placed at head height and approximately 1 to 3 metres away from the potential source of a carbon monoxide leak.

Manually pressing the “silence” button on the smoke detector/fire alarm
Most smoke detector and fire alarm models will include a “silence” function.

Press this, and the beeping will stop.

If the smoke detector/fire alarm continues to pick up on smoke after a short period has elapsed, the beeping noise will start again to ensure your safety.

Remotely controlling your smart fire safety device

Smart fire safety devices can be remotely controlled from your compatible smart devices.

Connect your smart smoke detectors and fire alarms up to your home’s WiFi network and you’ll be able to control them via an app – easy!

To browse the full range of smart fire safety and home security options, check out the Netatmo online shop.

Removing the batteries from your smoke detector/fire alarm

If your smoke detector or fire alarm is continually beeping because it’s faulty, then you may need to remove the batteries to stop the noise.

Remember, if you remove the batteries from your smoke detector/fire alarm, it’s vitally important that you replace them as soon as you can, or purchase new devices if your original ones were faulty.

Airing the smoke out of the house

If your smoke detector’s triggered your fire alarm because of a small cooking mishap, it’ll stop beeping a little while after the smoke clears.

So, open doors and windows to air out the home.

Make sure you install your smoke detectors far enough away from the bathroom and kitchen, so that they’re not falsely triggered by steam.

For effective fire safety alerts in the kitchen, install a heat detector instead.

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