On our last trip, the smoke detector started to randomly chirp (may be once every 5-10 minutes). It started in the middle of the night (of course), which the dogs really enjoyed. I took it down and pulled the battery and obviously it stopped. In the morning I checked the 9 volt battery with the old tongue test and it seemed to have plenty of life in the battery. The trailer was just manufactured in mid January, so I know it's not that old. After putting the battery back in and putting it back up in the ceiling there was no beeping for about 12 hours or so and then it started up again. I know I should try a new battery, but haven't had a chance yet. It just didn't seem like the battery was the cause of the issue, but it certainly had those symptoms. Outside of that, could this just be a malfunctioning smoke detector? I would think if it's malfunctioning it would just do nothing, but may be its some kind of safety feature....I have no idea.Thoughts?

The chirp is designed to tell you the battery is low. Not dead. So the tongue test would still get a positive result...

It had a good pop to it, so I figured it was still good. Looks like I'll be buying my first 9v battery in about a decade.

I'm not sure how accurate a tongue is. :) Replace the battery. A couple of bucks and not a wasted investment.What I want to know is how do the manufacturers makes sure that the batteries always die at 2:00am??? And not between 9:00 and 5:00pm?

Buy new battery - if that doesn't fix it - replace the smoke detector their not expensive.

Smoke Detector Issue | Good Sam Community

C-Bears
Explorer
May 22, 2015
RavensFan24 wrote:
rockhillmanor wrote:
RavensFan24 wrote:
It had a good pop to it, so I figured it was still good. Looks like I'll be buying my first 9v battery in about a decade.

10 year old battery? That should have been your first clue!!!:B

The fire department's recommend everyone replace them every year!
"The International Fire Chiefs Association....changing your smoke alarm batteries every November when you set your clocks back for DST."

I said in the original post that the RV and everything in it were manufactured in January or near there, so the battery and the smoke detector aren't that old. I said that I hadn't had a need to buy a 9v battery in about a decade, since nothing really calls for 9v batteries anymore. I Certainly would never expect a battery to last 10 years. The smoke detectors in my house are hardwired and don't have batteries, so unless I'm buying a piece of electronics from the 80s, there is never a need for a 9v.

Thanks for the thoughts.

I have a 2014 fiver. One of the first things I did was replace the cheap factory 9 volt smoke alarm batteries with good ones. I also added another smoke detector in my basement storage.

You should get your ladder out at home and inspect those "hard wired" smoke detectors. I think you will find that they do have batteries.
Dave_H_M
Explorer II
May 22, 2015
:h My stick home detectors are hard wired but have a battery back up.

I may have learned something here about age. The detector in the fifth wheel bed room needs new batts way too often.
RavensFan24
Explorer
May 22, 2015
rockhillmanor wrote:
RavensFan24 wrote:
It had a good pop to it, so I figured it was still good. Looks like I'll be buying my first 9v battery in about a decade.

10 year old battery? That should have been your first clue!!!:B

The fire department's recommend everyone replace them every year!
"The International Fire Chiefs Association....changing your smoke alarm batteries every November when you set your clocks back for DST."

I said in the original post that the RV and everything in it were manufactured in January or near there, so the battery and the smoke detector aren't that old. I said that I hadn't had a need to buy a 9v battery in about a decade, since nothing really calls for 9v batteries anymore. I Certainly would never expect a battery to last 10 years. The smoke detectors in my house are hardwired and don't have batteries, so unless I'm buying a piece of electronics from the 80s, there is never a need for a 9v.

Thanks for the thoughts.
Mich_F
Explorer
May 22, 2015
It seems like a number of people didn't read the original post or have comprehension issues. :B
Just because the trailer is new, doesn't mean that the smoke detector or battery is new. It does sounds like symptoms of a failing battery. How many volts did it read on the tongue test ? :D
nineoaks2004
Explorer
May 22, 2015
samhain7 wrote:
The chirp is designed to tell you the battery is low. Not dead. So the tongue test would still get a positive result...

X 2
fla-gypsy
Explorer
May 22, 2015
Replace the battery as it is most likely the cause. Check the expiration date on the detector.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
May 22, 2015
Many detectors have a shelf life for the sensor. My old Kidde Nighthawk would beep after about 9 years old indicating it needed to be replaced, per the manual. I new battery will not fix this issue.
rockhillmanor
Explorer
May 21, 2015
RavensFan24 wrote:
It had a good pop to it, so I figured it was still good. Looks like I'll be buying my first 9v battery in about a decade.

10 year old battery? That should have been your first clue!!!:B

The fire department's recommend everyone replace them every year!
"The International Fire Chiefs Association....changing your smoke alarm batteries every November when you set your clocks back for DST."
Sourdough_Biscu
Explorer
May 21, 2015
ksg5000 wrote:
Buy new battery - if that doesn't fix it - replace the smoke detector their not expensive.

x2 on BOTH :)
ksg5000
Explorer
May 21, 2015
Buy new battery - if that doesn't fix it - replace the smoke detector their not expensive.

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