Fire Alarm Going Off for No Reason? 4 Possible Causes

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Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeep. Is there anything more piercing than the incessant, shrill tone of a smoke or fire alarm? And raise your hand if you’ve ever had them go off for no good reason. (Mine’s up!) You throw open windows and fan the alarm with whatever you have handy, and still that beeping just… won’t… stop. If you’ve had a fire alarm go off when there’s no fire, this article’s for you.

I talked to Kevin Feak, PE, a licensed fire protection engineer and former firefighter, and Susan McKelvey, communications manager at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), to help get to the bottom of one of life’s more annoying problems: a fire alarm that goes off when there’s no fire to be found.

What Does a Fire Alarm Detect?

Despite the colloquial use of “fire alarm,” the alarms in your home detect smoke, not fire. “In most cases, the correct term for what we have in our homes is a smoke alarm,” Feak says. “A smoke alarm is designed to activate an audio or visual alarm upon sensing smoke,” as opposed to transmitting a signal to a main fire alarm system elsewhere like you might find in a commercial building.

Don’t worry—smoke detectors in your home go off if you have an actual flaming fire, too. They are increasingly interconnected, so when one goes off, they all go off. It’s just that the detection mechanism is looking for smoke, not fire.

In addition to smoke from fires, some detectors today are also triggered by carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that can be fatal if inhaled. “Many smoke alarms are now combination detectors,” Feak says. “This means they will sense both smoke and carbon monoxide.”

How Does a Fire Alarm Work?

“Most homes use either an ionizing or photoelectric smoke alarm,” Feak says, and they essentially work the same way, using different detection technology. “Smoke particles enter an internal chamber in the device, and they interrupt either an electrical signal or a beam of light. Once this signal is interrupted, the device will activate.”

“Ionization alarms are more responsive to flaming fires; photoelectric alarms are more responsive to smoldering fires,” McKelvey says. “Both types of alarms are designed to alert people to fire in time to escape a home fire safely.” Because each type works on a different type of fire, McKelvey says the NFPA recommends buying a combination or dual-sensor detector, “which provides both types of detection in one unit.”

Reasons Fire Alarm May Go Off When There’s No Fire

As annoying as they are, don’t ignore a smoke alarm that goes off, even if it seems to be a mistake. There’s usually a reason, and it pays to check it out because the last thing you want is a smoke alarm that doesn’t work. “In fact, the majority of U.S. home fire deaths occur in homes where the alarms either aren’t working properly or there are no alarms,” McKelvey says.

Here are some reasons your alarm may go off without a fire:

Humidity

Smoke detectors are required inside every bedroom and outside every sleeping area. Depending on your home’s layout, they are often placed in a hallway right by a bathroom. Unfortunately, this placement can trigger a false alarm.

“Smoke alarms placed too close to a bathroom door may alarm during a hot shower,” Feak says, who adds that “even using a steamer to remove wrinkles from clothes could cause an unwanted surprise.” To reduce these false alarms, the NFPA advises keeping smoke alarms at least three feet from a bathroom door.

Dust

“Dust is another culprit for activations,” Feak says. Because both ionization and photoelectric smoke detectors use sensors to detect particles in the air, dust and flying debris from home improvement tools like sanders and saws can trigger a false alert. It’s not just while you’re using them, either. Often, the accumulation of dust on the sensors sets them off over time.

Cooking mishaps

“I think most of us have set our smoke alarms off during cooking,” Feak says. Even if that steak sizzling on the stove doesn’t burst into actual flames, the excessive smoke can easily trigger a smoke detector. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep the detector at least ten feet from the stove, according to the NFPA.

McKelvey says new technologies are on the market to help minimize nuisance cooking alarms. If you’re sick of waving around a cookie sheet and frantically opening windows and doors every time you cook, check out some new alarms, especially if you haven’t updated yours in a while.

Bugs and spiders

McKelvey says insects and spiders have been known to set up shop in smoke detectors, and their movement across the sensor can trigger a false alarm, just like dust and humidity. If you notice insect activity around your smoke detector, it’s important to nip that in the bud so your detector will alert you when needed.

What To Do If Fire Alarm Keeps Going Off With No Fire

First and foremost, make sure there’s no fire. Even if you’ve had nuisance alarms in the past, be alert for heat, smoke and carbon monoxide readings before assuming you’re in the clear.

When you’re sure it’s a safe time to investigate and remedy a disruptive smoke detector, here’s what to do:

  • Change the battery. “Most newer alarms have 10-year sealed batteries that can not be replaced,” Feak says, but the NFPA advises changing the batteries on every other kind of smoke alarm once a year. This simple step can reduce nuisance alarms, and it’ll ensure your detector is ready in an emergency. (Even without a false alarm, if your smoke detector starts chirping, it’s time to change the battery or get a new one.)
  • Use compressed air. “Steam from a shower or even condensation on a hot day can be corrected by using a can of compressed air to blow the moisture out of the chamber,” Feak says. Compressed air can also get rid of dust and debris from renovations or tool use.
  • Buy detectors designed to reduce false alarms. “To help prevent nuisance alarms from cooking, a new multi-criteria smoke alarm technology is now on the market that states ‘helps reduce cooking nuisance alarms’ on the packaging,” McKelvey says. “People should consider using new multi-criteria alarms when it is time to replace existing photoelectric or ionization alarms.”
  • Move detector to a better location. Keep smoke detectors three feet from bathroom doors and ten feet from cooking appliances. Never remove a smoke detector completely, though.
  • Keep detectors bug-free. If you suspect bugs, remove the cover and clean out spiderwebs or bug carcasses to discourage other critters from moving in. To dispatch live insects, use a flyswatter, compressed air or other physical means, instead of sprays, which can cause the detector to malfunction.

About the Experts

  • Kevin Feak, PE, is a senior fire protection engineer at LaBella Associates who holds certifications in emergency management, infrastructure protection, fire protection, crime prevention through environmental design, fire investigation, firefighting and codes enforcement.
  • Susan McKelvey is the communications manager at the National Fire Protection Association, a trusted source of fire protection information for more than 125 years. With input from thousands of professional members and 250 technical committees, the NFPA publishes the National Electrical Code and other respected fire protection codes and standards.

Sources:

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