Best Smoke Alarms
False alarming and google after sales service feels like a third world 2 bit operation – I have purchased these as replacements for my old smoke detectors and I have had d 2 separate false alarming issues, one stopped after a full reset… Read more
but the second did not stop, the support process from google almost seems deliberately difficult. for a company the size off google it is not acceptable, many failed attempts before I was able to even organise the replacement and the process to send it back is shocking. After searching the items, it seems they have readability issues and google appear to make it very difficult to sort out a resolution
I bought Quell 9V Ionization smoke alarm in 2016 and installed in the bedroom. During the last 10 year, I experienced almost no false alarm. When I… Read more
checked its function at the end of its lifetime of 10 year using CRC smoke detector Tester, it worked perfectly with sound alarm.
These are absolute rubbish. Constantly go off for no reason. Buy something else. These won't detect fire because they're in a box turned off and heading for the rubbish bin. Total crap. Show details
This alarm (which you will probably need to buy from an electrical supplier) costs about twice the ones from the big green box. If you are getting… Read more
false alarms, try this one. It feels much more solid than the cheaper Asian imports. It fits the same (3.5 inch centre) mounting holes. It has much better circuitry. The phone app to check everything about the alarm is very effective. My only criticism is that it says “that operational life is 10 years from installation, but it is really 10 years from manufacture. The guarantee is 5 years.
[b] Why Do Photoelectric Smoke Alarms Fail So Much? (& How to Fix It) [/b]
Take the common case of a cheap 240v photoelectric smoke alarm with a 10-year lithium back-up battery and a 10-year guarantee. In my area (coastal NNSW) these often fail after about a year, due to multiple false alarms. Read the reviews - every cheap imported brand has the same problem. Of course, if the device is detecting smoke or steam from your cooking or anything else, it is not a false alarm! If there is smoke, the alarm must sound to save lives.
One probable contributor to false alarms is that these devices are mounted to the ceiling, with holes for 240v wiring and mounting, through which falls the dust and small critters in the roof space. Quality units come with a mask that blocks this ingress. But there are plenty of side-slots, and a light that attracts insects through those slots. Insects will fly through, even if you wipe the device with a repellant. Spiders chase the insects. Sure, there is a grid around the sensor, but it has to be open enough to allow plenty of air exchange - otherwise it cannot detect smoke.
The base of the mounted alarm is solid - anything that falls inside stays inside. Hmmm, maybe they would work longer if mounted to a wall; but that is not the ideal location for smoke detection.
After some time; all that dust, fluff, spider web, and insect bits build up inside the alarm. Then a slight breeze is enough to stir some up, or a little spider goes exploring. In some combination with other residues, high humidity and control ripples in the power supply, this is enough to set off the alarm (usually at 1-3 am).
The instructions say to clean the alarm out frequently with compressed air or vacuum. Who has compressed air at home? A vacuum will suck out some of the junk, but not all.
So what can you do? It is no use complaining. This is not entirely a manufacturing fault. Nobody has worked out how reliably to detect smoke in a home without false alarms at that low price. The regulations do not mention false alarms. Humidity control and power filtering are expensive, and you can not be sure in advance which one(s) will help. It will be much cheaper to buy a higher-quality smoke alarm with more sophisticated circuitry. A battery-only smoke detector is cheaper and may suffer fewer false alarms, if that is legal where you live. Otherwise you can try:
1. Buy a new device whenever the problem arises. It will cost about $50 for a cheap import from Asia (less without lithium backup battery) - not bad insurance. Consider paying more (around $100) for a higher-quality device with more sophisticated circuitry that may last longer. You will probably need to ask at an electrical store. Or
2. Take the alarm back where you bought it for replacement. You will need to have the receipt; and you will need to do this every year or so. (Forget this on fleabay, guarantees are worthless there. But big hardware stores don’t seem to know or care that this problem is an inevitable feature of the cheap products. It is certainly a major failure within 10 years.) Or
3. Take the device somewhere that has a compressed air jet, and try to clean it out without damaging the sensor. Consider whether to partly disassemble the alarm for cleaning. Disassembly is not too hard after you work it out, but be careful not to break the plastic tabs. Then use a small brush and vacuum whenever you get false alarms. Manufacturers could make the devices more easily cleaned, but they probably don’t want ‘dumb’ users fiddling about inside. Regulators might not like it either. Also, it may not help. And disassembly will void any guarantee. It is safe with photoelectric alarms, once they are removed from the electricity. Never try it with ionization/radiation alarms. Always test an alarm after cleaning.
After tiring of #2; I tried #3 but it did not help. So I have returned the fault-prone device (Quell 2300LL made-in-China) for refund, and installed a more sophisticated device. Red brand (made-in-Australia) alarms are well regarded and specify high humidity resistance (to 95% RH), but do not advertise built-in ripple resistance or dust compensation. I bought Brooks EIB3106 (made-in-Ireland), though the guarantee is only 5 years. It works great for now - time will tell whether it lasts without false alarms.
- See all
5 alarms keep going off randomly normally middle of night. Manufactured Nov 21. Issurs started in 2023. I have reset, disconnected and repaired… Read more
everything possible but they continue to go off. Have gone off the last 2 nights again.Do not buy this product
The instructions for how to connect the alarms to the app (which you have to use as a remote controller) are extremely unclear. I have spent hours… Read more
trying to connect them to the app and have had no success. I was unable to return the devices from where I bought them (Bunnings) as I had already installed them in my ceiling. I am very sorry I bought this brand and did not buy a different brand which comes with a remote. I would definitely not recommend FirePro smoke detectors.
Bought 2 these 2 months ago (been sitting on the sideboard for past month) got fed up them going off in the middle of the night for no reason. Now… Read more
the real weird part is while on the sideboard without the backplate they still chirp, tossed the in the rubbish bin this morning and one started talking again. Never going to buy Quell again going back to Brooke’s. Purchased Mitre 10. Video taken after retrieving it from the rubbish bin
- See all
Only worked for about 18 months instead of the 10 years advertised. Started going off for no reason now and again. Then went off whilst I was out of… Read more
the house, neighbours had to let them self in to turn it off. But then it kept going off by itself every few minutes. Unable to find any way to contact the manufacturer. Disappointing.
False alarms – Had 2 of these alarms now - both cause false alarms in the middle of the night. Show details
Rubbish – I bought and had installed 8 of these in my house, I am disabled , so while the amount might seem a bit of an overkill, I want time to get myself and… Read more
my kids out of the house if a fire breaks out any where within….. so why am I at 2 am, standing on a ladder with a busted knee and hip, trying to disable this stupid thing on my 14 foot ceiling?????????? This is the third one that has had a hissy fit in 2 years!!!!!!!!! So not fit for the job, thanks for nothing!
Out of the box and faulty – Pressed the test button before installing and most of the time the alarm didn't go off. Obviously can't trust the unit and will be returning for a different one. Also, small screw to fix the battery was missing. Show details
Lasted 1 month not ten years – Paid an electrician to install it less than one month later battery is dead. Why reputable places like Bunnings stock this I have no idea where's the quality control. Ten year life is a joke. Don't buy this.
Delta Phtotoelectric Smoke Alarm not working – Waste of time. Do not buy. Product doesn't have a link to the instruction manual and doesn't work Tried this alarm already 3-4 time before throw… Read more
away. Each time did not find it useful. Just now decieded to test. The battery installed as in instruction duracel 9v. Long press the battery it makes noise. Seems all good. Bring to bedroom, attach to the ceiling. in the hallway behind the corner I have old alarm. In the hallway I closed door into all room. The only far away doors into the kitchen and living room were opened, but that's far away. So I take heat gun and wooden stick and start siting in the bedroom heating that stick with heat gun. After 5 minutes in the hallway alarm started making noise but that one in the bedroom did nothing. I'm not sure if that thing works at all.
Awful product, poorly thought out, just like the smoke alarm standard. One falsing smoke alarm sets off the whole house and can't be reset or turned… Read more
off quickly. Falsing units will need to be taken down, snip the speaker wires and pop the RF unit out to stop the others going off.
This product and set of standrds single handedly defeats the purpose of smoke detection. When the alarm goes off, instead of evacuating, you set out to find the falsing unit. Alarm duress and hard-wiring introduces an injury and electrical risk to those attempting to remedy the problem.
For the love of God don't hard wire them! Smoke alarm standards do not require 240v supply, just interconnection. You will need to replace the unit in 10 years anyway due to expiration of the UNREMOVEABLE battery as it is the secondary power source required by the standard.
This smoke alarm claims a 10-year life (with a lithium battery) but for me it lasts less than a year before repeated false alarms (usually in the… Read more
middle of the night). I have tried 3 units; always the same. If you have the same problem, try a more sophisticated unit. See the review of the Brooks EIB3016.