‎False Fire Alarm | SimpliSafe Support Home
 
Anskeens's profile

Sunday, July 3rd, 2022 3:17 AM

False Fire Alarm

The other day we accidentally set off the fire alarm while cooking. Ever since, my base station keeps alarming that there is a fire. I’ve tried resetting it, updating it, and changing out the batteries but it still alarms and I get multiple calls a day from the dispatchers. Any idea on how to fix this?

Official Solution

Community Admin

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3.4K Messages

9 months ago

@ehastings​ If your Smoke Detector recently reacted to a real alarm and there was smoke, some debris may still be in the sensor that could be causing these false alarms. I would recommend unmounting the Smoke Detector and vacuuming around the grill to clear out any dust and debris.

But we would also recommend not having a Smoke Detector too close to your cooking area to prevent false alarms like this in the future! Even our newer Smoke & CO Detector, which can distinguish between real smoke and cooking, should be installed a bit further away. We recommend placing it in a hallway just outside of the kitchen, so it can catch smoke from a real fire that is spreading into other rooms.

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This comment was created from this reply

2 Messages

Related question. Our fire alarm has gone off 2 in 3 days for absolutely no reason. We change the batteries every year and changed them again after the first false alarm. The system has been operating fine for 4 years straight. 

Any ideas? 

Norm 

Community Admin

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3.4K Messages

Hi there @naamodt​, 

It could be that there's a buildup of dust/debris in your Smoke Detector's sensing chamber, causing these false alarms.

Our Smoke Detectors use photoelectric sensors, which means that they detect smoke through the distortion of a light beam. Sometimes if there is buildup of debris in its sensing chamber, that can cause the device to trigger a false alarm.

To prevent false alarms, we recommend cleaning the Smoke Detector's sensing chamber one a month. For more details, check out the Preventing False Alarms From the Smoke Detector article in our Help Center.

2 Messages

Thanks. We'll give it a go. 
Norm 

Accepted Solution

Captain

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6.2K Messages

2 years ago

@Anskeens First, remove the offending smoke sensor from your system. Next, call SS, troubleshoot and then get replacement smoke sensor at no charge under warranty if that's what it takes. They are open today, give SS a call.

2 Messages

@captain11​ thank you!!

Captain

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6.2K Messages

@Anskeens If you get a chance please post your outcome here after your call. Thanks and have a great 4th of July.

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1 Message

1 year ago

I have the same issue

Community Admin

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3.4K Messages

@ehastings​ If your Smoke Detector recently reacted to a real alarm and there was smoke, some debris may still be in the sensor that could be causing these false alarms.

I would recommend unmounting the Smoke Detector and vacuuming around the grill to clear out any dust and debris.

But we would also recommend not having a Smoke Detector too close to your cooking are to prevent false alarms like this in the future! Even our newer Smoke & CO Detector, which can distinguish between real smoke and cooking, should be installed a bit further away. We recommend placing it in a hallway just outside of the kitchen, so it can catch smoke from a real fire that is spreading into other rooms.

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This reply has been converted into a comment

1 Message

8 months ago

I've had enough...Last night was the last straw.

I will no longer use a Simplisafe Smoke detector.

We've either gone through 3 or 4 units that have failed. I kept the batteries changed and the unit clean and STILL GOT WOKE UP IN THEDEAD OF NIGHT FOR NO REASON!

The rest of my system works well, Simplisafe needs to do a redesign of the smoke detector.

Captain

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6.2K Messages

@zooplbr​ We have six Simplisafe smoke sensors and all have worked fine for years. I do clean them every other month with a can of compressed air, doesn't take long either. I did note you posted you keep the batteries "changed". Do you mean you replace them? If so, how often? What kind of batteries do you use?

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

@zooplbr​ I'm really sorry to hear about your frustration.

Our Smoke Detectors work by detecting particles in the air. So it is possible for them to trigger not just for smoke, but also water vapor (e.g. steam from a shower) or dust in your home. If the unit is installed somewhere particularly dusty like a garage, or somewhere that dust could be blown into it like in front of an air vent, it might help to move the unit to another location.

You might also benefit from our newer 2-in-1 combo Smoke & CO Detector. We upgraded it with smarter tech that is much better at distinguishing actual smoke.

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