What Could Cause My Fire Alarm to Go Off at Random Times like in The Middle of The Night?
As you lay in bed, fast asleep, an abrupt sound awoke you; the sound was so ear-piercing that a fire alarm could not have been any louder at 3 in the morning. Finally, you were still rather groggy, disoriented and confused, you got out of bed to try and find out what was happening. And so, going through your house with a flashlight turning on every switch and opening every door in the house to check for fire or smoke and to reset the alarm you wondered what could have triggered it in the first place.
It is frustrating and confusing to have to deal with this scenario, but there are some logical reasons behind having those weird alarms at the wrong time. During my research, I was able to identify the following as some of the top causes of random fire alarm triggers.
Faulty Sensor
The simple and most probable reason as to why your fire alarm went off without any cause is because one of the sensors is giving a false alarm. Almost all home fire alarm systems are equipped with multiple forms of sensors installed in them to alert them of conditions that may signify fire. This includes:
Smoke sensors – Identify the presence of smoke within a given environment.
Heat sensors – These are used in they detecting of temperature rise which is rapid.
Flame rods and gas detectors – CO is a colourless deadly gas that causes death by suffocation.
Flame sensors - Measures the light / radiation from the flames.
These sensor over the time may prove to have some sort of malfunction depending on the normal wear and tear or by the infliction of dust, debris or even insects. A damaged sensor can prove to be increasingly sensitive and set off the alarm even when there is no actual fire risk involved. If your system is installed for more than a decade or even more, then it is high time to blame the outdated sensors for the annoying middle of the night alerts.
Low Batteries
A rather common mistake that individuals make is not to remember about the need for replacing batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms or doing it too seldom. But as battery is low it may start chirping at times or even sound the full alarm depending on the battery level. The alarms, therefore, have been designed to sound when the battery power gets low enough to give you a hint that the batteries need to be replaced.
Low batteries are most likely one of the causes that people are startled awake by fire alarms in the middle of the night without any actual fire. To prevent a disruption of smoke detectors, it is necessary to change batteries in all your detectors at least once in one year.
Dust Buildup
Other root causes of the middle-of-the-night false fire alarm comprises dust and debris contamination, which affects the proper functioning of the sensors. With much dust or dirt near the sensors, they will become oversensitive as the dust or dirt inhibits the flow of light to the sensors.
It is important also to clean around the smoke detectors by vacuuming in order to remove dust that accumulates and cause interference every few months. Also, one should consider endeavoring to softly vacuum over the covers of the detectors themselves in a way that would remove the dust that might have penetrated within and affect the sensors.
Insects or Pests
In some cases, it could be a false alarm where your alarm is alerting you that there is smoke or fire within your home because of tiny intruders that you do not like. Small insects such as spiders, ants, and cockroaches among others that may gain entry into the detectors can either walk on top of the sensors or block their surface thus causing the alarm to go off.
Make sure you check your smoke alarms regularly if you reside in an area that is vulnerable to certain pests, you may find insects on them. You should also be careful if you shift houses, given that the previous occupants might have had challenges with household bugs that may persist after you get to occupy the house. If needed, calling an exterminator can also help you avoid recurring situations where the fire alarm is going off due to pests in your home.
Humidity and Temperature Changes
Humidity changes or an unpredictable increase in temperature may also trigger smoke alarm from time to time for no apparent reason. In the absence of a protective coating, the increased rate of humidity in the short term can cause the sensor to become temporarily damp and therefore give a skewed result. Relative temperature increases near the detector or in the area that a real fire would produce can also be obtained.
This means that there is not much that one can do to regulate rapid natural variations of humidity and temperature in the house. However, having this potential in mind knowing this might have been the reason for the late night alarm wake up call at least offers some sort of consolation behind it.
Cooking Smoke or Steam
You probably are already aware that the result of immersing food or cooking with lots of smoke causes the fire alarms to go off. However, even steam from boiling water or taking a shower can cause the smoke detectors to activate under certain circumstance.
If you have a smoke alarm that is in particular located in your kitchen and it goes off whenever you are cooking this should be dealt with by either moving it further away from the stove or by buying a smoke alarm that has a button that can be pressed to temporarily switch it off when cooking. Ensure that smoke alarms in the bathrooms are not fitted right near the shower head where there is likely to be constant steam from showering.
Power Surges
Sometimes when there is a storm or some other calamity that has triggered surges of electricity in your area then the high voltage is likely to trigger the switch on of some equipment such as smoke alarm. Such features can also cause an increase in the load on the integrated sensors and electronics that can lead to a false start.
Well, if you had strong storms, high winds or some type of electrical event right around the time your alarm randomly went off, surges which interrupted the system could well be the culprit. Although it is rare, it is recommended to check all of your smoke detectors after a prolonged power outage in case.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
But, you do need to check that of a real dangerous threat of the carbon monoxide gas in your home is causing the alert, though not probably as much as other causes. If you use a smoke and CO combination alarm, then the middle of the night alarm could be an indication of high levels of CO which is invisible and can not be smelled or tasted.
Carbon monoxide is an invisible and odorless gas that may cause a lethal outcome in case of excessive concentrations. Since CO is colorless and odorless, the only visible proof that it is present might be the alarm that triggers to signal you to leave your home and dial 911. So yes, you should still respond just as you do any other fire alarm activation; it may be CO or something else that is.
A Recap of Mystery Alarms
Waking up from your sound sleep to the loud ringing of the fire alarm with no actual fire around must leave you tired, dazed and quite annoyed I suppose. However, occasional middle of the night alarms may appear to be caused by no reason at all, they should not be completely dismissed.
Nine out of ten times it will only be some problem with its sensors or a dirty one, dead battery or something equally innocuous which will set off what can be described as a false alarm. But you have zero ways to tell there is no real emergency and you did not verify this in full with the situation around.
Conclusion
Therefore, do not be tempted to silence the alarm and return to bed as a way of extending your sleep. Always follow fire alarm response as the norm by going around to check for the presence of smoke, fire or carbon monoxide, even when it may not be the case. In case you decide to blame it on equipment malfunction or oversensitivity, then ensure you set an appointment with a fire safety expert to have the equipment serviced to reduce chances of such an incident in the middle of the night. Being on a more alert, when it comes to the periodic checks and services of the fire alarm, this will go a long way into ensuring that such annoying, unwarranted midnight alarms are not the new normal.
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