How sensitive is your smoke detector?

[gprime]

I moved into this apartment in September, and ever since.. the smoke detector has been driving me mad. It goes off ALL the time.. sometimes for no reason at all. Example of the slightest things that set it off: Steam from a hot shower, my toaster, the stove, my george forman type grill, when the heaters turn on, when air freshener is sprayed.. etc. It goes off at LEAST once a day (not exagerating). In the cold mornings when my heaters kick on, it's probably the most annoying. Getting up every 15 minutes from 5am pushing the "hush" button.

I've told my super about this, and she said something along the lines of "Good, so it works then." Uhh.. Okay? In my lease I signed something that says I will never remove the smoke detector or it's battery (has to always be on). It's really tempting .. but I don't feel like getting kicked out. And it sounds like I'm not even allowed to replace the damn thing.

My super makes it sound like it is functioning exactly as it's supposed to be.
Is it? How sensitive is *your* smoke detector?

[Rehan]

So maybe you should have a different kind of smoke alarm installed there. It sounds like you have an ionization smoke alarm, but you'd be better off with a photoelectric or ionization+photoelectric kind.

Read the "Dealing with Nuisance Alarms" section at http://www.dhfd.org/sa.htm

Edit: That website is for a fire department...there's a funny picture on their home page: http://www.dhfd.org/images/HGrpPict.JPG

[Squiggles]

Just take a sledgehammer to it and then get the landlord to replace it.

[deep]

A nice thick coat of spraypaint will quiet it down.

[Squiggles]

Or just wear earplugs whenever you are home.

[midnightskulker]

I moved into an apartment with a sensitive alarm as well. Anytime I cook stuff in the oven, or even on the stove, the alarm goes off. On top of that, my stove/oven is gas. My alarm doesn't go off everyday but it usually does when I cook. I tend to temporarily take it down or cover it with a towel. That reminds me, do they allow gas appliances in apartment buildings?

[gprime]

lol... thanks for the suggestions

Thanks Rehan for that link. So it sounds like mine isn't faulty, but just too sensitive. Maybe I'll just eBay one of the good ones, and do a swap.

EDIT: Wait.. eBay? Ok, maybe I shouldn't cheap out on something like this..

[FastFokker]

Our apartment has a super sensitive alarm as well... it's always going off, even with normal cooking, not burning.

Makes me crazy, I'm always taking it down and pulling the battery.. I wish I didn't have to.

[gprime]

In my lease it says they can do fire alarm inspections anytime they like. I would LOVE to rip the battery out mine, but I don't feel like having to move

[FastFokker]

In my lease it says they can do fire alarm inspections anytime they like. I would LOVE to rip the battery out mine, but I don't feel like having to move

It's true, with the fire marshall.. your landlord can't just walk in your apartment though, unless they have the fire marshall.

That said, if the fire marshall sees your alarm is disabled, you can be fined.

[Rehan]

gprime, here's another important part of that link above:

However, if the smoke alarm did fine in its location but is now reacting to steam or humidity, the problem can be age-related due to increased sensitivity. Older smoke alarms that become more sensitive are more likely to respond to steam and humidity than new units. The nuisance alarms may be a sign that the unit is over 10 years old and needs to be replaced.

[gprime]

gprime, here's another important part of that link above:

However, if the smoke alarm did fine in its location but is now reacting to steam or humidity, the problem can be age-related due to increased sensitivity. Older smoke alarms that become more sensitive are more likely to respond to steam and humidity than new units. The nuisance alarms may be a sign that the unit is over 10 years old and needs to be replaced.

I totally missed that. Thank you. I looked at the expiry on the back of it.. it says 2001. So it's not that old, but I guess there is no set life span for these things.

I'm going to complain once more.. and explain to her that, yes, it is old and faulty.

[itchy]

well you can go the ghetto route and wrap a plastic bag around it, I do that when I have a large party and I am cooking for a lot of people.

it seems to work.

[royal]

u could always cover it up with folded tissue or sumtin and tape it. I did that in my building casue mine was just as annoying, it still rang like sumtimes wen cooking sumtin wit a lot of smoke it still use to go off, but lil things stopped.