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No Trip Switch for Smoke Alarm

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  • 21-05-2016 12:58am
    #1
    SamShadow
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭


    Guys, I'm living in a first floor apartment accessed by a private stairway from a ground floor entrance. The smoke alarm in this ground floor entrance hall is chirping regularly, presumably because the backup battery is low, so I want to do a change-out of it. I've pressed down every single switch on the fuse box, including the main trip switch (which seems to knock off everything else) but the smoke alarm is still on because there is still a green light on it. All the other smoke alarms go off (green light goes out) when the main trip is pushed down. Anyone have any idea what might be going on?


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    #2
    aido79
    Registered Users Posts: 5,374 ✭✭✭aido79


    SamShadow wrote: »
    Guys, I'm living in a first floor apartment accessed by a private stairway from a ground floor entrance. The smoke alarm in this ground floor entrance hall is chirping regularly, presumably because the backup battery is low, so I want to do a change-out of it. I've pressed down every single switch on the fuse box, including the main trip switch (which seems to knock off everything else) but the smoke alarm is still on because there is still a green light on it. All the other smoke alarms go off (green light goes out) when the main trip is pushed down. Anyone have any idea what might be going on?

    You don't need to knock it off just to change the battery. Just open it up and replace the battery. The smoke alarms are normally on the lighting circuit so should be on one of these circuit breakers.


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    #3
    SamShadow
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭SamShadow


    Thanks but is it safe to have it still connected to the mains when changing the battery? The manual says to disconnect from the mains when doing so. Some of my smoke alarms seem to be on the lighting circuit but not all. Even when every trip is knocked off as I said this smoke alarm is still connected.


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    #4
    aido79
    Registered Users Posts: 5,374 ✭✭✭aido79


    SamShadow wrote: »
    Thanks but is it safe to have it still connected to the mains when changing the battery? The manual says to disconnect from the mains when doing so. Some of my smoke alarms seem to be on the lighting circuit but not all. Even when every trip is knocked off as I said this smoke alarm is still connected.

    The terminals shouldn't be exposed when you open it so I would consider it to be safe. If you don't feel safe doing it then just turn the main switch off unless you can another way to isolate it. Is there another board it could possibly be fed from?


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    #5
    SamShadow
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭SamShadow


    The terminals do seem to be exposed when the lower half of the alarm is slid off (...youtu.be/7AQvjqhnHTE), so I would be cautious about doing this without disconnecting it. The main switch seems to knock everything off except this smoke alarm which is odd. I could check for another board but I can't recall seeing one in any other room.


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    #6
    aido79
    Registered Users Posts: 5,374 ✭✭✭aido79


    SamShadow wrote: »
    The terminals do seem to be exposed when the lower half of the alarm is slid off (...youtu.be/7AQvjqhnHTE), so I would be cautious about doing this without disconnecting it. The main switch seems to knock everything off except this smoke alarm which is odd. I could check for another board but I can't recall seeing one in any other room.

    If the smoke alarm stays on when the main switch is turned off then it is fed from a different board.
    Google images of the type of smoke alarm you have and you will probably see that the terminals are not actually exposed. I think you would have to be very unlucky to receive an electric shock while doing this but if you really don't feel safe doing it then you need to find the power source for the smoke alarm and switch it off. Personally I wouldn't even consider turning it off even if the board was right beside the smoke alarm though.


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    #7
    2011
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,595 Mod ✭✭✭✭2011


    SamShadow wrote: »
    Guys, I'm living in a first floor apartment accessed by a private stairway from a ground floor entrance. The smoke alarm in this ground floor entrance hall is chirping regularly, presumably because the backup battery is low, so I want to do a change-out of it.

    Most likely it is fed from a "landlord" supply, not your board. You haven't been able to turn it off, because it is not fed from your board. Landlord distribution boards typically supply lights external to the building, common stairways, common landings etc..


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