Smoke and CO Detectors
Keep Your Home and Family Safe
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors are essential safety devices every home should have. These detectors can make a difference in saving lives and preventing property damage from fires or CO poisoning. However, these devices can malfunction if not properly maintained or installed. Therefore, it is crucial to know how to maintain and/or install them correctly.
It can be challenging to maintain smoke and carbon monoxide detectors correctly, especially if you lack experience or knowledge. In some cases, it is best to contact a professional for proper installation or maintenance. Our technicians can perform routine maintenance checks and ensure your detectors are working correctly.
Things to Consider with Smoke and CO Detectors
- Test Your Detectors Monthly: Testing your detectors is essential to ensure they are working correctly. Test your detectors by pressing the "test" button on the device. If the detector beeps, it is working correctly. If not, replace it immediately. It is also advisable to replace the batteries during the test as a routine to ensure they have enough power.
- Clean the Detectors: Dust accumulation on the detectors can lead to malfunctions of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. It is essential to clean the detectors regularly with a vacuum cleaner. Ensure you use the soft brush attachment to avoid damaging the device. Avoid using water or other liquid cleaners, which can damage the detector.
- Replace the Detectors Every Ten Years: Smoke and CO detectors have a lifespan of ten years only. After this time, the detector's sensors can become less sensitive or less responsive to detecting these dangerous gases. Make sure to replace your detectors after ten years, even if they appear to be working correctly.
- Proper Location: Proper location placement is also essential for a detector's correct functioning. It is best to install a smoke detector ceiling-mounted bedrooms, hallways, living room, and kitchen. Install carbon monoxide detectors near your furnace, hot water heater, gas stove, and attached garage. Remember, it is essential to place them high on the ceiling, away from doors leading to hallways or staircases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are hardwired smoke and CO detectors required by code in Minnesota?
Yes. The Minnesota State Building Code and National Electrical Code require interconnected, hardwired smoke detectors with battery backup in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of newly constructed or substantially remodeled homes. Carbon monoxide detectors are required within 10 feet of every sleeping room in any home with a fuel-burning appliance or attached garage.
How often should smoke and carbon monoxide detectors be replaced?
Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years and CO detectors every 5–7 years (check the date stamped on the back). Sensors degrade over time and lose sensitivity even if the unit still chirps and tests okay. If you don't know how old your detectors are, replace them — it's the cheapest life-safety upgrade you'll ever make.
Why is my smoke detector chirping when the battery is new?
Persistent chirping after a battery swap usually means the detector itself has reached end-of-life, dust has contaminated the sensor, or the unit lost its hardwired power connection and is running on backup. We can diagnose and replace the unit during a single same-day visit — usually in under an hour.
Can you interconnect older detectors that aren't wired together?
In most cases, yes. We can either run new low-voltage interconnect wiring during a remodel or install modern wireless-interconnected units (like First Alert OneLink or Kidde Wireless) that talk to each other over RF — when one alarms, they all alarm. This is one of the highest-impact safety upgrades for older Twin Cities homes.
Serving the Twin Cities Metro
Norske Electric serves homeowners throughout the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area, including Apple Valley, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Burnsville, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Excelsior, Golden Valley, Lakeville, Maple Grove, Medina, Minnetonka, Orono, Plymouth, and Savage. Our licensed, bonded, and insured electricians dispatch from our offices in Hamel and Savage and respond quickly to projects of every size. Call (952) 443-4113 for a free estimate or to schedule service.