What does it mean when the smoke detector blinks green

- rafaelmedeiros
posted
15 years ago

Hi All,
I have 6 smoke detectors at home, and noticed that 4 of them had a
blinking green light. I thought the problem was battery, so I got some
brand new 9v batteries and replaced them on the 4 blinking ones.
The problem is, even after I replaced them, they keep blinking
(green), and sometimes do a soft beep.
- Does anyone know what a green blinking light means?
- How can I check the manufacturer? It doesn't say anything around it,
maybe I should open and check inside.
These smoke detectors are only 2 years old, they were put by the
builder, so I don't think I should replace them, right?
Thanks in advance,
R. Medeiros

- S
- spamTHISbrp
posted
15 years ago

The green blink is to let you know everything is "ok".
The soft beep (or 'chirp') is to let you know the battery is low.
If these are also wired for 110V power, the ones that you replaced the battery in that are chirping might have the battery making poor contact.
Dave

- R
- RBM
posted
15 years ago

The blinking light will mean different things to different makes and models. Separate the unit from its base, and where the jack attaches to the unit it should have the make and model. Look it up on the net to find out what it means. Generally there will be an audible sound, like a chirp every 45 seconds to let you know that the battery is low

- J
- <josh
posted
15 years ago

Different brands act differently.
On ours, a blinking green and occasional chirp means it was triggered by smoke, the smoke went away, but nobody has yet pushed the reset button on the alarm. (Useful if you come home and see it blinking -- some time while you were gone, there was enough smoke to trigger the smoke detector, even if it's not still going.)

- M
- mm
posted
15 years ago

Are you sure the builder didn't leave the owners manuals around somewhere? I'm the second owner, and I don't think I have the manaual for my smoke alarm, but I do have the manual for the bathroom fan, the range hood, the water heater that was first in, the furnace, the AC, plus all the appliances the first owner bought.
Maybe your manual is somehwere in that stack.

- R
- rafaelmedeiros
posted
15 years ago

Hi all, Thanks for your answers.
I just replaced the batteries today, and about half hour after I did that they stopped making the noise. But as soon as I get home I will make sure to check the contact, to check if thay are making poor contact (as per Dave). I will also follow RBM's advice and check the maker/model and look it up on the net to see what they say. J., I think you are right, because the alarm was triggered 1 month ago, and only after that I have been noticing the blinking. However I don't see any Reset Button, there are 2 buttons: "Hush", and "Push and Hold to Test". Mm, I did check all the manuals from the house appliances, sprinkler timer, AC unit, refrigerator, range, microwave, etc. I keep them in a specific folder, so when I sell the house I can pass that on. But the Smoke Detector wasn't there. :(
Again, thanks to all the answers, I will keep you guys posted.
R. Medeiros

- J
- Jonathan
posted
6 years ago

Just hold the test/reset button for about 5 seconds till you heat a long chirp. It should stop blinking green. The green is just an indicator of which one went off

- E
- Erin C
posted
6 years ago

Thank you soooo much!!!! One of our smoke alarms has been beeping every day for a month and we just couldn't figure it out!!!!

- E
- Elaine
posted
5 years ago

Thank you, Jonathan! We were having the same problem. Changing the battery didn't help, but holding down the test/reset button for 5 seconds fixed the problem. It was LOUD, but it worked! Thanks

- H
- Harsh Mishra
posted
5 years ago

Is there any types of light blinking (like-green,red, etc)arrangements available in any kind of smoke detectors?

- M
- Morgan
posted
5 years ago

After a storm last night, my smoke alarms went off (beeped 3 times with very loud sound) and noticed that 2 of the 6 were blinking green. I just replaced all of them a month ago so I didn't think it was the battery. After holding the test/reset button for 5 seconds, the blinking green light stopped. So I want to thank you for posting your reply. It was very helpful!

- T
- TekkieÃÂ®
posted
5 years ago

Oren posted for all of us...

Give it a test tickle.

- T
- Tiff
posted
4 years ago

You let it go off a month without any research as to why?? That?s insane!! The chirping is loud, annoying and a day is long enough! Wow....

- T
- Tiff
posted
4 years ago

You let it go off a month without any research as to why?? That?s insane!! The chirping is loud, annoying and a day is long enough! Wow....

- T
- Teresa
posted
4 years ago

Hi Tekkie, mine is a fireangel st620. I didn?t install it, it was here when I bought my house. It flashes red normally but occasionally flashes green and chirps occasionally, usually when I?m trying to get to sleep. Shall I replace it as the batteries are built into the unit.

- T
- TekkieÃÂ®
posted
4 years ago

Teresa posted for all of us...

I don't remember seeing your post and not familiar with your unit but I'll give it a whirl. I presume the green light means the batteries are okay. Replace the battery when the time changes so you have a landmark. This detector MAY be connected to others, so be forewarned. You could also call the local firehouse nonemergency number and ask them. They usually have detectors for free and will install it if asked.

- F
- Fred McKenzie
posted
4 years ago

The battery can probably be changed by a technician. The cost of changing it is probably higher than the price of a new smoke detector.
The chirping indicates a problem. In addition to trouble with the smoke detector, it might be warning you that there is a nearby source of smoke.
Reference .
Fred

- P
- pbriggs
posted
4 years ago

Was away from home and one of the alarms briefly came on- said fire fire and then went off. How do we know which one it was? There is a blinking red light and a steady green light on one of the alarms