How to Change Smoke Alarm Batteries

Your smoke alarm is only as useful as the batteries you put it in it. They need to be changed at least twice a year. Here's how to do it...

Looking at your smoke alarm as it sits on the wall, you'll notice that one side has a hinge on it while the other has a little latch. Tuck your fingers behind the latch, and pull it towards you, so that the hinge swings open. You don't need to take it off the wall. Just swing the little door open on its own hinge.

Looking inside your smoke alarm, you'll see that there is a nine volt battery held into a pair of plastic clips, and sitting smugly up against the machinery in the center of the alarm. Using your finger or some other nonmetal object, put pressure on the short edge of the battery that's towards the center of the alarm, and push it towards the outer rim of the case. It will snap loose from the connectors in the center of the alarm, but still be held by the plastic clip. At this point, your alarm is no longer receiving power.

Gently reach for that nine volt battery, give it a little twist, so that it slides out of the plastic clip. Discard that battery, and get out the new battery that you'll be installing. Give it a little wiggle, so that it slides between the two plastic clips. Make sure that the positive and negative terminals are lined up in the proper direction.

Using your finger or some other nonmetal object, put pressure on the bottom of the nine volt battery, and push it in towards the center of the alarm, until it connects and snaps into the contact connectors. You may hear a beep or a series of beeps as you do that. That's okay.

Swing the smoke alarm closed on its hinge, and push against the latch edge until you hear it click. That tells you it is properly closed. If it doesn't swing closed easily, or if it feels like something is blocking it from closing, the battery may not be installed properly. Most smoke alarms have a safety mechanism that keeps you from closing the cover if the battery is not properly installed. Once your battery is in correctly, it should slide closed easily.

Always remember when replacing your smoke alarm batteries to use brand new batteries. Never recycle batteries from another appliance or toy.

After you've closed the cover, hold down the test button (or for photosensitive alarms, shine a flashlight into the test sensor). You should hear the alarm begin to sound within just a few seconds. If it does not alarm within a few seconds, remove that battery and try another one. If it still does not sound when you push the test button or light up the test sensor, then it is not working properly, and it will not alert you in the event of a fire.

If no amount of changing the batteries seems to make it work properly, it's possible that your smoke alarm itself has become defective. Most commercial smoke alarms are meant to be replaced about every three years. If your smoke detectors are older than that it, or it fails to sound when you tested after you changed the batteries, it may be simply time to replace it.

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