10 year old smoke detectors to be replaced? - Home

Boy, once I heard detector is old, replace it now. Smoke detectors only last 7 to max 10 years.the radiation element part detector wears out. Not worth it trying to fix old technology. New ones aren't that expensive compared to your life.

if 10 yrs old thats usually the life span and should be replaced --three things cause the detector to go off if actual smoke/fire condition --low battery ---or internal component failure [ ionizer ]

It's recommended to replace all smoke detectors every 10 years. Home Depot sell ones that come with 10 Year life span batteries with a guarantee. You might have to change the electrical connector with the new ones. Firex is the most popular brand around here. It's not recommended to use different brands in the same house so please stick with same kind. You can also tell by the electrical connector too. If the new one looks like the old one then there ya go, you'll know if you have same brand. You could also take the old electrical connector to Home Depot and match it up to a new one.

Everything I can find indicates that this unit has been discontinued, but there are a variety of recommended replacements. If your devices are more than 10 years old you need to replace all of them by code (NFPA72); hope this helps.

I could not find a recommended replacement for this device, but what i did find is that it appears to be well beyond 10 years old. NFPA72, the national fire code, specifies that all smoke alarms (as opposed to smoke detectors) must be replaced every 10 years. If you do not have the skills to do the job, you could look for a handyman, or better still, a licensed electrician to do it for you.

If it does not have a battery backup there is a good chance it is over 20 years old and needs to be replaced.

Two things I would suggest: 1. make certain the battery you are using is good; consider using 9V lithium instead of alkaline as they will likely last much longer and perform better 2. ensure you are following all of the instructions for battery replacement correctly; many smoke alarms and detectors have labels on the back with replacement instructions that specify leaving the old battery out for a minimum length of time, anywhere from about 10 to 60 sec; failure to follow this will often result in erroneous low battery indications. Of course, if the unit is over 10 years old, it must be replaced per NFPA72, the national fire code.

Nope. Not unless the technology is being worked on right now.

When you say you opened it, what do you mean? The unit should come off the trim ring and expose the bottom which I believe is where the battery is located. Just so you know, if the unit is more than 10 years old the entire unit must be replaced per NFPA 72.

Normally this means the smoke detector's battery or batteries are getting weak and need to be replaced. Since your detector incorporates carbon monoxide detection it could also mean the sensor that measures CO is going bad. Most units with CO detection have a life expectancy of 8-10 years. If your unit is that old I would suggest replacing it. Hope this helps.