What do the chirps, beeps, and blinking lights mean?
The pattern of beeps and lights your alarm makes tells you what is wrong. Here is the quick key, and what to do about each one.
One quick chirp every minute or two
This is your alarm’s “hey, something is wrong with me” alert. It can indicate either a low battery, end of 10-year lifespan, or an error. If a fresh battery does not stop it, the alarm has reached the end of its life or is defective and needs replacing, not troubleshooting. Here is the full chirping walk-through. Contact us for replacement.
Three loud beeps, repeating
This is the smoke signal. Treat it as a real fire. Get everyone out first, then figure out the cause from a safe spot. If you are positive there is no real smoke, your alarm may be dirty, old, or defective and needs to be replaced. On most alarms, if there is no real smoke, you can briefly press the test button to stop the alarm. Do not hold down the test button.
Four beeps, repeating
This is the carbon monoxide signal, not smoke. CO is invisible and has no smell, so do not wait around to "check." Leave the house and call the fire department from fresh air outside. More in the carbon monoxide guide. If the fire department determines there is no real CO problem, you have a defective CO alarm that needs to be replaced.
A green or red light
A steady green light on a hardwired unit generally means the unit has A/C power, and an occasional red blink is a standby signal. An occasional green blink on a battery-only unit indicates it is functioning normally. . Many brands will show a solid red light if that unit has detected smoke or CO. Learn your alarm’s lights while they are functioning normally. If a light changes color or pattern, check your model's manual, since signals vary slightly by brand
Not sure what your alarm is trying to tell you? We will read every signal, find the cause, and fix it in one visit.
Request a quote or see our pricing.
