3 Messages
False Alarms Smoke Detectors
From reading these forums, I am clearly not alone in experiencing issues with false alarms with my three SimpliSafe Smoke Detectors. It is obviously a hardware issue and I am wondering if anyone has had success with rectifying it.
For the record, my detectors are not located near environments with particulate matter that triggers alarm (bathrooms, kitchens etc), have been cleaned and have fresh batteries and yet still persist in activating at the most random of times leading to my local FD to become quite frustrated. Love if anyone has had any success in rectifying and if not, what system did you end up switching too?
captain11
Captain
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6K Messages
4 months ago
@prgraham When I first got my SS2 system 12 + years ago, I installed it, with smoke sensors and forgot them...that is, until they went off about a month later. Thanks to my much better half, I read the instruction manual on cleaning and now, faithfully do it every other month since and now with my SS3 system. I have 3 CO sensors and 6 smoke sensors, and one new combo smoke and Co sensor. I have not had one false alarm since I installed my SS3 with smoke and CO sensors in 2017. (I was a beta tester).
Having placed over 30 systems over the years, I hear quicly when there are issues. One of my neighbor's son and wife purchased SS3 on my recommendation and they were the only system I recommended and placed that had a smoke sensor issue, and unfortunately, out of the 3 they had one was replaced twice (original and 2 more) when they called me and I called Simplisafe direct on their behalf. Support said they would take one from inventory, test it for a short time and then send that one out. Finaly success!!
So, keeping score, one system out of 30+ over 7 years. When I read posts like yours I hate it, and wonder when SS will improve training that when a cutomer has a persistent problem like this they can 1. Identify it 2. Escalate it to the proper experts and 3. Put a nail in it and get it quickly resolved. Yeah, I know not as easy as it sounds when you have 4 + million customers.
Suggest you call support, have the agents read your notes and firmly and politely ask for a technical expert call you back at a mutually agreeable time to address this. If you DM me, I will be more than happy to give you a real example how this process resolved an issue for me that took 3 calls and a tech expert to solve. (Spoiler alert: hindsight being 20/20, the resoluton to the issue was pretty simple).
Best of luck and please post your outcome here if you get a chance.
(edited)
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davey_d
Community Admin
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5.7K Messages
4 months ago
Hi @prgraham ,
The Smoke Detector is really super simple, and is essentially a normal smoke detector (the most common type you'd find at your local hardware store, etc), that just happens to connect to the Base Station to request dispatch.
The only thing that can trigger it is if there are particles that are getting into the chamber. As you touched on a little bit, that could be steam or dust, or maybe even tiny bugs. That's why we suggest installing the Smoke Detector away from dusty environments (like garages and basements), as well as where there might be a lot of vapor (kitchens, in front of bathrooms, etc). that's also why we suggest vacuuming around the grill, to keep it clear. And finally, you should also avoid placing the unit in front of vents or high draught areas, where particles might be blown into the detector.
I wonder if you might benefit from our newer 2-in-1 Smoke & CO Detector. On top of being a combo unit, it also takes advantage of smart tech with higher accuracy, so it's much less likely to trigger from particles that aren't smoke.
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