2 Messages
Smoke Detector False Alarms 3 times in 2 weeks
We are really disgusted with Simplisafe at this point. We installed our system about a year ago, and THREE TIMES within two weeks there have been false alarms. The first one was at about 5 or 6 in the morning; a smoke alarm in the house. We were still asleep and I didn't hear my phone ring; by the time SS called my husband's phone, the fire department had already been dispatched. There was NO reason for the alarm to go off--no one was up, it was extremely cool in the house, etc. Then early this morning, around 1 AM, there were TWO false alarms--one from the smoke detector in the garage, where is was very cool, and one motion sensor alarm, even though the system was OFF. Both the police and fire department showed up. As we live in a small town, we now plan to make two donations to the volunteer fire department for their trouble. I'd really like to know why we are being charged by SS every month if their system doesn't perform as advertised.
Official Response
davey_d
Community Admin
•
5.6K Messages
2 years ago
Hi @clearwise,
First we should clarify that the Smoke Detector is not triggered by heat. It's the photoelectric type - it triggers when any particles pass through inside. So yes, it triggers from smoke particles, but also steam/water vapor, and most commonly, dust.
For that reason, we strongly recommend that you do not install Smoke Detectors in environments that are often dusty, like garages, basements, etc.
But if you're getting multiple false alarms in such a short time, it's also a good idea to clean the Smoke Detector. Just unmount it by twisting counter-clockwise and pulling away. Then use a vacuum cleaner around the grill.
One last thing to note - you mention that one of those Smoke Detector alarms was followed by a Motion Sensor trigger. This is expected behavior. When a Fire Alarm is triggered, that also arms the system's sensors. That way, you can track if there are people moving around in the home, and it could be useful for our operators to relay to dispatch if they need to call for help.
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