Imagine you were sleeping, and the carbon monoxide detector started chirping and stopped suddenly in the middle of the night but woke the hell out of you.
This situation can give you a heart attack when the carbon monoxide detector keeps going off but no gas appliance in your home.
When such a situation arises, you must pay close attention to the detector’s response.
It’s essential because if a detector beeps three times, that’s a different situation; if a detector beeps four times, that’s also a different situation. Similarly, there are other signals that the sensor gives, and I have explained these signals below in this article ( Jump to read the signs).
Sometimes carbon monoxide detector goes off, but there is no gas appliance, and that’s when the sensor detects Smoke from coal, charcoal, wood, cooking Smoke in the kitchen, or steam from the shower.
Similarly, the carbon monoxide detector can go off when there is no smoke, and it’s called a false alarm that can happen due to a low or dead battery, sudden change in temperature, fault in the circuit breaker, dust or dirt, or outdated detector.
Nothing to worry about as we will help you troubleshoot when the carbon monoxide detector keeps going when there are no gas appliances in your home.
Before we dig deeper…
It is advised to take immediate action to figure out why it’s going off and try to understand the beeping to see if it’s a false alarm or something serious is happening.
Reasons for Carbon Monoxide Detector going off but no gas appliances
The first step in troubleshooting is checking the battery of the detector.
Low Battery
The CO detector discontinues performing when it’s in the decline stage and when the battery levels are low. Some homeowners prefer connecting the detectors directly with the grid to ensure they do not have to replace the batteries each month because this is something that most of us will forget.
If your detector runs on the battery, you will hear three beeps with red lights not blinking, indicating that you need to replace the batteries. If the detectors chip every 30 to 60 seconds, the entire sensor is faulty, and you should mind replacing it ASAP.
Life Span of a Detector
A CO detector is built to last up to 7 years, but I have seen that many people are using the same detector for as long as ten years, which is not recommended for anyone with a family. Thinking that the detector is working fine makes you vulnerable to hazardous gas because the sensor will wear out after a long time. Regardless of the battery levels, the CO detector may not be able to detect rising levels of CO.
Damaged or out-of-service detector
Most of the time, the detector has worn out, expired, or broken, and in this condition, it can start beeping erratically, and those abnormal beeps are not because of the CO levels but due to the damaged sensor or parts of it. Therefore, you should consider replacing it once the time of life is passed for optimum protection.
Fire in the house
Another situation that can cause the detector to go off is the actual fire incident in the house. Therefore, the recommended option for homeowners is to integrate all the sensors and be connected to the grid for constant provision of electricity. If by accident, there are rising levels of CO in one place, all the connected detectors will go off telling you that something is wrong, and you have to figure that out. Then, you can try to identify the source or, without wasting time, empty the premises and get every living body out of the home until the emergency responders do not arrive.
Sometimes, there can be sudden changes in the room temperature, like when you use the air conditioner and suddenly the hot wind blows in, or if you have a compact home with poor ventilation, then the kitchen heat, appliance temperature, and thermostat temperature can cause the unnesssecary beeping. Therefore, the CO detector should be installed wisely, away from regular CO emission plates.
Improper installation or maintenance
Improper installation of the Carbon Monoxide Detector can be one of the reasons for the trigger, and to avoid that, always hire professionals to install the detector with proper calibration.
False Alarm Caused by Dust
You get more frustrated when you discover that you are being paranoid by the false alarm. False alarm can also be a significant stress factor because it creates unimaginable worry and unnecessary panic due to frequent beeps. Therefore, you should clean it frequently and ensure that it is not installed in areas with a lot of dust or humidity because these are the biggest triggers of the detector.
Error codes from previous instances got triggered.
Moving on, the strange reason for the detector to trigger can be the log records of previous triggers because the sensor maintains logs which sometimes cause problems. Similarly, when you are changing the batteries, you should the detector will get off and blink three times before stopping, thanks to the previous instances, but to resolve this problem, press the sensor 5-10 times. It will contain the erratic beeping for sure.
The battery was not inserted properly:
Another reason a detector can release high-pitched annoying beeps is when the battery is not inserted correctly and keeps beeping for an extended period. You may have to remove the battery by pulling the tabs, and the smoke detector won’t get any power. Still, it will issue the warning that you should insert new batteries. You can remove the pull tab and close the door properly to ensure that the battery is fitted correctly; this way, you can prevent unnecessary chirping of the detector.
What to do when the CO detector beeps
When you hear the beeping sound, immediately unplug the appliances in your home that can produce the CO before the CO reaches unsafe levels.
After that, open all the windows inside your home and get everyone out, including your pet. Doo does not forget to call the emergency responders, like 911 or nearby hospitals, and tell them that the alarm went off.
Until any emergency responder hasn’t arrived, do not enter back into the house unless you are sure that the CO levels have gone down or there isn’t anything that is producing the CO because this poisonous gas can immediately affect your brain and body parts and can make it difficult to escape as well if you got late. Therefore, to prevent such misfortunate events, you should do regular home maintenance checkups of your ventilation systems, generators, chimneys, furnaces, central heating devices, and anything else that can be the reason for CO.
Also, it’s a good habit to keep testing your detectors frequently and occasionally.
CO is a tasteless and colorless gas, so it takes time for the gas to dissipate, and with open windows, the concentration of the CO gas may no longer be harmful to you.
How to Detect a Gas Leak
When your carbon monoxide detector goes off, there are 50% chances of Smoke and a 50% chance of a false alarm, so you have to hurry up when such a situation comes.
First, try smelling the gas or hear the hissing or whistling sound because that can lead to a potential gas leak from a pipe or appliance. Similarly, try to sense a flame or spark in your home or other rooms because sometimes one detector in any other part of the home can trigger the interconnected detectors, so you can try to find the one that initiated this event.
That particular detector will have a fixed red light while others will be blinking in the mornings, so when you find a suitable sensor, try to find what caused it.
If you see no gas leak or appliance in the room, then figure out the reason for the false alarm from the abovementioned reasons.
Sometimes, your opened windows can attract Smoke from outside or your neighbor’s home, and you can try to close the doors or windows after making sure if that’s why the detector is going off.
Testing the CO Detector
A recommendation for you is to keep testing the detector periodically either with a smoke detector tester or you can try to push the sensor yourself.
To do that, you have to use carbon monoxide, like burning charcoal and put it near the smoke detector to see if it beeps or chirps.
If the detector starts beeping, that means it’s working perfectly. If the sensor doesn’t beep, that’s an alarming situation because carbon monoxide is a harmful gas, and the outdated detector can risk your and your family’s lives. Therefore, you should immediately replace the sensor to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide exposure.
What is Carbon Monoxide Gas?
Carbon Monoxide is a deadly gas that is the by-product of incomplete combustion, and being exposed to the CO means less oxygen going into your lungs and blood cells, causing a large number of problems like headache, dizziness, fatigue or weakness, nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness, light-headedness, blurred vision, sleepiness, loss of muscle control, increased heart rate, tightening in the chest, confusion, and disorientation.
CO is a severe threat to any living thing that requires oxygen to be alive, and humans are one of them.
The downside is that this is a colorless and odorless gas, so we cannot detect it on our own. Therefore, a CO detector comes into play.
There can be several reasons for exposure to CO, like burning oil, fossil fuels, propane, and gas. Not only that, this invisible gas emits when fuel burns in your car, truck, stove, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges, furnaces, coal, or any other source, even the appliances in your home like an oven, stove, air conditioner, freezer, all of these devices we use daily emit CO. If not taken care, the increased levels can cause death.
Not having a CO detector in your home puts your family at a greater risk. A CO detector helps you know when there are rising levels of CO and allows you to take actions like evacuating the home, ensuring ventilation, or calling emergency responders.
You should know that Carbon Monoxide must be avoided to prevent poisoning and ensure that your home has proper ventilation, like open windows, so they escape.
By the way, you should call a home inspector annually to inspect any appliance malfunction, chimney blockages, furnace cracks, or any other possibility of exposure to the CO.
Understand Beepings of A Detectors
There are different types of beeping signals that a smoke detector gives, and when nothing is wrong with the sensor, it will stay silent, but in case of beeps, you have to take action.
When the detector beeps two times, it has stopped working due to low battery; dust is stuck that you can clean with a vacuum cleaner or a blower. So, the detector will beep two times when there are faulty wirings, short circuits, or other reasons for the false alarms.
When the detector beeps every 3 to 4 minutes, that’s a low battery signal or the indication of a dead battery. The battery charge level is affected due to high temperature or insufficient supply. So, calling a professional is ideal for saving yourself from a significant hazard.
When the detector beeps three times after 3-4 minutes, the alarm malfunctions and requires troubleshooting.
If a break follows three beeps, the detector has detected the Smoke and is ringing the alarm due to Smoke. There can also be rising levels of carbon monoxide, which is a severe matter for homeowners.
If the alarm beeps five times every minute, that indicates an outdated or expired detector, and your warning needs replacement.
Robert Smith is a technology lover and loves to write about laptops, monitors, printers, tablets, Apple products and anything that's related to computers and games. He is passionate enough that he maintains this blog regarding tech updates on a daily basis.
Robert Smith is a technology lover and loves to write about laptops, monitors, printers, tablets, Apple products and anything that's related to computers and games. He is passionate enough that he maintains this blog regarding tech updates on a daily basis.
