Smoke Alarm Maintenance

Are your smoke alarms "chirping"?  If so, they are trying to tell you that their back-up battery needs to be replaced!

Slide open the Battery Door to remove and replace the 9 volt battery (the thin plastic was removed at initial installation)

[Please note that co-owners are responsible for the maintenance and replacement of the smoke alarms that were supplied with their unit.  The following information is provided as a courtesy to the co-owners of the Manors at Central Park Condominium Association.]

Most of the units at the Manors came equipped with FIREX Model FADC smoke alarms.  They run on 110 volt alternating current (house current) and and use a 9 volt "transistor" battery for back-up in case there is a power failure.

The FIREX Model FADC features two Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that shine through a single clear light guide that is located next to the test button in the center of the device. The green and red LEDs provide the important following information about the status of your smoke alarms and any actions you must take to stay protected:

• Constant GREEN on - AC power is present (the smoke alarm is operating normally).
• GREEN is off - AC power is NOT present (you must take action to restore primary power to the smoke alarm)
• RED blinks once every 40 seconds - Standby/Periodic low battery testing for presence of good battery (the smoke alarm is operating normally).
• RED blinks twice every 40 seconds with an audible chirp - Low battery. Replace the 9 volt battery as soon as possible (you must take action to restore back-up power to the smoke alarm).

The FIREX smoke alarms in your unit are all interconnected so that when one smoke alarm senses smoke and sounds its alarm, all others will sound as well.  It is a good idea to test your smoke alarms on a regular basis by pressing the test button that is located in the center of the device.  You can also press the test button to quiet a false alarm and put the device into "Hush Mode" for 15 minutes (during which the RED LED will blink once every 10 seconds).  Just before returning to normal operation, the smoke alarm will emit two short beeps. This signals the end of False Alarm Control. The initiating alarm RED LED in an interconnected system will continue to blink until reset by pressing the test button.

Please click here to read and download the entire FIREX Model FADC instruction manual.