Your home’s first line of defense against fires and smoke are its smoke detectors. These devices pick up on smoke in the air and alert you to its presence. The idea is that the alarm will activate and ...

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As the end of your smoke detector’s battery life draws near, a high-pitched 'chirp' will likely serve as a reminder that it’s time to install a fresh set of batteries. But there’s another step ...

Small flashing red lights and chirping sounds every 30 to 60 seconds can mean it’s time to change a smoke alarm’s battery. Some models may have a green flashing light or announce “low battery,” so ...

Q. How often do I need to replace my hard-wired smoke detectors? And who should I hire to do this? Our 15-year-old system has five detectors. A few are chirping, and it doesn’t stop even when we ...