SMOKE ALARM FAQs

General Questions, Troubleshooting Help & Instructions

 

Read more about the smoke alarm legislation specific to your state by clicking the link below.

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What to do in the event of an alarm

The chirping or beeping sound is a usually a low-battery warning.

False alarms are most commonly caused by something interfering with the sensor. Proper maintenance of your smoke alarms will also reduce the likelihood of any false alarms.

To ensure efficient and effective protection for your home, it’s important that the battery is checked regularly and smoke alarm is kept clean from contaminants.

How to remove a smoke alarm from the mounting base

IMPORTANT:
If the tamper resistant feature has been activated on the unit, it must be disengaged before removing the alarm.

Smoke Alarms should only ever be removed for the purpose of cleaning, replacing the battery or to find its manufacture date.

Most smoke alarms come with an optional tamper resistant feature, such as a tamper screw or a locking tab mechanism, in order to protect against unwanted removal of the alarm.

QUICK SLIDE
Lifesaver 5800, 5800/2, 5800RL, 5800RL/2 & HomeGuard HG3000

Remove the tamper screw using a phillips-head screwdriver, then carefully slide the smoke alarm in the direction of SLIDE arrow until it separates from base plate.

TWIST OFF
Lifesaver 10YPEW

To remove the 10YPEW smoke alarm from its mounting bracket, rotate the alarm in the direction of the OFF arrow on the cover of the unit.

IMPORTANT:
LIF10YPEW model smoke alarms cannot be hushed if removed from the baseplate. The smoke alarm needs to be secured on the baseplate for the hush/silence feature to operate.

Need more help?

For more information about your specific alarm, refer to your user manual.
Our Technical Support Team is available to assist you between 8:00am – 5:00pm (AEST) Monday to Friday.
Send us an email or call 1300 772 776.

Replacing the 9v battery in your smoke alarm

IMPORTANT: 
Only use 9v batteries from a reputable battery brand.
Battery replacement is not relevant if you have a 10-year lithium battery smoke alarm.

Smoke alarms need to be replaced at least every 10 years.

How to test a smoke alarm.

IMPORTANT: 
Do not ignite combustible materials to test your alarm. An accident could occur, resulting in a fire.

Mounting smoke alarms

IMPORTANT:
The performance of smoke alarms mounted on walls is unpredictable and this mounting position is not recommended when ceiling mounting can be implemented.
Incorrect orientation of smoke alarms may decrease operational effectiveness.

Smoke, heat and other combustion products rise to the ceiling and spread horizontally. Mounting the smoke alarm on the ceiling, in the center of the room, places it closest to all points in the room. Ceiling mounting is always best, and take care to avoid dead air spaces when mounting. Dead air spaces generally occur at the peak or apex of cathedral ceilings and the corner junction of walls and ceilings.

CEILING/ WALL JUNCTION

When mounting smoke alarms on the ceiling, locate it at least 300mm away from the side wall and 300mm away from any corner to avoid dead air space.

If ceiling mounting is not possible, the recommended position for wall mounting is between 300mm and 500mm off the ceiling.

CATHEDRAL CEILING / A-FRAME CEILING

When mounting smoke alarms on Cathedral / A-frame ceilings, position the alarm at least 500mm away from the peak of the ceiling, but no further than 1500mm away from peak.


Need more help?

Our Technical Support Team is available to assist you between 8:00am – 5:00pm (AEST) Monday to Friday.
Send us an email or call 1300 772 776.

If installing the smoke alarm for the first time, please ensure the yellow battery installation tag has been removed. PSA smoke alarms will emit an audible chirp at regular intervals to indicate that the 9 volt back-up battery is low in charge and needs to replaced.
The procedure on how to replace the 9 volt battery differs slightly depending on the smoke alarm model. Please use the information below as a guide and refer to your smoke alarm’s Installation and User Manual for the correct procedure.

Smoke Alarms which are model LIF5800RL, LIF5800RF, LIF10YI and LIF10YPE, LIF10YPEW, LIFPE10 the batteries cannot be replaced. Contact PSA technical team for information if you have the aforementioned models and are experiencing chirping. Should your smoke alarm be close to 10 years old, it is most likely at its expiry and due for replacement.

Have you pressed the Hush feature? Pressing the hush button on the smoke alarm will cause the smoke alarm to beep or chirp for 10-15 minutes. The Hush feature is designed to desensitize the smoke alarm from false alarms, with the chirping indicating hush mode is active. Hush mode will automatically reset once the 10-15 minute chirping cycle is over. Pressing the hush button before this cycle if over will restart another 10-15 minute cycle of chirping.