Test the smoke and CO alarms

Safety first

• No open flame to test.
• A smoke alarm sounding (continuous; First Alert: 3 beeps and a pause): get out, and call 911 from outside.
• Don’t hush it with a fire present.
• Never pull the battery to stop a nuisance alarm.

How to do it

1. Press and hold Test for 5 seconds (Kidde smoke-only); combination units: press and release.
2. Interconnected alarms: every one should sound.
3. Only the one you pressed sounds: the interconnect has a fault.
4. Nothing: on a battery model, is the pull-tab removed? Try a fresh battery. Hardwired: is the connector seated and the power light lit? Otherwise replace the alarm.
5. Clean it as the maker says: Kidde, with the alarm and its battery out, blow compressed air through the side gap; First Alert, vacuum with the soft brush.

Normal

• Cooking or shower steam: open a window, press Hush, wave a towel, or move the alarm farther from the kitchen or bathroom.
• Chirps every 30-40 seconds for about 7 minutes while it’s hushed.
• A low-battery chirp every 30-60 seconds, for a week or more.
• Interconnected: the unit that started it flashes red or green once a second; hushing it silences the rest.

Needs attention

• An erratic or low sound.
• A sealed alarm chirping every 30 seconds: end of life; replace the alarm.

Get help if

• A hardwired interconnect fault or install: an electrician.
• Some fire departments install battery alarms free.

Keep track of it

Add your home to My homes: each piece of equipment gets this on its own schedule, with “Mark done” and reminders you can turn on.

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Sources

• Kidde
• Kidde
• Kidde
• Kidde
• First Alert
• First Alert (CO710 manual)
• First Alert (SM110LED-AC manual)
• NFPA
• U.S. Fire Administration

Your owner’s manual comes first: where it says something different for your model, follow it.