Trouble Shooting
Guide

Alarm Maintenance & Trouble Shooting

All smoke alarms need a little love from time to time. Due to their location on the ceiling, and the need for air to flow through them, it is inevitable that they will collect dust, fly spots, webs and insert deposits which can block the mesh and reduce airflow through the alarm. See our maintenance tips and trouble shooting guide below.

 

Regular Maintenance:
For your alarms to be the most effective it can be they should be vacuum cleaned once per quarter, ideally with the brush tool. Ensure you run this around the chamber filter / mesh area of the alarm and not just the audio hole on the bottom. They should also be wiped with a slightly damp cloth (do not open the alarm).

Test the smoke alarm once per month by pushing the test button. The smoke alarm should produce a loud alarm tone.

CAVIUS WIRELESS FAMILY PHOTOELECTRIC SMOKE ALARM

Product Code: 2203 CAVMP 

CAVIUS WIRELESS FAMILY PHOTOELECTRIC SMOKE ALARM

Product Code:  2107 CAV10WF

CAVIUS NANO PHOTOELECTRIC SMOKE ALARM

Product Code: 2008 CAV10

SITUATION: The alarm is sounding, even though there is no smoke.

A) Maintenance:
This is a simple and quick fix, and generally alleviates 95% of false alarms. On occasions (this can occur any time – from the first week to the 10th year), dust or bugs can find their way inside the chamber and scatter the optical light – activating the alarm. All photoelectric smoke alarms, no matter the brand, require maintenance from time to time.

‍FIX: Run a vacuum cleaner, with a brush attachment if you have one on the lowest setting, around the outside of the alarm near the chamber filter (grey mesh). Do not open up the alarm. Ensure the alarm is in the base, wait 10 seconds and then test.

B) High Humidity or Temperature:
All AS3786:2104 alarms are tested to over +90% Rh non-condensing humidity. CAVIUS alarms have been designed to live in 95% humidity, however any higher percentage in the atmosphere, condensation forms inside the chamber and interferes with the PCB – causing the alarm to siren. There is also an optimal temperature range a smoke alarm can live within (most brands this is around the +5 – 38 degrees mark). If the temperature is outside of this range , this can also cause false alarms.

‍FIX: Unfortunately, there isn’t a fix here as you can’t control the weather. If humidity is causing a false alarm, either blowing a hairdryer with warm air through the chamber filter can dry off the PCB or turn on your heat pump to ‘dry’ mode.

 

C) Steam:
Steam from the shower or cooking can cause false alarms once it passes through the chamber.

 

FIX: We recommend installing the alarm as far away from a bathroom or kitchen area as possible to avoid this issue.

 
 

SITUATION: The smoke alarm keeps beeping.

A) Red Activation Button:
CAVIUS alarms are fully activated when the red activation button, you will find this on the base of the alarm, is pressed down entirely. For the 10 year battery models, this occurs when clipped into the base. On occasions, the red activation button may not be pressed down entirely – this could be due to the product label preventing the alarm from being clicked in or the mounting base has been screwed in too tightly and the base is bowed.

FIX: Take the alarm out of the base and check to see if the product label has been folded incorrectly. You can cut off the loose section of the product label but leave the batch code and expiry date on the alarm. If the beeping continues, the base may need adjusting. Unscrew the mounting base just half a turn – easing off some of the tension. Once you have clicked the alarm back into the base, wait 10 seconds and then test.

B) Low Battery Alert:
For the 2008 CAV10 and 2107 CAV10WF models, if the alarm is over 8 years old, the beep could indicate the battery is low and the alarm may require replacing. Although the batteries are designed to last 10 years, there can be various factors that drain the battery faster including regular false alarms. CAVIUS has calculated the battery life based of one test per week and three false alarm events (duration: 1 minute). However, if false alarms occur more regularly or false alarms ensue when no one is home (so alarm sirens for a long period of time), this could affect the battery life by 2-3 years. For the 2203 CAVMP Mains Powered alarm, a power surge may also have affected the mains power supply to the alarm.

FIX: Take the alarm out of the base (you may need to remove the Safety Lock) and turn off the mains power at the switch board for 10-15 seconds. Switch power back on and then place the alarm back into the base.

CAVIUS Nano Limited
Ph: 07 573-8670 | support@cavius.co.nz