Smoke detector maintenance?

[Wade Lippman]

We have done tire pressure and oil level checking. How about smoke detectors.

One of mine started chirping, after I replaced all the them 6 months ago (old ones were 10 years old). It took me 20 minutes to find the right one; the battery good until 2018 was dead. Oh well.
That got me looking at the instructions to see if there is any way to find the bad one except by ear; there isn't. But I saw instructions for testing them every week and vacuuming them every month.
Got me wondering. So who does maintenance on their smoke detectors.

[Myk Rian]

So who does maintenance on their smoke detectors.
...Nobody does that I'm aware of. They are supposed to be recycled/properly disposed of. But I don't know where to take the old ones.
I didn't answer your poll. We test them every month.

[Mark Blatter]

Smoke detectors are one of those things no one thinks about until they burn some toast and set off the SD. However, I did a little research on them about a year ago and realized how much things have changed since my were installed. My house is 22 years old and so are the detectors. Ones today are so much better, plus as I recall, they only last about ten years at most.

I actually looked at starting a business replacing smoke detectors since no one thinks about them, but have been too busy to give it any more thought.

[John O'Brien]

I replaced mine after 6 years. Kidde now has smoke and smoke/CO detectors with batteries that last 10 years. No replacing batteries yearly. When I replaced mine, I sent the old ones back to Kidde. I had to pay shipping, but it was the right thing to do.

[Shawn Pixley]

I test and replace the batteries every time daylight savings time changes (2x / Year). While doing that I use compressed air to blow out any sale, dust or dog hair that finds its way there.

I was informed that the wife expectancy of smoke detectors is ten years. When I visited my aging parents, I had theirs all replaced.

[Pat Barry]

I typically react when one of them starts chirping for a battery change and then I change them all and blow the dust out so they are ready to go

[Rod Sheridan]

I give mine a poke monthly on the test button, vacuum and change batteries when DST clock setting.

Where I live the city picks up electronic waste if you put it in a clear plastic bag beside the recycling bin (big stuff doesn't need to be bagged), so disposing of detectors and dry cells is easy..........Rod.

[Mike Ontko]

I was informed that the wife expectancy of smoke detectors is ten years. When I visited my aging parents, I had theirs all replaced.

Shawn, was that reference intended or did Freud get inside your head? :)