I have a friend who told me that when it gets very cold in the winter, his smoke detectors go off. He talked to a builder, who told him that the problem is moisture condensation, so he took off the detectors and sprayed great stuff into the conduit from below.
He asked me if I knew what to do about his problem, and I told him I’d ask here.
Was the builder right? And it seems to me that spraying great stuff into the conduit was a big mistake. Is that going to cause hime problems?
Replies
That is a possibility.
Duct seal would have been a better than the great stuff incase wire every needed to be changed.
Depending on the insulation it would not be a bad idea to seal around the box from the attic side.
Dust can create a problem inside of the detector.
Smoke detectors do go bad, and they don't last forever.
They're supposed to be replaced every 10 years, but I suspect that rarely happens.
It might be worth replacing them if they're fairly old.
I agree that condensation is likely the problem. His solution won't work, though.
Moisture condensing on the electronics can cause such an alarm. The solution is to raise the temperature. Smoke detectors tend to 'false alarm' below about 40 degrees.
CO detectors are another issue. Their 'sensing element' will alarm when they freeze. As such, they are not suitable where it will freeze.
Nope, nope, nope - RADON
House closed up in the winter; it builds up
Happened up the street - guy built a really tight house with a concrete basement here in radon land; when he goes away in the summer, has to turn off the smoke detectors.
Forrest