Smoke Detector Beeps Twice Then Stopped? – Easy Fix!

Here we’ll answer what smoke detector beeps twice then stopped means and what to do in order to identify the problem and prevent the “chirping” sound permanently.

When a smoke detector is beeping twice every now and then, this is a prime indication of a low battery. However, there are cases in which the detector beeps twice due to other reasons including, a software bug or not charging the backup battery.

Let’s learn more about what the two beeps mean and how to identify the problem:

What Do Two Beeps On Smoke Detectors Mean?

With most smoke detectors, two beeps most often mean it’s time to change the battery.

However, the beeping could also be caused by a bug with the software of the device and there are a couple of workarounds you can attempt beforehand.

Keep in mind that if there’s an issue with the battery, the smoke detector will beep even when not detecting smoke.

When the beeping is unusual, a pattern that you’ve rarely heard before, it’s probably the batteries. However, we’ll find out for sure!

Let’s now proceed with the best ways to solve the two beeps in a smoke detector:

How To Fix Smoke Detector Beeps Twice Then Stopped?

Since the beeping might not always come from a low battery, you should target everything that could be involved in the problem.

This is why we strongly recommend following the order of our solutions and making sure that you’re reading everything.

Let’s start with a simple power circulation to see how would that go:

Solution #1 Power Cycle The Smoke Detector

A good way to put an end to the annoying beeping your smoke detector makes is to perform a power cycle process.

The power cycle practically discharges your smoke detector out of the remaining electricity, rebooting the device and refreshing ALL services. It could help.

Here’s how you can power cycle the smoke detector in easy steps:

Alert: When integrating with a hardwired smoke detector you need to flip the circuit breaker!

1. Use an object to help you reach your smoke detector.
2. For a hardwired smoke detector, you’ll need to twist the top part.
3. Then you need to disconnect the pin connector.
4. For both types of detectors, the battery can be ejected.
5. Wait for 5 minutes while the detector has no batteries.
6. Put the batteries back into the smoke detector.
7. Wait for the device to turn on.

When you’re done it’s important to perform a test by pressing the TEST button!

Note: In case of the beeping start shortly after the power cycle, then the battery is low.

Solution #2 Use The Hush Button

Most smoke detectors have a Hush/Silence button on their bottom panel that will make the device stop chirping and beeping.

You can single-press the hush button to prevent your smoke detector from making any sounds, hence, muting the device.

The Hush Button?

Although most smoke detectors will have the Hush/Silence button in a different place, in most cases it is found on the top panel of the device.

The button can also be labeled TEST/HUSH and it matters whether you single-press or hold the button.

The HUSH button functionality is the following:

• Hold the button – the smoke detector will enter an alarm mode until released.
• Single press – the smoke detector will be muted until the next alarm/indication.

Tip: With some smoke detectors you need to press and hold the hush button for about 10-15 seconds to mute the alarm/beeping.

Solution #3 Reset Smoke Detector’s Power Source

The battery inside of the smoke detector is getting charged with power from the electrical installation.

If there’s an insufficiency in regard to the breaker’s power supply, your smoke detector will beep twice to let you know of the problem.

You should reset the smoke detector’s circuit breaker the following way:

1. Go to the breaker’s panel.
2. Open the circuit breaker.
3. Search for a switch for the room with the smoke detector.
4. Press the switch downwards to shut off the power.
5. Wait for 60 seconds.
6. Turn the power back ON.
7. Listen for the smoke detector’s beeping.

Note: When the power was out for too long your detector might be beeping to indicate “low battery” for a few hours until the battery is charged.

Solution #4 Reinstall The Smoke Detector

A more technical solution coming your way is to reconnect the wires of the smoke detector.

When there’s a faulty connection or the backup battery is not charging, the smoke detector will let you know of that very problem with a “beep” (two beeps at a time).

Here’s how to examine the wirings and reconnect your smoke detector’s cables:

• Keep in mind that this solution only applies to hardwired smoke detectors.

1. Turn off the power to the smoke detector via the circuit breaker switch.
2. Now, twist open the smoke detector’s from the mounting bracket.
3. Open the compartment and remove the battery.
4. Carefully pull out the pin connector cables.
5. Follow the cables to the electrical box.
6. Put back the smoke detector together.

Note: Never interact with the device’s wires when the power is ON since the live wires carry 120V and can be lethal.

Solution #5 Reset The Smoke Detector

If the beeping doesn’t stop, you can perform a reset on your smoke detector.

This most often fixes any issues with the software indicating false alarms, especially if you already replaced the battery but the beeping persists.

Here’s how to universally reset a smoke detector of any kind:

1. Turn off the power to the smoke detector at the circuit breaker.
2. Remove the entire smoke detector from the mounting bracket.
3. Eject the battery.
4. Press and hold the “TEST” button for 15 seconds straight.
5. Re-install the battery as well as the smoke detector.
6. Turn on the power back from the circuit breaker.
7. Test if the detector will now chirp or beep twice.

Note: If no “TEST” button is under your smoke detector, look for any button that includes “RESET” or “FUNCTION”.

Solution #6 Replace Smoke Detector Battery

The battery plays quite an important function in the setup of your smoke detector.

It does not matter whether you’ve got a wired or wireless smoke detector, the device will start beeping when the charge is low.

To replace the battery of your smoke detector, follow these instructions:

1. Twist open the bottom compartment of the detector.
2. Eject the battery inside of the device.
3. Grab a new AA battery to put in your smoke detector.
4. Install the new battery unit.
5. Put the bottom compartment back on your device.

Tip: Mind how you match the battery’s electric poles with the compartments since you can accidentally cut off the power to the detector.

How Often To Change Smoke Detector Batteries?

If you want to avoid this frustrating beeping, you should keep the batteries inside of the device fresh.

The smoke detectors with lithium batteries last up to 10 years so in such cases the battery cannot be ejected. Instead, the entire device should be replaced.

The average period that smoke detector batteries last is one year.

However, you can set a schedule to change the batteries of the smoke detector every 4th and 8th month of the year to keep them fresh and avoid hearing the two “chirps” every now and then.

Quick Recap:

Hence, the two beeps coming from smoke detectors mainly indicate a low battery or that the backup battery in the hardwired units is not actively charging. That could mean that the battery is due for replacement or that the device has to be reset.

Wrapping Up:

Now that we’ve learned why the smoke detector beeps twice then stopped we can conclude that the battery should be your main focus.

When you replace the battery as a first move you’ll be able to tell whether your smoke detector is intact or not.

For more relevant posts, make sure to check our online tech blog!