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Want to Silence the Smoke Alarm After it Goes Off

Want to Silence the Smoke Alarm After it Goes Off

By:  Frank Engelman   |  Posted: June 3, 2022   |  Updated: April 18, 2023

Problem Description

 

Smoke alarms are a wonderful security device, and we never expect to hear them, except when smoke or carbon monoxide (CO) is detected.

However, everyone I have talked to has had at least one incident when they double toasted the toast or fried something that made too much smoke… and the smoke alarm went off!

Normally that’s a good thing to know it’s working, BUT when you have resolved the problem and it’s still blaring (85 dB) at you for minutes it’s very annoying.

Smoke detectors need to be placed at the highest point in a room with typical US home ceilings being 8-10 feet high. While they all do have a silence button, 8-10 feet in the air requires a step ladder or a broom. Some people have even destroyed them in the process with a broom!

I know of people who have had these “false alarms” happen so often, they now have a pattern of opening windows and flapping towels to make the alarm silence sooner.

Ah, if there was only a way to remotely silence false alarms…

 

 

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4 thoughts on “Want to Silence the Smoke Alarm After it Goes Off”

  1. Hey, Frank. It seems to me

    Hey, Frank. It seems to me that being able to disarm a fire alarm would not be a good idea on any level, BUT maybe you could work on the source of the problem. You could plug the toaster into a smart plug and have it disconnect the toaster when there's an alarm. With a smart relay you could maybe have the stove exhaust vent come on high went there's an alarm. It would be more expensive to disconnect the stove on alarm, but it could help the problem. Oftentimes the alarm is just in the wrong place and needs to be moved a few feet in a different direction to be more representative of the actual smoke in the area. Basically, I'd work on the source of the smoke. I see Amazon has a First Alert inexpensive "smart relay" that could be used to trigger a modified smart door switch to set off a "power-off" routine of some sort to work on the easy stuff like the toaster/toaster oven? Here's a link to that if it's allowed here: https://amzn.to/3xe9LRV These are just some random thoughts at this point. Thanks for looking for solutions to real-world problems we've all been faced with.

  2. Hello Hugh,

    Hello Hugh,

    Thanks for the great feedback.

    I agree that determining the source of the problem and mitigating it is key.

    Also, I have been looking for the type of device that "listens" to the smoke alarm going off rather than a device that must be wired and needs 110vac

    I haven't found any except the one that requires a Ring Alarm system

    As you suggested, I hope to use that to enable fans and disable devices such as toasters, irons, or stoves with Alexa Routines when this is triggered.

    • I use a $10 pool cue from
      I use a $10 pool cue from Walmart to reach those in the 8′ – 10′ range.
      Those in the 10’+ range need a ladder and careful balance.
      When these wear out (at age 10) hopefully there will be safer resets.