Changing Battery on Alarms

The tenant is responsible for the replacement of consumables, the battery in the alarms is one of these consumables.

Changing the Battery

The back up battery in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are hard wired in, but they also have a back up battery. When the back up battery is deplete it will start to emit a low beep every 40 or so seconds. When it does this, the tenant should replace the battery.

Battery Type

You will need an alkaline 9V battery - these are the square type batteries with both contact points on top.

Tool

You will need a tool to open the cover. The alarm is in two parts, the part that is fixed to the ceiling and the cover plate which is removable. You can remove the cover (which contains the alarm) using a screwdriver or similar tool.

Removing the Cover Plate

On the alarm, you will see a slot for inserting the tool (screwdriver), put the screwdriver head in the slot and move towards the directional arrows sliding the cover plate horizontally, then off the fixed plate. Inside the cover plate you will see the old 9V battery. This should be removed and disposed of responsibly.

Replacing the Battery

You will then need to replace the battery with a new 9V battery (the tenant is responsible for purchasing the battery). You should ensure that both contact points are firmly in place, secure the battery within the battery space without protruding, then reaffix the cover to the fixed plate by sliding on in the reverse to how you removed it. You should then test the battery is working by pressing the test button.