About your smoke detector

We supply one smoke detector to every Oxford City Council home. If you do not have one, telephone 0800 22 76 76. Do not change the battery if your smoke detector is wired into the mains electricity supply.

smoke alarm

General advice and resetting

A detector may go off by mistake:

if a heater or drier is too near it;
if someone smokes near it; or
if there are a lot of cooking fumes or steam, eg burnt toast.

To reset an alarm

Open windows and doors close by to allow fresh air to come in.
Press the hush/test button. This will silence the alarm for 10 minutes but it will beep every 40 seconds.

Changing the battery

Open the detector by gently prising off the cover.
Unclip the battery from its connections and retaining clips.
Clip the new battery firmly into place. Ensure that the + and - signs on the battery match up with the + and - signs on the detector.
Close the detector and test it using the test button.

Testing and cleaning

Test it regularly (once a week)

Press and hold the button for a few seconds. The alarm should sound.
If the alarm does not sound, try cleaning it (see below) and test again.
If the alarm still does not sound when tested after cleaning, call us immediately.

Clean and dust it regularly

Remove dust or cobwebs using a vacuum cleaner. Place the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner against the vents on the bottom of the smoke detector.
Clean the outside. Wipe the vents with a moist cloth.

Do not paint your smoke detector.

If the alarm goes off

Take your family to where it is easy to escape in case there is a fire.
Check all rooms for signs of smoke. Feel around each door before opening it. If there is any sign of heat, smoke or noise, don’t open the door.

If a fire has broken out, do not try to tackle it yourself. Smoke and fumes can kill in minutes.

Get everyone out of the house.
Call the fire service.
Close all doors to stop the fire and smoke spreading.
Don’t go back for any reason.

If there is no sign of smoke or fire, something may have caused the alarm to go off by mistake. See General advice.