How long does a hardwired smoke alarm typically last on battery during a power outage and what limitations does it have?

submitted by [deleted] from self.technology

How long do you think a hardwired smoke system can go just on battery power and what is the differences of it's operation when it's switched over? Would the interconnection part still operate during a blackout or does it become stand alone?

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newinsightfulfun

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

They usually let you know when the battery is dying by shrieking at you. They run for months off a battery when they're not hardwired.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Sorry but I'm not talking about battery operated smokes. I'm talking the more common interconnected hardwired ones found in newer homes when there is loss of AC power for extended time. We lost power for four days during the Feb 2021 ice storm but the AC powered smokes didn't seem to have any issues from it. (Knocks on wood)

[–]package 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

If its anything like mine they can't even last a year with a 9v and no outages, and then indicate with extremely short, spaced out beeps that are impossible for human hearing to locate despite having a tiny green led they could use for such a purpose.