Sensitive Smoke Alarm
 

Looking for some advice for what appears to be a sensitive smoke alarm.

In the last few months, anytime I fry bacon, or stir fry any type of meat on the stove, my smoke alarms are triggered, even though I am running the vent that is mounted above my gas stove and under my micro wave. After a few minutes of the alarm sounding, I’m usually able to get it to go off by running my ceiling fans, opening windows and waving a towel under the alarm itself.

Although there is some smoke rising from the pan, I don’t think it’s an excessive amount. It’s happened now several times in the past month or so.

So do you think it’s the vent, or the smoke alarm (or both).?

Thanks for any advice.

It doesn't sound like a smoke detector issue. The smoke alarm will go off with either smoke or ionization electric particles that are invisible. One solution would be to relocate the smoke detector, but that would be expensive. You could remove the smoke detector and install a stand alone battery operated (not hard wired) detector close by. To comply with the code, it would need to be a sealed, 10-year detector.

I don't think it's the vent, as most microwaves here are not vented to the outside of the home. I'd start by replacing the closest smoke detector and see if that resolves the issue. To make the swap easier, stick with the same brand. TV installs First Alert/BRK, so if that's your brand, get the same. That way the wiring harness doesn't need to be replaced.

By the way, how old is your home?

Hope this helps

Micheal, you do not mention the type of vent, if you have a microwave vent to the roof, check to see that it is actually working. We have one of these, and I have noticed on a cold morning when I open the microwave, there is cold air in the microwave, hence the vent is working. I have seen at least 2 instances where the microwave had a roof vent BUT the microwave was setup for in house venting, either the fans were installed wrong, or the panel was not removed for external venting or both. You may need to remove the microwave to make a determination of how it is vented. I was lucky and was able to get a set of our house plans from the local building department, and these show a vent through the roof.
I would not go the separate detector route as this will NOT cause the other smoke alarms to sound off.

Agree with VillageTinker. You identify as being in Richmond so it's a recent build.

If your microwave is on an outside wall, it probably intended to vent outside and there will be an exterior vent on the outside wall.

You can rule out the smoke detector by swapping it with another in the house.

Fyi - Detectors in newer homes have smoke/carbon monoxide detectors in some locations.

True about the separate detector, but in most Villages houses, if one detector goes off, you will probably hear it.

Very true. Short of significant hearing loss, it’s hard to imagine someone not hearing the signal from one detector

Bacon bacon bacon
 

The next time you are cooking a lot of BACON call me and I will come check it out! I like my eggs over easy. :)

you can call the warranty department. Maybe they could replace the smoke alarm. You are covered if your house is new.

You could try taking it down and blowing it out. I've had dust and once a dead fly setting off the smoke alarm. I doubt that is your problem if it happens when cooking, but it's worth a shot.

detector
 

make sure the dector is for fumes and not smoke...I unpluged mine and took to a electrical supply...you can change it around smoke or fumes ?

It’s the vent. Plus all that air that is blowing from the vent onto your cabinets is coating your cabinets with grime.

Same here, and I cook my bacon in the oven! Even if I cooked it on the stove the alarm would go off. And I opened doors and fanned under the alarm. My “exhaust” fan blows back into the kitchen so it’s useless and the HVAC register in the kitchen either blows toward my gas stove or the smoke detector. I have replace them with Nest Protect, smoke, fire and Carbon Monoxide detectors. They work with my Nest thermostat so if there’s a fire it shuts down the HVAC but it’s not required. Self tests with a single chirp monthly and works with Nest App. You get an alert when battery is low, not a loud beep in the middle of the night. Installs easy on the ceiling and has a dim light that turns on as you walk under it at night. No more bacon issues!!!

Just push the reset button and it will go off no need to wait for the smoke to clear.

Check if your fan is vented outside instead of just recirculated through the filter and put back into the room. If not vented outside this is the culprit not a to sensitive alarm.

You can try swapping out the detector with one in another room to see if there is a difference in the detectors sensitivity. And check your microwaves exhaust on the outside wall. Using a cordless leaf blower on the detector will clear it much faster after it activates with windows and doors open.