Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

What to do

Press and hold the test button on each alarm until it sounds, then vacuum the grille while you are up there.

Why it matters

These are wired to the house and will not work in a power cut unless the backup battery is good. That is the failure that matters, and the test is what finds it.

What to look for

• Every alarm sounds, not just the nearest one — interconnected alarms should all go off together
• A chirp every 30 to 60 seconds between tests means a dying backup battery, not a fault
• Dust or cobwebs across the grille, which is the usual reason one stops working
• A date stamp on the back older than ten years — alarms expire, and replacing is the only fix
• The end-of-life date on any carbon monoxide alarm, which is shorter than a smoke alarm's and separate from it — an expired CO alarm still chirps back when you test it

Where this comes from

Habitat Studio p.25 says test monthly and vacuum twice a year. Twice a year, anchored to the clock change, is the interval people keep. Testing more often is better — nothing stops you.