I have 3 smoke alarms in the rental. All working correctly and tested regularly, new batteries every year and 240v mains. They are coming up to the manufacturers Expiry date. Do i need to change / replace them, if they are working perfectly well?.
How do you know they work perfectly?
I guess you mean they go off if you push the test button
Thank you.
Yes, a push to test or a smoking match.
Just like you would test a new smoke alarm.
I guess new or old, you only know if they work in a real fire.
So, if the expire date has past, does this make the units illegal to use or is it just advisory to think about changing or upgrading?
What are the rules?.
If it’s in a rental , I would say you would be daft to take the risk, so replacing is necessary
Buy new Aico units with lithium batteries and you get 10 years peace of mind
If there was a fire & it transpired your alarms were out of date you could be in all sorts of trouble - so yes, replace them.
Smoke alarms have changed significantly in 10 yrs. Best practice is that they should be interlinked & wireless interlinked smoke alarms are available quite reasonably in hard wired is too difficult at present. At the very least I would fit tamper proof smoke alarms with 10 year batteries.
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As Tricia says, not worth the risk. Not for the life of your tenants or any potential insurance claim should the worst happen.