Wired Smoke Detector False Positive

[AbsoluteInspector]

I did a home inspection yesterday and when I tripped one of the GFCI outlets in the bathroom all the smoke detectors went off. (It did this once and I could not get it to happen again on purpose). The smoke detectors are wired into the electrical system and I was wondering if this is a common false positive or signs of a greater problem??

[Jim Katen]

I did a home inspection yesterday and when I tripped one of the GFCI outlets in the bathroom all the smoke detectors went off. (It did this once and I could not get it to happen again on purpose). The smoke detectors are wired into the electrical system and I was wondering if this is a common false positive or signs of a greater problem??

It's definitely not common. How old is the house?

[AbsoluteInspector]

2006

[Charlie R]

You sure someone else wasn't testing a smoke detector while you were busy tripping the GFCI?

[John Kogel]

The electrician ran a feeder from a bathroom plug up to a smoke alarm in the hall. The alarms are daisy-chained together. I don't know why they would not ring again but maybe you pushed a standy by button. Or the GFCI wasn't reset or tripped again.

AFAIK, the bathroom receptacles are not normally shared with any other outlets. That's what I'd report. It is easy enough for an electrician to find a new power source for the alarm.

[AbsoluteInspector]

I thought it might be something like that, thank you

[Jim Katen]

The electrician ran a feeder from a bathroom plug up to a smoke alarm in the hall. The alarms are daisy-chained together. I don't know why they would not ring again but maybe you pushed a standy by button. Or the GFCI wasn't reset or tripped again.

AFAIK, the bathroom receptacles are not normally shared with any other outlets. That's what I'd report. It is easy enough for an electrician to find a new power source for the alarm.

Why would cutting power to the smoke alarms cause them to sound? My house loses power at least once each winter and our smoke alarms don't holler.

[John Kogel]

The electrician ran a feeder from a bathroom plug up to a smoke alarm in the hall. The alarms are daisy-chained together. I don't know why they would not ring again but maybe you pushed a standy by button. Or the GFCI wasn't reset or tripped again.

AFAIK, the bathroom receptacles are not normally shared with any other outlets. That's what I'd report. It is easy enough for an electrician to find a new power source for the alarm.

Why would cutting power to the smoke alarms cause them to sound? My house loses power at least once each winter and our smoke alarms don't holler.

There is at least one type that beeps when power is cut. Maybe the alarms that are tied to home alarm systems will do that.

There might be another situation, the alarm will beep when AC is cut because the backup battery is low, in which case it will beep again and keep beeping at 1 minute intervals, but if you restore AC power it shuts up.