Do I need an electrician to replace hardwired smoke detectors?

Smoke detectors may sometimes be a noisy nuisance, but they’re one of the most important devices in your home. They’re the sort of device that you hope to never use, but you don’t know for sure if they’re working properly until you really need them.

Once upon a time, battery-powered smoke detectors were the norm, but it’s becoming more popular to hardwire smoke detectors directly into a home’s electrical system. If that sounds more difficult than installing a battery-powered smoke detector, that’s because it is. Smoke detectors are important enough that you shouldn’t try to save a few dollars by DIYing a hardwired system. 

If you’re thinking of making the switch from battery-powered to hardwired, it’s probably a good idea. But unless you have electrician experience, you shouldn’t install hardwired smoke detectors yourself. 

What’s the difference between hardwired and battery-powered smoke detectors?

Like the name sounds, battery-powered smoke detectors have batteries and are individually functioning units. Hardwired smoke detectors, on the other hand, are installed directly into the existing electrical system in the home and function as a network. They still have batteries, but only as a backup power source in the event you lose power in the home.

These days, hardwired smoke detectors are largely preferred over battery-powered ones for their reliability and ease of use.

Pros of hardwired smoke detectors

• You don’t need to change the batteries all the time. As long as the power in your home is working, hardwired smoke detectors are working.

• Hardwired smoke detectors are interconnected throughout your home, so if a fire in the basement triggers a smoke detector, all of the alarms will sound. This makes them considerably safer than battery-powered ones.

• Hardwired smoke detectors need to be changed only once every ten years, assuming they’re working properly. Battery-powered ones may also last that long, but you’re likely running through a couple of packs of batteries in that time.

• You won’t hear the annoying chirping sound that a battery-powered alarm makes when it’s running low on juice.

Cons of hardwired smoke detectors

While they’re certainly a safer option than battery-powered smoke detectors, there are still a few drawbacks to hardwired smoke detectors.

• Hardwired smoke detectors are slightly more prone to false alarms due to the way they’re installed. Most systems self-test 12 hours after installation, and if there is any faulty wiring within the entire system, you may wake up in the middle of the night to shrieking smoke detectors.
• Installing hardwired smoke detectors is far more difficult than simply turning a device into a socket in the ceiling. Unless you have electrical experience, you’ll need to hire an electrician.

Can I install a hardwired smoke detector myself?

You can install a hardwired smoke detector yourself, but you really shouldn’t unless you have at least an apprentice level of electrical experience.

You can install a hardwired smoke detector yourself, but only if you have a good familiarity with home electrical work and an understanding of electrical circuits before attempting this project. If you don't have this experience and understanding, it's best left to a professional electrician to install and replace hardwired smoke detectors.

Testing a hardwired smoke detector is fine for you to do, but you should hire a professional for installation.

Why should an electrician install a hardwired smoke detector?

Beyond the simple dangers of messing around with electricity, there are a number of very good reasons why you should hire an electrician to install a hardwired smoke detector.

Electricians can recommend the best devices

Electricians have a lot of experience with smoke detectors and know which brands are superior in quality and effectiveness. (Just as importantly, they’ll know which brands are buggy and prone to false alarms.) They’ll ensure you get the best smoke detector for your money so you feel safe.

Electricians know where to install smoke detectors

You may be able to use common sense to deduce where smoke detectors probably should go, but electricians will have that experience, plus expertise and knowledge of where they should go. You can research basic guidelines for where smoke detectors should go, but an electrician will be able to look at your house and identify the right spots.

Electricians can fully connect your system

One of the primary benefits of hardwired smoke detectors is that they can work in unison to protect your home. But that will only happen if they’re installed correctly. A qualified electrician will help ensure that happens. It’s not easy to get this right, and an inexperienced person could create faulty wiring that isn’t just dangerous but could cause a major electrical problem that costs you a lot of money to fix.

Electricians will keep your home up to code

The National Electrical Code changes rules and regulations every few years, so even if you felt pretty good about the code in 2017, you might do something in violation by mistake in 2023. A licensed electrician will ensure that all of the smoke detector work is up to code and won’t be an issue should you want to sell your home later.

FAQs

What is the life expectancy of a hardwired smoke detector?

Provided it is working properly when you test it, a hardwired smoke detector should have a ten-year life expectancy.

How do you know if a hardwired smoke detector is bad?

You should test your smoke detectors monthly to ensure that they’re working properly. All smoke detectors have a test function, but you may need to read the manual to check the exact testing process. Each smoke detector has a series of codes, one of which will tell you if the detector is faulty.

Why is my hardwired smoke alarm going off for no reason? And what should I do?

As we touched on earlier, hardwired smoke alarms may be more prone to false alarms than battery-powered ones. Generally, this has to do with faulty wiring or the way test cycles are set up. If you can’t figure out why your alarms are going off, call in an electrician. If they were recently installed, the electrician who did the work should fix it for free.

Is a hardwired smoke detector better?

Hardwired smoke detectors are safer and more efficient than battery-powered ones. That’s why they’re preferred by builders and homeowners alike today. While maintenance is easy, installation is not, so you should hire a professional to do it. It should only take a couple of hours, so the entire project is likely no more than a few hundred dollars.