Why does my smoke detector go off for no appearent reason?

I had the same problem a while back. The sensor is defective or needs to be adjusted to be less sensitive. I had to wave a towel under it to dissipate the air and shut it off.

Are you crazy a smoke detector going off doesn't mean living in a haunted home ...These things are like that ..Usually they got some problem inside them that causes them to go off... It could also happen in day ...Try a new device & I bet that wont happen again. Anyways I had seen on some documentary even if spirits DO exist they dont cause smoke or anything else.. All they do is change the temprature for very little time in some areas & usually its colder in that area & maybe something to do with wind but no smoke. Personally I think that is bull****.

Is it wired into your wall? If not, simply replace it. If it's wired into the wall, I'd ask your maintenance department what's doing. I just moved out of a place where they were wired in, and it would go off every single time I turned on the oven, there was no desensitizing it, so I had to disconnect it every time I cooked. Also, it may have CO2 monitor in it, if so, that could be a reason it's going off. Best bet is to find the manual or replace it, if possible, so you know what features it has and what different beeps mean. Good luck!

Check the batteries first. Do you light any candles in the vicinity of the smoke detector? If not, ask maintenance to check it out - could be faulty wiring. You could also ask the community office to check the maintenance history and see if this occured before you occupied the apartment - to rule out any "haunted feeling" and set your mind at ease!! Besides that, you could perhaps hv it moved to a different spot in the same room and see if it helps.

Not haunted, just needs maintained. If it takes batteries it may be time to change them, or, get a can of compressed air, like the stuff they use to spray out computer keyboards and give your detector a dusting. Could be a cob web in their or a piece of dirt.

If it is chirping, then it needs a battery.

ive had the same problem and is usually the 9volt battery inside the smoke detector that needs to be replaced. it uses the battery as back up power if there was a black out. the smoke detector could have malfunction as well.

Try a new smoke detector. You might have got one that is shorted. Or, borrow a neighbor's or a friend's detector and see what happens.

batteries could be flat? the ones in my house alarm when they are going flat so you know to replace the batteries, but i don't think they normally go flat after only five months. did you have the toaster on or were cooking or something (because of the heat and steam)? coz sometimes that sets off the one near my kitchen or it could be faulty.

It could have possibly been triggered by a certain gas or it could have been a false alarm (quite literally.) There's really no way to tell, at least from our point of view.