Smoke Alarm Battery Dies: Throw it out?

hill · 09-30-2009, 08:31 PM

We were going to supplement our hard wired smoke detecter, and found these to be popular items at Lowes, Home Depot, Wallmart etc:

Kidde 0910 10-Year Sealed Lithium Battery-Operated Smoke Alarm with Memory and Smart Hush

Their ad brags, "never replace the battery" ... and it's a 10 year battery. So ... where does the smoke alarm (and its 'sealed inside' battery) go after that?

jayman · 09-30-2009, 09:09 PM

The landfill, where else?

tripp · 09-30-2009, 10:54 PM

or sent to a large dump in liberia, where some poor bastard will try to extract metals from it and perish in the process.

dogfriend · 10-01-2009, 01:18 AM

Where I live (Sacramento County, CA) you can take items like batteries, old paint, old smoke alarms, etc. to the Refuse Transfer station. They have a Hazardous Waste service where you can drop the items off for appropriate disposal. There is no charge for most items, although you may have to pay if you have multiple TV sets (for example).

hill · 10-01-2009, 10:27 AM

Yes ... we have a city wide CFL set up too. It doesn't mean that even 1/2 of the tubes don't end up in the regular trash though. It seems inexplicable that a smoke alarm product now days could be manufactured in a manner that pretty much assures it'll end up in land fill ... along with its radioactive material americium-241 (half-life of 432 years). sheesh ... too few people properly dispose of the 9v battery, as it is ... so what am i missing here

.

dogfriend · 10-01-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hill

so what am i missing here

.

That people are mostly like sheep and will buy it for the convenience of being able to ignore it for 10 years. Baaaaaa.

qbee42 · 10-01-2009, 03:02 PM

I don't know how it is with the new smoke detectors, but many of the older ones had a radioisotope source that was only good for a limited number of years. If the ten year battery is good for the life of the source, it may make sense to replace the device as a unit.

Tom

ilusnforc · 10-01-2009, 06:34 PM

Most likely the instructions included would have proper disposal instructions like most cell phone lithium batteries with the 800 number/website for recycling.

hill · 10-01-2009, 11:31 PM

Don't read the 'description' ... read the Features:

Features
Sealed in lithium battery never replace battery over the ten-year life of the alarm.

Other brands also tout the same disposable / 'life of the alarm' feature ... like it's a plus. Life of the alarm? Sheesh, we have a couple smoke detectors in a couple rentals that are OVER 10 years p;d ... guess I should chuck them too under that logic.

qbee42 · 10-02-2009, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hill

<snip>
Sheesh, we have a couple smoke detectors in a couple rentals that are OVER 10 years p;d ... guess I should chuck them too under that logic.

You should at least test them. Smoke detectors have a limited life span. Yours may be nothing but a placebo.

Tom

09-30-2009, 08:31 PM	#1
hill High Fiber Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: South OC So Cal & the Flathead Valley MT Posts: 3,873 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 15 Thanked 93 Times in 68 Posts Friends: 12	Smoke Alarm Battery Dies: Throw it out? We were going to supplement our hard wired smoke detecter, and found these to be popular items at Lowes, Home Depot, Wallmart etc: Kidde 0910 10-Year Sealed Lithium Battery-Operated Smoke Alarm with Memory and Smart Hush Their ad brags, "never replace the battery" ... and it's a 10 year battery. So ... where does the smoke alarm (and its 'sealed inside' battery) go after that?

09-30-2009, 09:09 PM	#2
jayman Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Winnipeg Manitoba Posts: 11,560 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: B Thanks: 35 Thanked 185 Times in 168 Posts Friends: 12	Re: Smoke Alarm Battery Dies: Throw it out? The landfill, where else?

09-30-2009, 10:54 PM	#3
tripp Which it's a 'ybrid, ain't it? Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 4,323 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 6	Re: Smoke Alarm Battery Dies: Throw it out? or sent to a large dump in liberia, where some poor bastard will try to extract metals from it and perish in the process.

10-01-2009, 01:18 AM	#4
dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Carmichael, CA Posts: 4,959 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 281 Thanked 175 Times in 147 Posts Friends: 11	Re: Smoke Alarm Battery Dies: Throw it out? Where I live (Sacramento County, CA) you can take items like batteries, old paint, old smoke alarms, etc. to the Refuse Transfer station. They have a Hazardous Waste service where you can drop the items off for appropriate disposal. There is no charge for most items, although you may have to pay if you have multiple TV sets (for example).

10-01-2009, 10:27 AM	#5
hill High Fiber Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: South OC So Cal & the Flathead Valley MT Posts: 3,873 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 15 Thanked 93 Times in 68 Posts Friends: 12	Re: Smoke Alarm Battery Dies: Throw it out? Yes ... we have a city wide CFL set up too. It doesn't mean that even 1/2 of the tubes don't end up in the regular trash though. It seems inexplicable that a smoke alarm product now days could be manufactured in a manner that pretty much assures it'll end up in land fill ... along with its radioactive material americium-241 (half-life of 432 years). sheesh ... too few people properly dispose of the 9v battery, as it is ... so what am i missing here .

10-01-2009, 03:02 PM	#7
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 10,472 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 94 Thanked 387 Times in 289 Posts Friends: 10	Re: Smoke Alarm Battery Dies: Throw it out? I don't know how it is with the new smoke detectors, but many of the older ones had a radioisotope source that was only good for a limited number of years. If the ten year battery is good for the life of the source, it may make sense to replace the device as a unit. Tom

10-01-2009, 06:34 PM	#8
ilusnforc Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 375 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 0	Re: Smoke Alarm Battery Dies: Throw it out? Most likely the instructions included would have proper disposal instructions like most cell phone lithium batteries with the 800 number/website for recycling. Last edited by ilusnforc; 10-03-2009 at 03:19 AM.

10-01-2009, 11:31 PM	#9
hill High Fiber Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: South OC So Cal & the Flathead Valley MT Posts: 3,873 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 15 Thanked 93 Times in 68 Posts Friends: 12	Re: Smoke Alarm Battery Dies: Throw it out? Don't read the 'description' ... read the Features: Features Sealed in lithium battery never replace battery over the ten-year life of the alarm. Other brands also tout the same disposable / 'life of the alarm' feature ... like it's a plus. Life of the alarm? Sheesh, we have a couple smoke detectors in a couple rentals that are OVER 10 years p;d ... guess I should chuck them too under that logic.

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