Smoke detectors are important safety equipment set in residential and commercial buildings. It warns if there is a fire in the building by detecting smoke or heat. It blinks various kinds of light to indicate various statuses.
You may ask why your smoke detector is blinking blue light. Let us find the reason behind the matter and provide you with some necessary information regarding the matter as well.
Smoke detector blinking blue
Your smoke detector is blinking blue means that it has detected high levels of CO in the installed area. CO is the short form of carbon monoxide. This is a toxic gas that is bad for any person who inhales. Your smoke detector may also blink blue light when it is in a previous alarm condition.
Smoke detectors blink various kinds of light. These lights indicate various states of the smoke detector. It may blink lights like white, blue, red, green and many more. All these lights mean something and indicate a certain state or condition of the smoke detector.
All of these blinking lights mean common factors. But some may vary based on the manufacturer. So may also mean different factors based on their model.
To understand what the blinking lights mean, it is better to consult the manual of the model of smoke detector you are using.
There are various reasons why your smoke detector is blinking blue. Let us discuss the causes and provide you with a clear understanding of all the possible reasons.
High CO levels:
CO gas is a toxic gas. This causes various kinds of health problems. It may instantly cause blood-related issues if inhaled for a short amount of time. It may also cause deep issues if inhaled for extended periods.
Smoke detectors may indicate that there is an increase in CO in the area. It warns the user by blinking blue light.
Previous alarm condition:
Blinking blue light may also be caused for previous fire conditions at an unidentified source. This means the fire alarm may have been tripped by detecting a fire.
But if the fire sets down, the alarm stops warning the user but keeps blinking a light that the smoke detector detected an incident. The light that it blinks is blue light.
Are smoke detectors supposed to blink blue?
Yes, smoke detectors are supposed to blink blue. Smoke detectors blink various colors of light. All colors have their own meaning. Among the colors that the smoke detector blinks, blue is one of them.
Blinking blue light on a smoke detector can mean multiple things. It can mean that the smoke detector has detected a rise of CO gas in the area where it is set. CO gas is harmful to humans.
Therefore, a smoke alarm warns the user that there is a rise of CO gas in your area and you need to be careful about it.
It may also indicate any previous alarm conditions. This means that the smoke detector has detected a fire incident which has been resolved. But the smoke alarm will keep warning you by blinking blue light until you reset it or restart it to its original state.
How do I know if my smoke detector is bugged?
You can know if your smoke detector is bugged or not by using an RF detector. Smoke detectors are used widely in houses. It is also used in residential buildings. You may also find it in commercial buildings as well. But smoke detectors can be bugged.
Bugging a smoke detector means that there is something set in the smoke detector without the knowledge of the user. It can be a hidden camera or a microphone. This is called a bugged smoke detector.
This kind of bugged smoke detector is terrible for privacy. But you can check if your smoke detector is bugged or not by checking for RF waves. An RF detector can capture these waves.
You can purchase an RF detector online and check if your smoke detector is bugged or not. The detector will make a beeping noise or cracking sound when it detects RF waves from the smoke detector
What does it mean when a smoke detector blinks blue?
A smoke detector may blink various lights. All of these lights mean something. The meaning of each blinking light varies from model to model. But in most cases, they usually mean the same thing as most manufacturers want to make their smoke detectors easy to use.
Your smoke detector may blink blue light. The blue light usually means various kinds of things. But the exact message that it is sending depends on the manufacturer who has made the smoke detector.
You might want to know what it means when a smoke detector blinks blue. Let us observe the possible reasons and provide you with an overview of the matter.
Carbon monoxide levels have increased:
A smoke detector blinks blue when there is an increase in carbon monoxide gas in your area. Smoke detectors are usually made to identify smoke in your area. As it can detect smoke, it can also detect hazardous gasses as well.
Smoke detectors can detect CO gas easily. This gas is hazardous to health. It causes various kinds of health issues and may cause diseases. Therefore, this gas has to be detected by some kind of device.
Thus, a smoke detector is that device and it warns the user by blinking blue light.
Detected a previous alarm condition:
A previous alarm condition is another reason why the smoke detector blinks blue.
Although it is not clearly said by the manufacturers what a previous alarm condition means, experienced smoke detector users say that it means there was a fire condition in the area which stopped.
After the fire stops, the alarm automatically stops warning the user. It keeps blinking blue light to let the user know that there was a fire detected in your area.
What color should my smoke detector be blinking?
Depending on the model and manufacturer of the smoke detector, it may be blinking red or green light. Smoke detectors may be blinking lights during normal operation. This indicates that the smoke detector is working properly and is ready to detect any smoke in the area.
Usually, most smoke detectors blink red or green light. Which light it will be blinking will be dependent on the model of the smoke detector. The blinking of green or red light means that the smoke detector is operating normally and it is ready to detect any kind of smoke in the area.
But modern smoke detectors usually don’t blink lights on normal operation. It will glow a solid color light. It may blink different color lights like white color light during normal operation.
Therefore, you need to check the manual of the smoke detector you are using to know which color it will blink during normal operation.
How do I stop my smoke alarm from blinking blue?
There are many ways to stop your smoke alarm from blinking blue. Among all those methods, there is a simple method that you can follow to stop it. Here are the steps to stop your smoke alarm from blinking blue.
Ensure that there is no more danger:
Before you stop the alarm, you need to ensure that there is no more danger in the area of the smoke alarm. Blinking blue light usually means that there was an increase of CO gas or a fire incident that occurred which was not present any longer.
Check if the issues are resolved or not. If the problems are not solved, it may cause the alarm to go off again.
Find the test/silence button on your smoke alarm:
After making sure that the area is safe, get up to the smoke alarm. After reaching the smoke alarm, search for the test/silence button. The button should be around the smoke alarm or under the battery cover. If you find the button, press it for 4 – 5 seconds.
This will reset the smoke alarm and return to its original state.
Replace batteries:
Consider replacing the batteries of the smoke alarm. This will ensure that the smoke alarm is operating correctly without any issue. Replacing batteries also helps to stop your smoke alarm from blinking blue light.
If nothing worked, change the smoke alarm:
If pressing the test/silence button and replacing the batteries did not work, it means the smoke is malfunctioning. Malfunctioned smoke alarms need to be changed.
Thus, you may need to replace your existing smoke alarm with a new one to stop the blue light from blinking.
Final Thoughts
Your smoke detector may be blinking blue light for different reasons. The main reason would be elevated levels of CO in your area. It may also be that there was a previous alarm condition around your smoke detector. You need to consult your smoke detector manual to know the right reason.