I have a First Alert ZCombo alarm integrated with Smart Things. Yesterday, I received a text that the fire alarm was going off in the nursery. I checked and there was no visible sign at the alarm and it was definitely not going off.
I checked the notifications and it appears that the alarm detected smoke (according to ST) but at the same time it was in testing mode. It was now stuck in testing mode and orange.
With no options left, I had the take the batteries out and reset and manually test it at the alarm. This reset it as “clear”.
Anyone else have this problem? It was odd…not a huge problem but odd that it said it was detecting smoke but at the physical alarm it was not sounding off.
Also, is there a way to reset the status from the app or would I always have to manually take the batteries out?
I had a similar issue with the same Smoke alarm a few days back . I had to do the same thing which is reset the batteries. Unfortunately the alarm only reports events, so there is no two way communication where you can reset it remotely via ST. I suspect it is some sort of an issue with the device itself and not within ST. More soever, since I had the exact same issue with the same device.
Thank you! At least I don’t feel crazy now. It is not a bit g problem but was a little confusing. On the good side, I had set up a routine where the IP cam in the Nursery records video for 2min when the alarm goes off and it worked flawlessly!
I had two incidents around 9pm Sep30, for which a ceiling mounted Zcombo sounds alarm, and ST indicated something like “smoke detected” and no test. The two incidents were a few minutes apart. This detector was operating for 2-3 months and I pulled the batteries to reset it. Another Zcombo in basement has been installed for 10-12 months with no incident.
The air did smell a little strange like sniffing a VCR vent, but air near the ceiling is not the same as the air at walking level.
So the house didn’t burn down and it seems like a bug.
I have 8 of these and the only time I have false alarm was caused by a low battery. After a couple of tests. Very reliable so far after a year and half.
Just had a false alarm with one of my Zcombo detectors which was installed about 6 months ago. Detected smoke and set off the sirens. The only cause I can think of is that the position of the detector—at the top of the stairs in the foyer—resulted in a lot of heat near it since the central heater was on at the time. Disappointing to have a failure like this, but obviously the fault of the sensor and not ST.
I wonder what the statistics are for how many people die with a functioning First Alert smoke detector that has had its batteries pulled and sitting in a drawer - all because of multiple Tuesday 2am false alarms.
My ZCOMBO has gone off four times this morning, both audibly and sending a notification. There is no smoke or any kind of smell in the air. In fact, I have an air purifier in the same room that shows the air quality level is the same as it usually is. I’ll try the battery reset.
We have seven of the First Alert smoke/co2 Zcombos that are linked to our ring alarm. they were installed this past April (3 months ago). We have had multiple false alarms on the unit in the master bedroom and finally replaced it. Today we had an initial false alarm on another unit. Not sure what to do.
The good thing is that they do communicate, flawlessly, with the ring alarm. We’ve had to stop the fire trucks each time.
Should have clarified that the one I replaced was covered under warranty, just the minor hassle of taking it down, unlinking it from the system. linking and hanging the new one. Now that I’ve had a second one malfunction, I’m wondering how common of an occurrence it will be. Luckily since RING calls before dispatching the fire department its only been a minor annoyance (like when it goes off at 2 in the morning). I used simplisafe for several years in the old house with no issues. Hoping that upgrading to the newer system in the new (to us) house wasn’t a mistake.