Q & A

There can be several reasons as to why pressing the hush/silence button has no effect on an Alarm emitting a constant loud noise as follows.

1) Hold the button for at least 10 seconds to ensure the hush/silence function is activated.

2) Make sure that you are pressing the Button on the Alarm that has the red LED flashing.
If your Alarms are interconnected wirelessly, all are sounding but none of them have a red LED flashing, it is likely that the alarm is being triggered by a neighbouring system. House coding your system will resolve this issue. Please consult the manuals relevant to your installation on how to house code.

3) There may be too much smoke or CO for the Alarm to be silenced. The aim of the Alarm is to protect individual against danger if the situation is deemed too dangerous ie if the level of CO detected is higher than 300ppm or if there is too much smoke/heat, the hush button will be deactivated.

4) In the case of a CO Alarm, the hush/silence button can only be used once per event. If you have already hushed the sound of the alarm once, it will not work again.

The process is different depending on the type of Alarm you have. In any case, before changing the battery please ensure that the replace by date stated on the label on the side of the Alarm has not been reached. If that is the case, you will need to replace the Alarm itself.

If that is not the case, the next step is to identify whether the battery is replaceable. Any Alarm containing a non replaceable battery will have a statement to that effect clearly marked on a label. These batteries are also not visible when you remove the Alarm head from its mounting plate. If you hear a single regular beep coming from an Alarm with a non replaceable battery that has not reached its end of life, please contact us for support.

If the battery is replaceable, the process for changing the battery varies depending whether the Alarm is mains powered with a replaceable battery back up or battery powered.

A - How to change the replaceable battery back up in a mains powered Alarm

B - How to change the battery in a battery powered Alarm

Please consult the manual of your Alarm for the list of recommended batteries to be used with your Alarm.

Video: Battery Replacement on Ei Electronics Ei140 Series Alarms - Ei141RC, Ei144RC, Ei146RC.

Should you encounter any difficulties or if you are still experiencing issues after having changed your battery, please contact us for support.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odourless, tasteless & extremely toxic gas that can be fatal when inhaled.

Cause: CO is a result of incomplete combustion of fossil-fuels such as natural gas, bottled gas, solid fuels (wood, coal etc). If you have a combustion appliance that uses fossil fuels, then you are at risk.

Outcome: CO is absorbed by the red blood cells in the lungs in preference to oxygen, resulting in oxygen starvation & rapid damage to the heart & brain. The longer CO gas is breathed in and the higher its concentration, the worse the symptoms become including headaches, dizziness, loss of vision and memory and eventually unconsciousness and death.

Potential sources of CO:

Prevention: There are a number of actions you can take to reduce the risk of CO poisoning:

1. Choose all fuel burning appliances with care and have them professionally installed and regularly maintained
2. Ensure any air vents, chimneys and flues are not blocked.
3. Never leaver your car, motor bike or lawnmower engine running in the garage with the garage door closed.
4. Never use a gas cooker or a barbecue for home heating
5. Leaving windows or doors slightly open will significantly reduce the risk of high levels of CO occurring.

As Carbon Monoxide can’t be seen, smelt, tasted or heard, the only way to know if CO is present in your home is to install a CO Alarm and to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of CO poisoning.

Action: If your CO Alarm sounds loudly or if you suspect the presence of CO gas in your home, do the following:

	Ventilate
	Turn off all fuel appliances where possible and stop using them
	Evacuate the property
	Ring your fuel supplier on their emergency number

Note: When a room is ventilated, the CO build up may have dissipated by the time help arrives and the Alarm may have stopped sounding. Although your problem may appear temporarily solved it is crucial that the source of the CO is determined, and appropriate repairs made.

Why should I replace my Alarm?

A – End of life

The components of Alarms age and even though they may appear in perfect working order, we recommend that you replace them after 10 years.

Some Alarms have end of life indicators to advise you that it is time to replace your Alarm, but others don’t. We recommend that you always check the “replace by” date marked on the label located on the side of the Alarm.

If the date is passed, then replace your Alarm.

B- Fault

You may also need to replace your Alarm in case of a fault.

Ei Electronics guarantees its devices for five years from date of purchase against any defects that are due to faulty materials or workmanship. This guarantee only applies to normal conditions of use and service, and does not include damage resulting from accident, neglect, misuse, unauthorised dismantling, or contamination howsoever caused. This guarantee excludes incidental and consequential damage.

If a device should present a defect covered by the warranty within the guarantee period, it must be returned to Ei Electronics, with proof of purchase, carefully packaged, with the problem clearly stated. We shall at our discretion repair or replace the faulty unit.

How do I replace my Alarm?

A- Mains Alarms

WARNING: Disconnect mains before removal

1. Remove your old Alarm as follows:

2. Now to replace the alarm, align the unit up with the base plate and slide it into place. You should hear a slight clicking sound when it is in place.
3. Turn the mains power back on and make sure the green indicator light on the alarm is back on.
4. Now test the alarm by pressing and holding the test button on the front of the unit. The unit should make an alarm sound and if the Alarm is part of an interconnected system, it will also activate any other alarms in the property.

B- Battery powered Alarms

1. Remove the Alarm from its mounting plate.
2. Place the new Alarm on the existing mounting plate and twist on securely.

3. Now test the alarm by pressing and holding the test button on the front of the unit. The unit should make an alarm sound.

C- RF Alarms

If an Alarm has an RF module, check the replace by date stated on the RF module and replace if that date is past.
WARNING: The RF system must be house coded again every time you change an RF module. Do not use the Alarm learn entry feature.

How do I dispose of my Ei product?

EiElectronics products that have reached their end of life should be treated as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and should be disposed as such.

You can recycle them for free through you local recycling centre, on public collection day or at your electrical retailer (when purchasing your replacement product).

Note: If you have an Ionisation Alarm, please return it to Ei Electronics for its safe environmental disposal ensuring that any removable battery has been taken out.

We will only address here issues relating to interconnecting Alarms together. Please contact technical support for any troubleshooting on systems including accessories or hybrid interconnections.

Hardwired Interconnection

Press and hold the test button of an Alarm in your system for 10 seconds. If during the test not all Alarms sound you will need to check your cabling.

A- Mains operated Alarms

WARNING: Mains operated Alarms should be installed and interconnected by a qualified electrician.

• Check that all Alarms are powered
• Check that interconnecting cables are wired correctly (qualified electrician only) ie all the IC terminals must be connected together.

• Check that the interconnect wire is NOT connected to Live, Neutral or Earth. Do not use an Earth wire for the interconnect line. The interconnect wire (minimum 0.75mm2 cable) must be treated as if it was Live. It should be insulated and sheathed.
• A maximum of 250 metres of wire can be used (maximum resistance between detectors 50 Ohms).
• Check there are no shorts on the wiring
• If the Live and Neutral have been mixed up, the alarms will have been damaged. Fix wiring and replace the alarm

Note: A maximum of 12 Fire / Smoke / Heat / CO Alarms and accessory devices can be interconnected in an Ei Electronics Alarm system. (Any Ei3000 series Alarm can also be interconnected to an Ei2110e, Ei160e and Ei140RC Series).

If you wish to connect more than 12 alarms, contact your local helpline.

WARNING: Do not connect these Alarms to any other type of Ei Alarm (apart from those listed above) or to any other model produced by another manufacturer. Doing so may damage the Alarms and could result in a shock or fire hazard.

B – Battery powered Alarms

• Check that interconnecting cables are wired correctly ie all the terminals marked 1 are wired together and all the terminals marked 2 are wired together.

• A maximum of 250 metres of two cores, 0.5mm2 to 0.75mm2, stranded signal cable can be used (maximum resistance between detectors 50 ohm)
• Note: A maximum of 12 Smoke / Heat / CO Alarms and accessory devices can be interconnected in an Ei Electronics Alarm system.
If you wish to connect more than 12 alarms, contact your local helpline.

RF Interconnection

Alarms fitted with RF modules left in factory default will communicate with each other. However, they will also pickup RF signals from neighbouring systems which can lead to false alarms giving the impression that there is something wrong with your Alarm system. This can be easily rectified by “House coding” your Alarms.

• Check that the RF modules fitted in each Alarm is compatible with that Alarm.
• House code your devices in situ (as per the instructions given in the use & care manual).
• Do not house code another group until the current one has been completed.
• When all devices are in house code mode, check each of them and ensure that their RF indicator flashes as many times as there are devices in the system
• If you have house coded your system as per the Use and Care manual of each of your device and some devices are not responding or some devices have stopped responding, then there may be an issue with the signal going to some devices and you will need to either:

o add a device to shorten the path where the signal does not reach, or
o relocate Alarms (e.g. move them away from metal surfaces or wiring)

It is important to check that all Alarms are communicating in their final installed positions.

We strongly recommend that all devices are returned to the factory settings if you need to house code them again.

Note: Alarms with RF modules should be tested regularly to determine whether there are sources of interference preventing communication, that the radio paths have not been disrupted by moving furniture or renovations, and if so, to give a warning of these and other faults.

The first thing is to identify the Alarm that is ringing and that has the red LED flashing.

1) No Alarm has the red LED flashing.

Does your Alarm have a RadioLINK Module/RF/wireless connection?

No – There may be a fault, call technical support
Yes - It is likely that the alarm is being triggered by a neighbouring system. House coding your system will resolve this issue. Please consult the manuals relevant to your installation on how to house code.

2) I found the Alarm with the red LED flashing

• Inspect the room where the Alarm is located to ensure that there is no fire smouldering.
• If after inspection, you cannot find any signs of fire/smoke, check for :
  • fumes/steam coming from the kitchen or bathroom,
  • changes in the air flow caused by windows opened or draft that are bringing fumes past the Alarm.
  • Paint and other fumes can also cause nuisance alarms.
• If there are frequent nuisance/false alarms, it may be necessary to re-locate the smoke Alarm away from the source of the fumes or clean the Alarm. We recommend the use of a Heat Alarm in the Kitchen area to avoid such nuisance alarms.

If this does not fix the problem, your Alarm may be contaminated and needs to be replaced. Please follow the instructions on how to replace your Alarm.

You should test your Alarm regularly (at least monthly) to ensure it is working.

To test your Alarm press and hold the test button for up to 10 seconds to ensure your Alarm sounds.

Guidance and best practices for testing are as follows:

1. After the Alarm(s) is installed
2. Once monthly thereafter
3. After prolonged absence from the dwelling (e.g. holidays)
4. After repair and/or servicing of any of the systems elements or household electrical works.

If you have a system of interconnected Alarms, then you need to check each Alarm similarly to ensure they sound when their test button is pressed and that all other Alarms sound.

You can also use control devices such as the Ei1529RC (for hardwire) or Ei450 (for RF) to test your Alarms.

Warning: For Mains powered Alarm, disconnect the AC mains at the fuse box before following the cleaning instructions.

Your Alarm needs to be free from dust and cobwebs. We recommend that you use the flat open end of your vacuum cleaner along the sides of your Alarm to remove any dust, insects and cobwebs. Clean the cover by wiping it with damp cloth and dry it thoroughly with a lint free cloth.

Do not use any cleaning agents, bleaches, detergents or polishes, including those in aerosol cans.

Clean your Alarm regularly to help prevent contamination.

Other considerations to prevent Smoke Alarm contamination:

• Protect your Alarm against dust during any building work, renovation, sanding etc… excessive dust and debris can contaminate the smoke chamber or heat chamber.
• Locate your Alarm away from very dusty or dirty areas.
• Do not locate in insect infested areas. Small insects getting into the smoke detector chamber can cause intermittent alarms.