Inspection of an Expired Smoke Detector.

This old smoke detector in my home has become a nuisance by going off on its own.

Step 1: The Dates.

The service life on these cheap smoke detectors is about 10 years after which it becomes unreliable.

Step 2: The Tool.

My Handy pen knife came in useful in this job.

Step 3: Popping It Open.

Using the knife blade, I popped the 3 clips holding the cover. Now the guts of the smoke detector is available for inspection.

Step 4: The Internals.

Here the ionization chamber and piezo speaker can be seen in addition to the circuit board. Such a shame it cannot be refreshed.

Step 5: Salvage.

The 9v battery clip is perfectly good so I removed this for use in future projects.

Step 6: The End.

The rest of the smoke detector is good for garbage now. These detectors contain a very tiny amount of Americium as the radioactive ionization source. Once the ionization chamber is not interfered with, it is perfectly safe to dispose in regular household garbage. Bye-bye old detector!