Introduction: 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!