Quick take
- Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, when clocks fall back an hour.
- Test smoke alarms monthly. Replace 9-volt batteries and backup batteries in hardwired alarms at least once a year.
- Replace smoke alarms 10-years from the manufacture date. Alarms with sealed 10-year batteries get replaced per the maker’s instructions.
- Put alarms inside and outside each bedroom and on every level of the home. Never pull the battery when cooking sets one off.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, when clocks fall back one hour, according to NIST. While you’re changing clocks, take a few minutes to check your smoke alarms. The U.S. Fire Administration says “a smoke alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as having no smoke alarm at all.”
Check what kind you have
- 9-volt battery: test monthly, replace the battery at least once a year and replace the whole alarm every 10-years.
- Sealed 10-year lithium battery: test monthly and replace the whole alarm according to the maker’s instructions.
- Hardwired: test monthly, replace the backup battery at least once a year and replace the whole alarm every 10-years.
Check each alarm for its manufacture date. The fire administration says alarms need to be replaced 10-years from that date.
Where alarms belong
- Inside each bedroom and outside each sleeping area
- On every level of the home, including the basement
- On the ceiling or high on the wall, following the maker’s instructions
The fire administration recommends interconnected alarms, so when one sounds they all sound, and alarms with both ionization and photoelectric sensors. Alarms with strobe lights or vibration are available for people who can’t hear a standard alarm. Only a qualified electrician should install hardwired alarms.
If cooking sets it off
Don’t take the battery out. Open a window or door, press the hush button and wave a towel to clear the air. If it keeps happening, move the alarm several feet farther from the kitchen or bathroom.
Free alarms
Some fire departments give out or install battery alarms for free or at a reduced price, the fire administration says. Call your local fire department’s nonemergency number to ask.