Smoke Detector Installation and Residential Smoke Detector Repair
Electric Wire Services installs and replaces smoke detectors in homes and businesses across California, New Jersey, Texas and Washington. Installation starts at $90 per detector where suitable wiring already exists, and new wiring costs more.
- Licensed and insured
Company licensed and insured; our electricians are licensed
- Call center 24/7
A live person answers right away
- Callback in five minutes
We aim to call you back within five minutes after the form
- Same-day service
Often available, depending on electrician availability
- Google rating
4.8 to 5 across 11 California listings, about 628 reviews
A chirping alarm at 2 a.m. is hard to ignore, and hard to fix yourself when the alarms are hardwired and linked together.
Our licensed and insured electricians find the unit at fault, replace what has reached the end of its life and test the set. That is residential smoke detector repair and installation done by an electrician. See all our electrical services.
When should you replace or add smoke detectors?
- A hardwired alarm keeps chirping after you changed the battery
- Alarms go off with no smoke
- An upstairs alarm does not set off the downstairs ones
- An alarm is about 10 years old or more
- A room was converted into a bedroom and has no alarm
- You moved in or renovated and want the coverage checked
The U.S. Fire Administration says alarms “need to be replaced 10 years from the manufacture date”, should be tested monthly, and should go “inside and outside each bedroom and sleeping area” and “on every level of the home”.
To plan the visit, it helps to know whether your alarms are battery-powered or hardwired, how many there are, the ceiling height, and the brand and age of the old units. Tell the call center what you can.
How much does smoke detector installation cost?
How much does it cost to install smoke detectors? Our starting price is $90 per detector, where suitable wiring already exists. New wiring costs more. That figure is a starting price; your cost may differ
| Job | Starting price | What the price covers |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke detector installation | From $90 per detector | A detector at a location with suitable existing wiring |
| A detector where no wiring is in place | Priced after the electrician has seen the route | New wiring changes the work and the cost |
- How many alarms are in the job
- Whether the existing wiring suits the new alarms
- Whether the alarms are linked together
- The ceiling height
Who buys the new alarms? Tell the call center whether you already have them. The electrician checks that the model fits the old plate and the wiring.
Why is my smoke detector beeping?
A chirp every so often usually means the unit needs attention: a weak backup battery, an alarm at the end of its life, or a power or interconnect fault. If a hardwired alarm keeps chirping after you change the battery, or linked alarms go off together, an electrician should find the unit at fault.
What to note before you call:
- Which alarm it is, and the manufacture date on its label if you can read it
- How often it chirps
- Whether other alarms in the home sound at the same time
Please do not disconnect an alarm just to silence it, and do not leave the home without working alarms.
What did we find on real smoke detector jobs?
An upstairs alarm that missed the downstairs tests
In a remodeled apartment, an upstairs alarm missed the downstairs tests. The interconnect joined incompatible models. We installed a compatible alarm set, and all units sounded together. When a replacement is due, keep the compatible model details.
A bedroom with no alarm
A room conversion changed the sleeping layout, and the new bedroom had no alarm. We installed the right coverage, and the test reached the new bedroom. Review alarm coverage whenever a room changes use.
An alarm that kept chirping
One alarm kept chirping because its service life had ended. We replaced the dated unit, and the replacement passed its functional test. Report warnings rather than silencing a device.
The interconnect joined incompatible models; we installed a compatible alarm set. Smoke alarm work includes age, location and interconnection. We check all three, because a working test button on one unit does not prove the home has suitable coverage.
What happens on a smoke detector visit?
Call and we answer right away, including late at night. Send the form instead, and we aim to call you back within five minutes.
The call center offers a time slot and a price estimate.
You book, and we adjust the timeline if you need to move it.
A licensed and insured electrician finds the alarm at fault, checks the wiring and the linked units, and installs or replaces what is needed.
If you accept the price, the work can start at that visit, or on a day you choose.
Alarm going off at night? Same-day appointments are often available, depending on electrician availability. Our live call center takes calls 24/7.
Renting or in a condo? An owner or manager may need to approve the work. Tell the call center who approves it and who lets the electrician in.
Diagnostic visit or quote for alarm work?
| Your situation | How we start | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| A chirping or falsely alarming unit you cannot identify | A diagnostic visit to find the unit at fault | A diagnostic visit can carry a charge. It varies and is usually under $50. |
| A known number of alarms to install or replace | A price estimate from the call center | Starting price of $90 per detector; the electrician confirms on site |
| A panel upgrade or rewiring found to be needed | A free quote | Free quotes apply to circuit breaker replacement, panel upgrade, panel installation, EV charger installation and rewiring |
Smoke detector installation is not one of the free-quote services. Ask the call center whether a diagnostic charge applies to your job.
Who installs the alarms, and what guidance applies?
Electric Wire Services is a licensed and insured electrical company, and every electrician we send is licensed.
The U.S. Fire Administration says to “choose interconnected smoke alarms so that when one sounds, they all sound”, and to replace a hardwired alarm’s backup battery “at least once every year”.
Whether alarm work needs a permit depends on your city. The electrician tells you what applies.
Read our reviews.
Smoke detector questions: chirping, linked alarms and who buys the units
Why does my hardwired alarm keep chirping after I changed the battery?
Common causes are the unit reaching the end of its life, or a power or interconnect problem. The electrician tests the unit and the linked set to find it.
My interconnected alarms keep going off at night, even after I removed them. Why?
Linked alarms can behave as a group, so one unit can set off the rest. A visit is needed to test the set, and we do not promise a cause over the phone.
Can someone come today? It is beeping and I cannot sleep.
Same-day appointments are often available, depending on electrician availability. Emergency electrician work starts at $150 per hour, a low-end after-hours labor rate that may not be a full repair price.
Can you remove or silence an alarm that will not stop?
Removal should be done by a licensed electrician, and the home should not be left without working alarms.
What does it cost to have someone look at it?
A diagnostic visit can carry a charge. It varies and is usually under $50. Installation starts at $90 per detector.
I rent, or I own a condo. Who can approve the work?
An owner, landlord or manager may need to approve it. Tell the call center, and we plan around who lets the electrician in.
Smoke detector installation near me: where do we work?
We install smoke detectors across our service areas, including:
See the areas we serve.