Check your home smoke alarms monthly: a six-step routine
A practical check of alarm placement, power source, test button, batteries and age to improve the chance of warning during a fire.
Wikimedia Commons · © William Crochot / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
The U.S. Fire Administration recommends testing smoke alarms monthly, changing replaceable batteries as instructed and generally replacing alarms after ten years. These are U.S. recommendations; local rules and the device manual take priority. Treat any possible real fire as an emergency and evacuate immediately.