Smoke alarms

We have the type that are mains power backed up by a battery but of late they seem to be very very sensitive.Opening the bathroom door after a bath sets off the upstairs one and the downstairs one goes off when you open the oven door in the kitchen, or make toast.Both alarms are about 20ft from the two sources mentioned. We had a slight electrical storm last night and if we have a power cut they seem to go a bit crazy for a few days.
Do you think it is worth getting them checked out,I have put new batteries in and given them a good clean.
Anybody else have similar problems?

Dicky - let me talk to the boys I'll see if i can get an answer for you

[Sir Trev]

I am so glad we persuaded the builder not to install the hard wired smoke alarms our architect insisted we had to have when he had our extension put on two years ago. Your experiences DT are exactly what we were concerned about.

I'll stick to the old fashioned battery ones we've got about the house.

[timwilky]

Thanks reminds me I need to ruin the new decoration in the lounge and install a new one.

When my daughter was about 6, I installed them for the first time and she went hysterical, would not go to bed etc. She was convinced we were going to have a fire, otherwise why would we need an alarm.

[embee]

Have you got the most appropriate type in the right place?

Near kitchens and bathrooms it is recommended to use optical types which are less prone to false alarms from cooking and steam than the ionisation types, which are recommended for sitting rooms and bedrooms. Kitchens, lofts and garages usually should use heat detectors.

There are wireless interlinked units available now, and also types which simply replace the ceiling rose for a room light, don't have any experience of them though.

Dicky..

take em down, dust and hoover them.

if there dusty they aint much good as they pick up particulate in the air that passes a small radioactive source.

the air movement will give false positives and set the thing off. hoover it!