If Google Nest Protect sounds a smoke alarm when there's no smoke, or if it chirps and your Nest app says there’s a sensor failure, it means that it needs your attention. In some cases, this occurs because dust got into the smoke chamber or steam has set it off. You need to replace it if the sensor has failed. If your Protect is still under warranty, you may file a claim at g.co/warrantyclaim.
Here are signs that dust may have made it into the smoke chamber:
- Nest Protect sounds an Emergency Alarm saying there’s smoke, even though there isn’t.
- The app says “There is a problem with the smoke sensor.”
- Nest Protect chirps continuously (one chirp per minute).
- Protect will have a yellow light ring during Nightly Promise. It will also sound a Heads-Up alert that says “Heads-Up. The sensors have failed in the [name of room]. Replace Nest Protect now."
- When you press Nest Protect’s button, the light ring will turn yellow and Nest Protect will tell you that the sensors have failed.
Clean your Protect
All photoelectric smoke alarms can be impacted by dust. So, it’s important to keep your Nest Protect free of dust during the installation process and to clean it if dust is building up.
Nest Protect constantly monitors its sensors to ensure that they’re working properly. If dust interferes with the smoke sensor, it can let you know. But, it’s still important to keep your Nest Protect clean and working properly.
For detailed cleaning instructions, refer to How to keep your Nest products clean.
If the problem persists, contact us.
Move Protect away from sources of steam
Steam can also trigger false alarms in many smoke alarms. Common household sources of steam include showers and humidifiers. So if you’ve experienced a false alarm and your Nest Protect is placed near a source of steam, this may be the cause.
To help lower the number of false alarms caused by steam, learn how to perform a Steam Check. But, the best way to eliminate steam-related false alarms completely is to move Nest Protect away from sources of steam like bathrooms and home humidifiers.