I have had my system for nearly 5 years. I’ve replaced both my smoke alarms batteries when they signaled the battery was low each within the last year around the same time. In light of the fact that my entire system was installed in the same day, I am curious why the CO alarms have not ran out of battery, if they are still properly working in addition to properly communicating with the corresponding monitoring station.
Hi Alexandra,
Great question, and good news: your CO detectors are working and communicating exactly as they should.
I checked both devices on your account:
- Pantry CO Detector: Status OK, Strong signal
- Basement CO Detector: Status OK, Strong signal
Both are reporting in normally with no low-battery, tamper, or communication issues, so they’re properly talking to your panel and to our monitoring station.
As for why they haven’t needed a battery change while your smoke alarms did — that’s normal, not a sign of a problem. Your smoke detectors and CO detectors use different battery technology under the hood, so even though everything was installed on the same day, they don’t drain or reach end-of-life on the same schedule. The CO detectors typically run on a longer battery cycle than the smoke detector batteries in your system, which is why you’re seeing that gap.
Everything’s looking good on our end — let us know if you have any other questions!
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Thank you for that very quick response. I am still wondering what I can do to ensure everything is working on my own (without having to ask through this forum). In addition, when will I know or when should I plan to change the batteries of my CO alarms to ensure I never experience a lapse in detection?
Hi Alexandra,
Good questions — here’s how you can keep tabs on this yourself going forward:
How to self-check:
- Portal/app status: You can check device status and signal strength anytime, without needing to ask us, by logging into your customer portal or the Alarm.com app and viewing your device list. It’s the exact same view we check on our end — it shows Status, Signal Strength, and any trouble conditions for each sensor.
- Test button (quick press): A quick tap of the test button on a CO detector confirms the local sounder works, but on its own it does not confirm the panel or monitoring station received anything.
- Full communication test: To confirm the panel and monitoring station actually receive a signal from the detector, give us a call first so we can put your account in test mode (this avoids triggering a false dispatch), then follow the hold-to-test instructions in your detector’s manual.
- Sensor performance: The test button only checks the alarm/communication path — it doesn’t confirm the sensor can still detect CO. Verifying actual sensing performance requires a canned CO test kit, which isn’t something you need to do often, but it’s good to know it’s a separate check from the test button.
You also don’t have to go looking for problems day to day — if a detector’s battery gets low, develops a fault, or loses signal, it automatically sends a trouble signal to the panel and to us, and you’ll see a notification in your app as well.
When to plan your battery change:
The CO detectors used in systems like yours are commonly rated for about 5 years of battery life (3 AA alkaline batteries) and about 7 years of total sensor life. Your system is right around that 5-year mark, so it’s a reasonable time to proactively check or replace the batteries rather than wait for a low-battery signal to fire on its own.
One note: I don’t want to speculate on how your specific CO detectors’ battery life compares to your smoke detectors’ battery life, since those can vary by exact model.
Let us know if you have any other questions!