I live in an old condo apt. and there was a smoke detector in the wall. there is a hole in the wall with plugged up electric connections, because we had a friend who is an electrician come over and plug up the wires since the alarm itself was making these constant bleeping sounds and we changed the battery, etc., but nothing worked so we took it out of the hole in the wall. My question is this: if I should eventually cover over the hole that was made in the wall by the contractor years ago (it’s about 7 inches in diameter) do I need to do anything further with the wires that are now blocked off behind the wall for the connection to the smoke detector?
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The wires are most likely power, with one leg used to signal other detectors that it has been activated, no you cannot cover the wires, you must have access to them, so the most appropriate thing to do would be to buy a new smoke detector and put it back up– the safest also
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That’s what I was thinking. Is there now a working smoke detector in that area of the apartment? And what about other detectors? It was likely just a smoke detector that had gotten old and needed replacing.
In our village, we have a zillion ordinances regulating residences and the ones regarding smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are strict. We have to have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors no more than 5 feet from each bedroom, they have to be hardwired in rather than be only battery, and nothing is grandfathered in — before a house sale can go thru, someone from the village comes out and inspects for proper sump pump attachment, proper smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and that electrical outlets around kitchen sinks, in bathrooms, etc. are GF outlets.
My neighbor recently remodeled his kitchen and bathroom and when the village came in to inspect for that, they wouldn’t clear what he’d done until he hardwired in the smoke/carbon monoxide detectors even the ones that had nothing to do with the kitchen or bathroom. Being a 1950s house, all the previous owners had just put up the simple battery operated ones. The inspector went thru his house, checking every detector.
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You should buy another AC-powered smoke detector and hook it up to the wires in the wall. They’re inexpensive. The detector is probably required by building codes and your condo rules – If you want to sell the condo one day you’ll probably have to put it back, and if the council finds it is missing you may get fined.