August 12, 20178 yr comment_10650 I have an old, hard-wired smoke detector that has a battery backup. The wires to the power are cut, and it does not have a battery, yet in complete darkness, it emits a faint green light. My first inclination was that the detector contained a hidden camera and the light is coming from the IR emitter, however my cell phone camera does not detect any IR. Does anyone have an explanation? Do LED's act as capacitors? This is a 60's or 70's model detector. Report
August 14, 20178 yr comment_10666 Smoke detectors in general should be replaced every 10 years, If this detector is as old as you say, then it should be replaced, thereby removing the concern for a green light. As an aside LED's do not act as capacitors, even if they did, they would (in theory) emit the colour of light they are supposed to. Are you sure the material of the detector is not Luminous? Report
September 10, 20223 yr comment_29403 Can you cover the green light on a smoke detector without affecting function? Report
September 12, 20223 yr comment_29432 No. If you did then you would not know if it is powered or not, which is the function of the green LED Report
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