FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV review – how to do battery replacement?

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Does FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV give any false alarm? The one-touch silence/test button makes it easy to operate. Connect them to other compatible hardwired detectors as part of a system for larger spaces. The 120-volt CO smoke detector is designed to be hardwired into your home or office and offers a battery backup for continued functionality in the event of a power outage. Know details in FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV review.

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Pros & Cons – FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV

Pros

  • 85 dB alarm
  • Low battery alert
  • Interconnect up to 18 compatible devices
  • Detects slow smoldering fires
  • Easy installation
  • 10-year limited warranty
  • UL certified

Cons

  • Some reports of faulty devices
  • Some reports of false alarms

Specs – FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV

  • End of Life Signal
  • 120-Volt AC with 2 AA battery back up
  • Electrochemical Carbon Monoxide Sensor
  • Exclusive Programmable Voice Location Technology
  • Single button test/silence
  • Photoelectric Smoke Sensor
  • Optipath 360° Technology
  • Spread Spectrum Horn Tone
  • Perfect Mount – allows for easy alignment of alarm
  • Easy Installation/Maintenance
  • 10 Year Limited Warranty
  • Product Dimensions (LxWxH): 5.1 x 2.4 x 5.1 in.
  • Product Weight: 0.7 lbs.

Applicable areas

  • Child’s Bedroom
  • Living Room
  • Basement
  • Kitchen
  • No Location
  • Guest Bedroom
  • Dining Room
  • Master Bedroom
  • Family Room
  • Office
  • Hallway
  • Utility Room

FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV review

Design

It is circular and hexagonal shaped with a dimension of 5.13 x 2.38 x 5.13 inches. It weighs only around 0.7 pounds. It is battery powered and has 2 sensors – Electrochemical and Photoelectric.

Photoelectric Sensor 

These FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV-3 Hardwired Talking Photoelectric Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms work perfitly to meet the required replacement to your alarm system. They are hot wired into your electric system as well as battery backup. 

Photoelectric sensors are set off when smoke enters the alarm and deflects a beam of light onto a photocell. For slow, smoky, smoldering fires, photoelectric alarms are far more sensitive and effective than ionization alarms. They’re slightly less effective at sensing fast, flaming fires—but the difference in performance is small enough to tilt us toward a photoelectric model as our primary choice and an ionization model as a supplementary alarm.

Electrochemical Sensor

Ionization smoke detectors contain a small amount of radioactive material (1 micro curie of Americium 241). The radioactive element needs to be disposed of at a radioactive waste facility. Some municipalities offer to dispose of the ionization alarms properly, while others to do not.

Smart Voice Integration

This detector has voice commands that announces the troubled location smoke/CO2 which I liked. And with my multi level townhouse that was already wired for multi-connection it was cool that these detectors communicated to each other.

FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV Performance review

I just installed 9 of these today. Its nice to have a combo smoke / CO detector. They were easy to install (if you can turn off your breakers and twist some wires together). They are thicker/taller than my old ones but that is probably due to the CO detection.

The alarm and voice is nice and loud so I have no worries about sleeping through it :). The voice feature seems nice because it will tell you which alarm triggered (if you set the location on each differently). Setting them up is simple. 

FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV customer review

Great Replacement! Change every 10 years!

Our new home had cheap builder grade First Alert/BRK hardwired, smoke only/Ionization only smoke detectors (9120B). They need to be replaced every ten years. So we replaced some with these, so we could have CO detection in the bedrooms, and some with dual Photoelectric and Ionization smoke detectors (3120B). It’s important to have a mix of photoelectric and ionization fire/smoke detection, and several CO detectors, and they must be changed every 10 years.

This helped give us the proper mix of detectors to swap out the out of date, and cheap detectors, the previous owners had in the home. I like that these use AA batteries, instead of 9V batteries most detectors used to use. AAs are easier to swap out, and less expensive. Since we had First Alert/BRK detectors we did not have to re-wire anything, as we could use the existing hardwire plugs. We did have to swap out the mounting rings, as First Alert has made a slight change to the rings, and the newer detectors won’t fit the old rings. However, that’s a simple swap.

Be aware if they rings were left in place the last time you painted, the new rings are smaller, and you will have about a 3/8″ ring exposed around the new smaller mounting rings. We had repainted most rooms prior to moving in and replacing the detectors, so it was only a small issue in a couple locations, but those rooms will be repainted sometime in the next year, so it will be corrected then. In summary: – Great as part of system to replace out of date First Alert/BRK hardwired detectors. – No new wiring if staying with First Alert/BRK. – Mounting rings must be swapped if you have the old style First Alert/BRK mounts, which is likely if these are replacing 10 year old detectors. – The downside to these is they are not part of a “Smart Home” system, but if you want to use that type of system you will be spending a lot more per detector.

By MarkF at LOWES

FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV battery replacement review

How to Replace a Battery

First, you’ll need to unmount the alarm and find the battery compartment.

  1. If your alarm is hardwired, turn off power. 
  2. Remove the alarm from the ceiling or wall.
  3. Locate the alarm’s model number on the back of the unit.
  4. Check the chart in this article or your user manual to find the right replacement batteries, typically 9V or AA. 


After you’ve bought new batteries, it’s time to install them and remount the unit.

  1. Open the battery drawer. If it’s locked, you may need to remove the tamper-resistant locking pin.
  2. Remove the old batteries.
  3. Press and hold the Test/Reset button for 10 seconds to fully discharge the detector. 
  4. Insert the new batteries, and make sure the contact points are facing the right direction.
  5. Close the battery drawer and remount your unit.

FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV Replacement Battery Types

Most detectors take AA or 9V batteries. Use brand-name Duracell, Energizer, or Eveready batteries with an expiration date 4+ years from today’s date. Rechargeable batteries are not recommended.

Refer to the list to find the right batteries for common First Alert alarms.

3120B

  • Battery Type: Two AA batteries

9120B

  • Battery Type: 9V (Nine volt)

CO400 / CO400B

  • Battery Type: 9V (Nine volt)

CO605 / CO605B

  • Battery Type: 9V (Nine volt)

CO615 / CO615B

  • Battery Type: Two AA batteries

PRC710 / PC1210

  • Sealed lithium battery—cannot be replaced

SC7010B

  • Battery Type: Two AA batteries

SC7010BV

  • Battery Type: Two AA batteries

SC9120B

  • Battery Type: 9V (Nine volt)

SCO501CN-3ST / SCO500B

  • Battery Type:  Two AA batteries

SCO5CN

  • Battery Type: Two AA batteries

SCO7CN

  • Battery Type: Two AA batteries

ZCOMBO

  • Battery Type: Two AA batteries

1039102

  • Sealed battery; cannot be replaced

1042136

  • Battery Type: 3-cell lithium battery
  • Location: Front face of alarm in the bottom left corner.

1042135

  • Sealed battery; cannot be replaced

FG200 / FG250 / CO200 / CO250

  • Battery Type: 9V battery
  • Location: Flip the front cover open and replace the 9V battery.

Alternate of FIRST ALERT BRK SC7010BV

X-Sense SD03

A great option for those who can’t hardwire a smoke alarm (or those who might forget to change the batteries).X-Sense SD03 features

DevicePriceTypeBattery-powered/wired
X-Sense SD03$39.99Photoelectric10-year battery

Dentists say you should floss your teeth every day, mechanics suggest rotating your tires every 3,000 miles, and the US Fire Administration says to check your smoke detector batteries at least once a month.2 But then, well, life happens.

This is one reason it’s nice to have a 10-year battery on your smoke detector. While you should still check it for overall functioning every month, it won’t run out of juice on you if you don’t. But not all 10-year smoke alarms are created equal.

Many of the cheapest 10-year devices out there use simple ionization sensors. But the X-Sense SD03 uses an advanced photoelectric sensor. While this is still not as good as having a dual-sensor alarm in your home, it’ll still alert you to both smoldering and flaming fires.

This photoelectric alarm takes three samples of smoke before sounding its alarm, which means fewer false triggers from steamy showers. When it does go off, it has a three-color LED light that’s easy to spot in the dark (and can help alert the hearing impaired).

Pros
  • LED light that activates when the alarm is tripped
  • Low battery alert
  • 3-year warranty
  • 10-year sealed battery
  • Silence button
  • Advanced photoelectric sensor

Cons

  • Not as effective as dual-sensor alarms
  • Not hardwired
  • Not interconnectable

Know your state and local laws

For example, our main recommendation, the First Alert SA511CN2-3ST Interconnected Wireless Smoke Alarm with Voice Location, uses two AA batteries, but many states now require models with 10-year sealed batteries.

It’s important to understand your state and local smoke alarm regulations before making a purchase. We found that many regulations are at odds with one another—and with our recommendations. No company sells a one-size-fits-all smoke alarm capable of satisfying the requirements of every state.

First Alert’s site has a nice interactive map that can help you get started on understanding your state’s requirements. We also recommend contacting your local fire department for more information specific to your area.

An important note on fire safety

Working smoke alarms are essential in any home, but you should treat them as just one piece of a comprehensive fire-safety plan. Your plan should include other safety items such as fire extinguishers and escape ladders, but most important, you should base your plan on an awareness of what to do in case of a fire. Firehouse Magazine’s Timothy Sendelbach told us, “The best advice I can offer is to practice fire drills, using the test button on the alarm, to familiarize family members with the sound and recommended actions to be taken upon activation.” For more information, we recommend the NFPA’s page on how to make a home fire escape plan.

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Abu Saleh Rizvee
Abu Saleh Rizvee

I love to write content and contribute for my society. I invest my days in creating content for products those I love and brands who need online presence

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