Are 10-year batteries a good idea?
Smoke alarms sold with 10-year batteries should be sealed to prevent the replacement of the battery because the smoke alarm itself should be replaced after 10 years. The low-battery signal will begin to “chirp” (a brief beep about once every minute), meaning that it is time to discard the whole unit and replace it with a new smoke alarm. You can buy 10-year batteries that can be placed in other smoke alarms, but you should never put one in an older new smoke alarm. The battery will outlast the working life of the smoke alarm. NOTE: Ten-year batteries will not last for their stated service life in photoelectric smoke alarms because this type of smoke alarm uses more power than an ionization type. However, there is nothing wrong with installing a long-life battery in them as long as you remember to replace the smoke alarm itself when it is ten years old.
