Do I misunderstand what we mean with "disposable vapes"? It's not the first such comment I see.

When we talk about "disposable vapes", we don't talk about something that lasts 10 years, do we?

Or do you think that the very word "disposable" should not exist, because after all, nothing will last longer than the sun?

You throw away your smoke detector? Just replace the battery.

My guy is out here pulling off the whole thing and tossing it in the trash.

Yes, Smoke Alarms should be thrown away. The element that detects smoke has a 10-year maximum life span, which is exactly why most have moved to a non-replaceable battery that forces you to throw it away (for safety).

I'm going to need to see some data to back up that claim. Americium-241 has a half-life of 432.6 years. The detector itself isn't going to degrade in any meaningful way after only 10 years.

Plus, many smoke alarms these days use a photoelectric sensor which don't wear out but are prone to false alarms from dust, etc. Smoke alarms SHOULD be cleaned at least once a year, by blasting them with compressed air. Dust buildup is a very common reason that smoke alarms stop working as well after any number of years. They require regular cleaning, just like everything else in the house.

Non-replaceable battery smoke alarms are popular because they are much more convenient to own. And you should NOT throw them away, the batteries in these contain lithium and must be recycled.

So you're comparing a smoke detector that lasts 10 years to a disposable vape? Do disposable vapes last 10 years?

Modern smoke detectors, at least here in the US, have a 10-year sealed non-replaceable battery.

Interesting. We bought a bunch (5 pack, 6 pack?) from Costco IIRC about 3-5 years ago, and they all take 2 AA batteries, which is great because we've doubled down on Eneloop batteries for everything possible..

every smoke detector i've seen takes a 9volt battery. maybe this is true for commercial units

Most of those smoke detectors are old and already passed their 10-year-lifespan. People keep putting 9-volt batteries in them, but they shouldn't.

If you go look at modern smoke detectors, many-to-most, now have a non-replaceable battery for exactly that reason.

I didn't have to look far to replace my combo CO/Smoke detector or do a ton of hard searching to find one that just took a 9-volt. The first two results on Amazon US for "smoke detector" take 9-volts.

> The first two results on Amazon US for "smoke detector" take 9-volts.

I did the same thing, and the first four results were Kidde and First Alert Smoke Alarms with non-replaceable 10-year lifespan batteries.

It is likely because you recently purchased one, and Amazon has targeted your results based on your purchase history.

thank you for the information, i bought some in 2023 and they all take 9v batteries so i am quite surprised by this

Those exist and are still available but are fairly outdated in the US. The sealed lithium 10-year disposable is the newer standard. And, actually, building codes for last several year requires them to be hardwired so no batteries at all.

The landlord special on older construction (maybe >10 years old, can't remember when the hardwire code went into effect) will usually be the 9v. Because they don't care about you having to get on a ladder to change the battery every year. They get to save $5-10 per smoke detector. Practically any homeowner is going to choose the 10 year option as the batteries don't have to be swapped.