Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - Ademco 5806 (Wireless Smoke) false alarm

Last week we woke up to the alarm going off telling me the smoke detector in the basement was going off. I went down to investigate and nothing at all seemed out of the ordinary. ADT dispatched a technician that morning who couldn't make sense of the situation, so he replaced it. The detector is only six weeks old, so assuming it was new when it was installed I believe it's unlikely to be dirt-related. Am I wrong? The basement isn't particularly dusty or dirty.

We've only ever had one problem with the hardwired detectors, and I'm pretty sure it was a relatively random false alarm. I'm a little worried that after six weeks something environmental caused the false alarm, and it's just going to happen again (perhaps way more inconveniently when I'm not home).

First, what sort of problems cause these false alarms? It's a photoelectric detector, and I've read that dust, lint, and cat hair can cause problems. (We have rabbits, not cats, but they shed plenty. Still, that seems unlikely.) What can I do to double-check the environment it's in? It's outside a shower that rarely gets used (maybe once a month) and near the door to where the furnace is, but that door is pretty well sealed and weather-stripped to prevent drafts. Are these detectors easy to clean without setting off the alarm?

look at paper work for your det and go to p4 lower left


http://www.guardianalarms.net/home_security_manuals/Ademco/5806_Smoke_Detector.pdf

One of the most common false trips with photo smokes is condensation. If the location runs a bit damp, moisture can condense on the lens of the photo cell in the sensing mechanism, with causes a trip. Naturally, the perfect temp/humidity combo seems to happen at zero-dark-thirty.

Yes you can clean the smokes. Always call in your system on test, first, but the canned air for cleaning computers works just great, and helps dry the chamber.

Cleaning
It is recommended that the detector be removed from its
mounting base to facilitate cleaning. The detector is cleaned
as follows:
NOTE: Before removing the detector, notify the proper
authorities that the smoke detector system is undergoing
maintenance and will be temporarily out of service. Disable
the zone or system undergoing maintenance to prevent unwanted
alarms.
1. Vacuum the screen carefully without removing it
2. Reinstall the detector.
3. Test the detector
4. Notify the proper authorities that the system is back on line.

One of the most common false trips with photo smokes is condensation. If the location runs a bit damp, moisture can condense on the lens of the photo cell in the sensing mechanism, with causes a trip. Naturally, the perfect temp/humidity combo seems to happen at zero-dark-thirty.

Yes you can clean the smokes. Always call in your system on test, first, but the canned air for cleaning computers works just great, and helps dry the chamber.

I wouldn't say it's damp, but it is a basement and it is certainly the dampest place in the house. The fact that three fishtanks are there doesn't help any either, and neither does the relative summer heat. (The ionic air purifier in the basement just hates the use of the AC in the basement, so I'm certain the humidity is a problem.)

I'll try cleaning it regularly if it happens again (hopefully it was a freak accident). If I go to a regular cleaning schedule and that doesn't work, I'm going to switch back to a heat detector because I'll be out of ideas.