Starting January 1st, new smoke detectors installed in Illinois homes must be the kind with permanently installed batteries. Ottawa Fire Dept. Capt. Kevin Theis says the kind with replaceable batteries don’t have to come out yet, unless they’re past their service lives.
The new detectors don’t let you take out the batteries. The batteries last ten years, so when they go bad, you have to replace the detector anyway. There are some exceptions to the new rule, including for detectors with electrical wiring.