I've had a smoke detector that would routinely trigger when the clothes dryer was operating. I think they detect steam as well as smoke.
this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2023
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I had an old one that would go off every time anyone would take a shower. Just another vote for steam setting it off.
I work with fire alarm systems, as others have said, smoke, steam, dust, and even insects inside the detection chamber will trigger a photoelectric smoke det.
Good to know it's also a plague of locusts detector.
Smoke detectors frequently work by having a teensy little radioactive emitter and a teensy radioactivity detector somewhere close to it. It works a bit like a laser trap in a video game or movie, if you break the laser-beam by walking through it, it triggers the alarm because the detector can no longer see the beam.
But it doesn't have to be smoke. Water particles will do it, dust can do it, especially when there's construction work going on putting the dust in the air... it doesn't matter. It just needs to be enough to break the connection between emitter and detector.
Wet steam and the vapor from humidifiers is pretty effective at triggering it because the droplets are bigger than regular humidity.
I assume you mean "CO" detector. CO2 is Carbon Dioxide and I don't think you went out and purchased and installed a detector for that.
High humidity levels can absolutely cause a false alarm on a CO detector. Example: https://safeinhomeair.com/carbon-monoxide-humidity/
I'll also point out that not all CO detectors are created equal. There was a lot of news about this earlier this year where a number of CO detectors sold on Amazon simply did not work, or did not meet published safety and detection standards. Here's an example of some of the serious warnings that were published: https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2023/CPSC-Warns-Consumers-to-Immediately-Stop-Using-GLBSUNION-and-CUZMAK-Digital-Display-Carbon-Monoxide-Detectors-Due-to-Failure-to-Alert-Consumers-to-Deadly-Carbon-Monoxide-Sold-on-Amazon-com#:~:text=The%20CO%20detectors%20were%20sold,on%20www.SaferProducts.gov . Following that announcement, there were several other brands and models that were flagged as being non-compliant. If you haven't done so already, find your make/model and verify that it's not one of the sub-standard units that were pawned on Amazon for years.
CO detectors also need to be replaced (they don't last forever). Most use chemistry to detect CO levels, and that chemistry begins degrading as soon as the unit is built. Some last just a couple years, some are designed to last up to 10 years, but the point is - they all go bad eventually. How old is your detector?
Smoke detectors can also be fooled by high moisture.
I usually don't buy smoke/CO combo units (I prefer separate detectors for each thing), but I do have a combo unit in a hallway in my upstairs - and it's got a great feature where it announces by voice what is triggering the alarm ("smoke" or "carbon monoxide"). Does yours do that or does it just sound the same alarm regardless of what was detected?
My mistake, it's carbon monoxide and smoke
I'm far from an expert on humidity or electronics, but if there was any condensation it's possible a circuit got bridged inside the alarm and triggered it.
This sounds wild but you don't live near Seattle, do you? We just had a minor earthquake and the next morning all my smoke detectors went hog wild. Apparently that can happen?