How do I disable/remove a hard-wired smoke detector?

Locate the breaker for the detector in your service panel and switch it off. Unscrew the detector from it's mounting plate (usually a half turn to the right or left). Uncouple the wire nuts joining the detector wires to the black, white and ground wire of the incoming conductors. Then you will need to either cap the black and white wire with tape or the wire nut, if this detector was a stand alone, or at the end of the line. If there are downstream detectors, you will need to couple the black, white and copper ground conductors together. Switch your breaker back on and you should be good to go.

This is not an answer but a question as well. I live in an apartment and cannot remove or move my hard-wired smoke detector. It is about 3 feet from the stove and even boiling water sets it off. Just so you know, I don't burn my food, my stove and oven are spotless (ok pretty clean) and I know how to boil water. It has gotten to the point where I don't even enjoy cooking anymore because I am so anxious about the smoke detector. No window nearby to open, but a great fan..... but it still goes off almost every time. It is making me crazy. Oh and it is on the same fuse as the stove. Ahhhhh. Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

A hammer fixes all problems XD no joking aside... that must be really annoying :s I would call in an electrician, even though it will cost money it wouldn't be good for you to get injured trying to remove something that is meant to save your life. If nobody comes up with good advice, get a guy in.

NB*... Don't skip the caveats of potential safety hazards of disconnecting a hard-wired smoke detector. But if you insist on taking a risky route then: 1. Turn of the power at your mains (This will turn off all electrical power to your home) 2. Read the instructions to remove the cover (often these will be moulded onto the plastic base) 3. Once removed read the label details as these might provide further instructions 4. Use a screw driver to detach the wires attached to the alarm. This will disable the alarm and stop the chirping. BUT 5. You need to climb up a manhole into the roof-space and tie off/terminate these wires at their source, and not leave them lying in the roof. (Normally a qualified electrician's job) 6. You will need to do some plaster work to fill in the hole you have once the smoke detector base plate is removed from ceiling.

Not all smoke detectors work together. If its a hard wired system, all talk to each other, then they should all be the same model, same make. If its only the problem detector, replace it with the same detector that's of a newer model. Short term, you can disconnect the a/c wiring feeding it.

it is possible that the battery back-up is working, and has not been enabled properly. Some hard-wired detectors have a plastic pull tab that is required to be pulled once the power is turned on. It is possible that this was not removed correctly and the battery is not connected.

I know you don't want to hear this but DON'T do it. call an electrician to replace the chirping one. Please!

I agree with Norm V. And as long as your doing that take it to an electrical supply house and by a new one! and reinstall

You should be able to simply turn it on direction or the other and pull it off the ceiling/wall. It should have a wire harness that plugs into the back that you just need to pull out. Now if it isn't mounted like that then you should be able to remove the face of it. You would find it screwed onto the wall with the wire coming in. It would be best to find the fuse/breaker that provides current for this circuit before you attempt to remove it. After removing power just cut or unscrew the wires and put a wire nut on the ends of the wires tuck them into the electrical box the alarm should have been mounted to. Cover the box with your choice of style blank wall plate or a picture and restore power. On some smoke detectors after the batter has been changed you need to reset the alarm. You do this by pressing the test button. If it is a seriously outdated alarm then you may want to replace it. I dont like battery only alarms and there is no substitution for a wired detector with a batter back up. Be sure to check the other detector and make sure it is for smoke and not some other gas like Radon or carbon monoxide. They look alike and are easily mistook for one or the other. I would suggest getting a new detector and installing it where the other one was. In fact if all of the smoke detectors in the house are the same I would replace them all as they are good for 10 years. There should be information on the back of the detector saying when it was made or when to replace it, read it carefully. Be safe!!!