I fired up the subwoofer yesterday for about six hours (including playing the Titan AE ice field scene) and no smoke alarms went off either during operation or afterward at night. It seems my problem is resolved.
As far as the subwoofer being the cause of the smoke detectors going off, I can offer the following. About the only thing different from the first incident was that I vacuum cleaned the smoke detectors, based on recommendations on some of the smoke alarm websites. (The smoke detectors showed no signs of being dusty but I couldn’t see inside.)
From reviews of the PB12+2 it was said that the PB12+2 could set things in the room (or other rooms) vibrating. This is conjecture, but it may be the PB12+2 stirred up dust in one or more of the smoke detectors and set off the alarm. The only thing that doesn’t make sense in this theory is that during the first incident the smoke detectors didn’t go off immediately, but went off at night. I had never had a false alarm with the smoke detectors until the PB12+2 operated. The smoke detectors also went off once at random during the following week for about two minutes (before cleaning).
The smoke detectors are about 12 years old and fire authorities recommend replacing them at seven to ten years, so my smoke detectors are probably near the end of their useful life and were making false alarms. Having old smoke detectors however does not explain the smoke detectors first going off with first use of the PB12+2. Whether smoke alarms sounding is caused by the PB12+2 or just a random coincidence remains a question.
Some other related data is that the smoke alarms are hard wired on their own circuit breaker and each have battery backup for power failures. A suitable replacement smoke detector is available on the web for $9.49 each. The hassle with smoke detector replacement is messing with AC power and interconnect wiring, while standing on a ladder near the ceiling while looking up through lower bifocals. It might be a job better left to an electrician, particularly since it is an important safety system. If I have smoke detector problems again, I will replace them.
