Inserted 9v battery wrong way into fire alarm, expected damage?

[raresoup]

Was in a rush and inserted 9v battery wrong way into a fire alarm. Not sure how much time passed but within 15-20 minutes i noticed the smell of something getting burned and quickly removed the battery. It was a bit too hot to hold, and it had deformed the plastic around it slightly. What permanent damage am i expecting here? Should I replace both the device and the battery?

Not too tech savvy, this was just the forum that came up and seemed to fit my question

 

[KJ6EAD]

Do you mean a smoke alarm unit? The battery will be dead or nearly so and the alarm cannot be trusted. It's surprisingly poor design that would allow reverse installation and not have electronic protection to prevent damage. If the alarm is more than ten years old, it will be overdue for replacement anyway. If it's new, you may be able to get replacement under warranty.

 

[Bluejets]

Never saw warranty cover reverse connection before.

 

[KJ6EAD]

Warranties for consumer safety devices are often liberally interpreted as a hedge against civil liability. In other words, replacement with no questions asked is typical. It's better to replace a device that cost them $3 to make instead of accept the small possibility of significant exposure in case of a fire.

 

[Audioguru]

My smoke detectors are made so that a 9V battery cannot physically be installed backwards.

 

[Bluejets]

Any worth a cracker will.

 

[WHONOES]

Surely installing a battery backwards would result in no connection?

 

[Audioguru]

Maybe the smoke detector has no 9V battery jack designed to prevent contact when the battery is backwards, but has just two cheap contacts.