My 1:30 AM Smoke Alarm adventure!

[Sannum]

You know when the battery is low in your smoke alarm and it emits a high-pitched squeal? Well, mine started to do that and I tried to ignore it, but it just kept getting worse. I got a ladder to try to push the reset button. It didn't work. I got a broom handle and tried to take the thing apart. The case fell off, but the damn thing was still beeping. Shit. I wacked it a few more times out of anger and frustration and in my clumsiness, I ended up breaking the damn light fixture in the hallway, sending glass flying all over the hallway, the entrance to the bedroom and the living room. I ended up calling the maintainance people begging someone taller than me to take the damn battery out. Thankfully, the doorman came up and did it. I am going to have to tip him tommorow.

Whoever had the thought "I think we should put batteries in these things and make them squawk when it is low" should be taken out and shot. If he is dead, he should be dug up, brought back to life and shot just because it is so damn annoying:P.

[radfringe]

1. low battery "beep beep beep" story

I use to work for an agency that ran a program for low-income homeowners. We gave out loans for home repairs to bring the residences up to code.

One of the things we required was the installation of smoke detectors.
Also, the contractors had to warranty their work for at least 1 year and/or longer dependingon the type of work done.

One of our contractors wandered into our office looking a bit bleary-eyed and told us this story...

About 2:30 in the morning his telephone started ringing and woke him up. It was one of the homeowners for which the contractor had done repairs a year ago. the conversation went something like this:

Homeowner: You gotta do something about the smoke detector

Contractor: ummm, what's the problem?

Homeowner: it's beeping

Contractor: beeping how? One long beep? (thinking there was fire in the house)

Homeowner: No, it just goes beep beep beep then it stops and then starts up again. Been doing that for days, I can't sleep -- you have to come over and fix it.

Contractor: oh, that just means the battery is low. You have to put in a new battery

Homeowner: Battery is low? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE BATTERY IS LOW? I HAVEN'T USED IT, I HAVEN'T HAD A FIRE -- WHY DO I HAVE TO CHANGE THE BATTERY?