Homeowner Forum / Construction / July 2006

Could be a smoke alarm with batteries getting weak.  They are
saying, change me.

Get a proper ladder, not folding steps.

A month ago the same beeping was heard in my house. I thought it was the UPS
for the computer. Hauled that out and the beeping persisted. Then I started
getting wierd and thinking a baby chipmunk or some other critter was in the
house and even got down looking under furniture and in the closet. Silly me.
I then realized the beeps were a single beep I counted 45 seconds apart and
had to head into the bathroom when something beeped right over head. Sure
enough, there was a smoke alarm we hardly ever pay attention to and luckily
it has a weak battery detection that beeps every 45 seconds.

<%= Clinton Gallagher
       NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
       URL http://www.metromilwaukee.com/clintongallagher/

Sounds like someone lost their pager. I had a emergency service call
about 5 years ago, for a unknown motor sound in the upper floor hallway
of a home. I went there and sure enough I heard a motor sound, checked
all the bath fans, circulator pumps, and nothing was running , I then
went down and turned off the main breaker and the noise was still
there. I investigated a little further and found out that the owners 17
year old daughter dropped her 6" vibrator behind the dresser before she
left for school. Service call: $90  Look on moms face: Priceless!

Andy writes:

  In our new house we have ceiling smoke detectors in every room.
These
are wired together and line/battery powered.  When one beeps, it is
impossible to tell which one, even when 2 feet from it on a ladder.
The sound is so high pitched, and only beeps once a minute for a tenth
of a second.....

 As a practical matter, I would unplug them, one by one, until the
beeping
stopped.  Usually I would have to unplug 5 or 6 before I foung the
offender...

  So I unplugged all  the damn things....   One or another would run
down
every month and I was constantly hauling a ladder out......and I just
got tired of the hassle...

   There needs to be a better way of signaling a low battery than
beeping it's a.s off......

    At least if a fire starts, it won't be due to a short in the smoke
detector...

I like the one I can buy for $5 and hang on the wall.  Cheaper and
easier
to locate when bad..

                              Andy in Eureka, Texas