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FUck! Smoke Alarm is chirping--it's hard-wired electrical--help?

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Whoa_Nelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:07 AM
Original message
FUck! Smoke Alarm is chirping--it's hard-wired electrical--help?
Edited on Fri Mar-31-06 04:13 AM by Whoa_Nelly
Why does this kind of shit have to happen in the middle of the night?

One of the smoke alarms in this house am renting is chirping. It's about 13 ft. up on ceiling. So, I got the old 8 ft. ladder out, climbed up, checked it out...it's hard-wired, can't see where there's a battery backup in it....

so...now what?

Will call the property management in the AM, I guess. Am thinking that since the house is about 15 years old, the detectors are probably as old, and this one may be nearing the end of its life...

At least that's my theory...hope I'm right... :scared:
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Robeson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:13 AM
Response to Original message
1. Well, if it's not battery operated, you may have a fire somewhere....
...if not, it's malfunctioning.
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Whoa_Nelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:20 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. I don't think there's a fire...it's just chirping about every 30 seconds
And there are 5 other smoke detectors in the house, three of which are near the one in the bedroom where the chirping one is located.

But am going outside to have a look see at the roof...
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Whoa_Nelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:24 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. This has been going on for an hour now
I think it just needs to be replaced.
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Robeson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:26 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. Then it's time to call the landlord.
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Whoa_Nelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:36 AM
Response to Reply #4
6. Thanks for replying to my posts, Robeson :-)
It makes me nervous as hell being home alone and this happening.

From everything I've read online (don't know the make or model of the ones here), when the hard-wired types chirp and show a flash of red it most likely means the sensor unit hase to be replaced.

However, am going to keep a check on it. There is no fire department in this little town...just a volunteer one...nearest one is about 10 miles away
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Robeson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:42 AM
Response to Reply #6
8. No prob. First thing is just to make sure there is no fire....
...after that, bug your landlord...:thumbsup:
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In_The_Wind Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:35 AM
Response to Original message
5. Can you turn off the power to the alarm?
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Whoa_Nelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:37 AM
Response to Reply #5
7. The electrical panel is outside...in the rain
and am not sure all breakers are correctly marked, if marked at all.

Thanks...I thought about doing that :hi:
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In_The_Wind Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 04:55 AM
Response to Reply #7
9. I'm sure the landlord can have it disconnected easily enough.

You have other ones that are in good working order. :hi:
It's too bad about your lost sleep tonight.
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Whoa_Nelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 05:01 AM
Response to Reply #9
10. It's a property management company
They're usually pretty good about things...that's if the one and only property manager is in the real estate office for the day
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In_The_Wind Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 05:12 AM
Response to Reply #10
13. Good luck, Whoa_Nelly.

I know you don't want to hear that all weekend.
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Whoa_Nelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 05:15 AM
Response to Reply #13
14. Thanks, Joan!
:pals:
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NMMNG Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 05:01 AM
Response to Original message
11. Did you actually take the unit off the ceiling?
My alarms are electric/hard-wired with battery back up. However I have to take them off the ceilng (by twisting then pulling down gently) to get to the battery compartment. Be careful when pulling the unit off the ceiling so you don't disconnect the wires.
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Whoa_Nelly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 05:05 AM
Response to Reply #11
12. I did twist it off--not easy at 12 ft. up
and I can't get close enough to see if the small compartment I could eyeball is a battery back up part. It was hard enough just climbing up and being barely able to reach the detector. Even harder to twist it back on into place...

Thanks for the response :loveya:
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NMMNG Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 05:43 AM
Response to Reply #12
15. I know how hard it can be
And mine are only 9ft up (except the one in the stairwell). I can't imagine one 13ft up. Of course the ninnies who built my place put the one over the stairs right over the 1st and 2nd step, rather than over the landing. That took some sense. :eyes:

Good luck getting it taken care of--I know how annoying that chirping is. x(
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Bassic Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 07:15 AM
Response to Original message
16. I've got the same problem.
I usually punish it physically until it stops.

That usually works.


:popcorn:
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LostinVA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 07:58 AM
Response to Original message
17. My hard-wired one still sues a battery, and it chirps when it must be
replaced... did you check that?
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Frank Cannon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-31-06 08:01 AM
Response to Original message
18. Sounds to me like a battery backup problem
They tend to happen in the middle of the night, because the batteries get relatively cooler then and if they're on the brink, they'll show just enough of a voltage drop to set off the annoying warning chirp.
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