Hot Tub Forum

General => General info Somewhat hot tub related => Topic started by: Brookenstein on January 31, 2006, 06:35:32 pm

Title: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Brookenstein on January 31, 2006, 06:35:32 pm
do smoke detectors beep randomly when the batteries are low or is there a bomb in my house?  I have heard a high pitch beep about 4 times over 8 hours today.  Have no clue where it is coming from.
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: socal on January 31, 2006, 06:38:04 pm
to answer it simply

YES  ;D
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: J._McD on January 31, 2006, 07:37:11 pm
1) Alarm system on the house?  battery back up drained down, gfci tripped, no 110v volt supply to alarm.

2) Smoke alarm?

3) Mosquito magnet in the basement or garage?

Pick anyone of the three.
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Bonibelle on January 31, 2006, 08:25:27 pm
Check the toy box...
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Brookenstein on January 31, 2006, 09:06:44 pm
Quote
Check the toy box...


That really made me laugh.   ;D  Then I realized what you meant.   :-[
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Brewman on January 31, 2006, 09:36:12 pm
Quote
do smoke detectors beep randomly when the batteries are low or is there a bomb in my house?  I have heard a high pitch beep about 4 times over 8 hours today.  Have no clue where it is coming from.


Yes to the battery low, no to the bomb, unless you sprung for the bomb detector option.  But I'd hope that'd to more than just chirp! 
Code in this area is to have these in every bedroom, and common area.  In this house we have at least 8 of them, and when one starts chirping, usually around 2:30 am on a workday, it drives me nuts trying to find the culprit.  Not the most directional sound in the world.
One solution is to replace all of the batteries once a year, like on the 4th of July or something, before they go bad.  Another more expensive option is to use lithium batteries- this may cost about $10 per alarm, but you're supposed to get a good decade or better before they die.
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Tman122 on February 01, 2006, 05:05:07 am
Another option, call me or your local electrical contractor and have a 110v system installed.
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Brewman on February 01, 2006, 08:23:15 am
We have 110v smokes, but they have a battery backup, which is required by code in this area.  We aren't even allowed to use the battery only ones anymore in new costruction or remodeling.

Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Vinny on February 01, 2006, 09:06:06 am
I HATE the electrical ones ... they seem more sensitive. I had to put them in because of my screen room on the deck and almost every time we use the oven it goes off. The funny thing about that is my wife put the oven on the clean cycle and not once did the detectors alarm, go figure!! ???
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: luvmytub on February 01, 2006, 09:48:15 am
Mine ALWAYS start the chirping around 2 or 3 am.  I've often wondered WHY?!  Why not during the day when I'm already awake.....They have never once started chirping while we were up.
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Brookenstein on February 01, 2006, 09:52:41 am
Well it didn't chirp at all once my husband got home... so he plans to drop me off me off at the funny farm for some me time this afternoon.   :-/
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: socal on February 01, 2006, 12:36:02 pm
Quote
Well it didn't chirp at all once my husband got home... so he plans to drop me off me off at the funny farm for some me time this afternoon.   :-/


straight jackets, white coats, lousy food, "constructive" critisism, people running around screaming that they rule the world...........ahhh the memories.


oh, wait, thats my family ;D my bad ;)
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: ssbraun on February 01, 2006, 12:59:38 pm
Quote

That really made me laugh.   ;D  Then I realized what you meant.   :-[


Odd how you made the above connection, and the beeping just "mysteriously" disappeared right after. Hmmmm...
;) ;)...love your sense of humour, Brooke ;D  (assuming you mean what I think you meant!)
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: spiman on February 03, 2006, 02:53:39 pm
There are certain locations in a structure to put smoke alarms.


There are certain locations in a structure to put heat alarms so the smoke detecter isn't always going off.

There are certain places in a structure to put a carbon monixide detector.

My best advice, call you local fire department.............
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Chas on February 03, 2006, 06:16:30 pm
I noticed that they now sell "kitchen" smoke detectors. Supposedly designed for fewer false alarms I guess.

I am installing the 110 volt kind, and they interconnect. If one goes off back in the far end of the house, the one in my bedroom triggers as well.

You would think one of these electricians whose kids I have put through college would offer to help me out, but nooooooo....
Title: Re: I know I'm a dork, but...
Post by: Brewman on February 03, 2006, 08:12:25 pm
I found out when I finished my  basement last year that I had to add the basement smoke detectors to the same circuit as the ones in the rest of the house.  That wasn't too big of a deal, because they did put one in the unfinished basement, and I just strung the others from that one.  The thing that got me was that to meet code all of the detectors had to be compatible- essentially the same model as the ones I got 6 years ago when I built the house.  Only one place in town had those, or I'd had to replace all of the existing ones too.