Fire Alarms...those rude little smurfs!

[Chako]

I am sorry to say, for a few weeks now, I have been dreaming about something beeping while I slept. Then it happened. I sort of woke up to a fire alarm beeping. It was in the early morning hours and because I had to get up for work the next morning, promptly fell back to sleep. I thought I would remember to change the batteries...but nothing beeped when I got up at 6 am.

This pattern of somewhat waking in the wee hours of the morning to the distant chirp of a fire alarm, and the being all too comfortable and tired with sleep, and the notion of fixing the issue when morning came in a dream like state was getting a bit repetitious. True to form, the blighted fire alarm would cease its chirping. Best part, I didn't know which of my 7 fire alarms was the culprit. Never mind that it probably had been going on for quite some time before I became cognizant to the fact.

Well it woke me up this morning. True to form, it started at around 2 am. I quickly found that smurf and changed its battery. I just finished running all the other smurfers through the battery test.  So now I am looking forward to some much deserved sleep...except I am now wide awake and typing this stuff up.

Yeah, life is like that. 

[Sparky415]

^^^ 



   This is a good reminder to test your smoke detectors today Guys

   And your lint trap!

 
 

[Reinier]

My smoke alarm tends to go off after a steaming hot shower. But somehow its test cycle makes a louder noise

[gregozedobe]

It's quite common for smoke alarms to give the "low battery voltage" beep/chirp in the early hours of the morning. 

The explanation is quite simple:  they aren't doing it then just to confuse befuddled sleep people, it's caused because most 9V batteries are alkalines, and alkaline batteries have reduced voltage in lower temperatures.  So if a battery is getting close to the threshold trigger point for low voltage it will most likely do that when the room cools down.  And when are most rooms the coolest ?  That's right, in the early morning hours when the heating has been turned down/off while people (attempt to) sleep.

As Sparky415 says, test your smoke detectors today if you haven't done so recently. It may save lives. I also take out the batteries and test them with my load tester (some batteries can show OK on voltage, but are not able to deliver the required current if required).  If they test below 80% capacity I replace them (I use the old batteries in 9V nightlights until they are totally flat).