It was two nights ago. 11:55pm and the fire alarms are going off all over the house. This is the first house we have ever owned where the alarms are wired into the electrical of the house. There are about six of these things going crazy on the main floor and upstairs.
First I check every nook and cranny of the house. No fire. That is good. Then I call the alarm company. They tell me that this is not a part of their system. Then I go downstairs, find the panel and unplug the power. Nothing. Then I unplug the battery backup. Nothing. Nothing will stop this alarm. And it is LOUD.
I call the fire department non emergency line. A few minutes later the big truck rolls up outside our house. That is always a little embarrassing. I tell them the story. They tell me that there should be one smoke alarm that is flashing red. We look. Sure enough, we find it in a bed room. Evidently in this system, when one goes off, they all go off.
This one went off because it had collected enough dust that the chip inside thought there was a fire. The fireman took it down, blew on it, and put it back up. Every thing stopped. I thanked them, and apologized to them for getting them out late at night.
The moral of the story is that you really should change your batteries every year, even in an electrical system, there is a back up battery. And when you change your battery, be sure to blow thru the fins and vents on the alarm. You will get more sleep and so will the firemen. And, the dog, the poor dog will be happier too.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
4 comments:
Jeff, you probably turned into a regular "Smokey, the BEAR" with all that frustration. We learn something new every day (night.) Thanks for sharing the insight with us.
I have a can of 'air' with the attachable hose sprayer that I used. Found this out a couple of years ago when the sucker was going off almost every night. So now it only goes off when something boils over in the oven. The other day it was cinnamon rolls. Got too much butter and cinnamon in them I guess and it just wouldn't stay inside the sheet pan. The poor cat kept trying to find somewhere to go to get away from the noise while I'm standing in a chair trying to yank the thing out of the ceiling. I know they serve a very good purpose, but there are times I'd just like to kill that thing.
Tonia
I had an embarrassing moment with the Fire Department also. I had opened the damper in the fireplace, then had the chimney sweep come to clean. I "assumed" (never do that) he left the damper open as I had. NO. When I lighted one of those fakey logs, the smoke started billowing out in the room. Had to call the Fire Departmen, and explain it really wasn't an "emergency" but I needed their help. They were so sweet when they came...took care of the damper and aired out the room. Ive never done that again! Betty
I did a story with overland park fire dept. On the fact that there is a date on your fire alarms. If that date is over 10 years old, you should replace your smoke alarms. After 10 years the sensors in the alarms go bad. The fire department says it's not enough to just change the backup battery, you must replace the whole unit after 10 years
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