No Fire, But Why Is The Smoke Alarm Beeping?

We'd all the time heard how great it was having a new house, so when we finally got ours, we incredible big things. Unfortunately we had no option but to move in even though there was a lot of work not done. We had no air conditioning in the August heat, no running water, and our only potty was at the gas middle point down the road. We were hot, exhausted, and grouchy.

So what does this story have to do with a beeping smoke alarm? Everything, as you will soon see. We worked through the days only to throw our sweaty bodies in bed each night. The only bed we'd been able to dig from the pile in our garage was full-sized and nothing like the king we were used to, but at least we had a bed.

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I went to bed that night mental I'd fall asleep immediately. But, I was very hot and the bed was small, and I couldn't get to sleep for quite awhile. I don't think I'd been sleeping any distance of time until I was awakened by a beeeep! What? Back to sleep. Beeeep! What's going on? My husband opened one eye and mumbled, "What's your problem?" He's unable to hear high-pitched sounds, so he's unimpressed with my plight. Beeeep! He's already back asleep, and some beeps later, I administrate to join him.

In the morning (Beeeep!) I'm finally cognizant enough to perceive what's going on. It has to be a smoke alarm. But what the heck? They were just installed brand new. They worked fine yesterday. Beeeep! My husband has no interest in tracking the beep down, but I bug him until he goes and digs out a ladder. A heavy 10' ladder. It's the only way he can reach our tray ceilings.

Beeeep!
He drags it from smoke alarm to smoke alarm, but all the batteries are fine. After slamming the last one back together in disgust, he climbs down. Beeeep! A plan strikes him. What if he loosened one of the batteries while slamming it back in? Beeeep! So, he hauls the ladder colse to again.

Our carpenter comes bounding in. My tactful husband says, "What'd you guys do to the smoke alarms? Something's beeping." Beeeep! "Kinda dirty colse to here," the man observes helpfully. "Maybe one of the connections is dirty."

Silently, shoulders slumping, my husband gathers up paper towels, cleaner, and his trusty ladder, and makes the rounds for the third time, cleaning the connections. He climbs down for the final time. Beeeep! The carpenter says, "Maybe an alarm just needs reset." I could tell my husband was ready to punch him, but instead he quietly makes an additional one round. Beeeep!

The carpenter slaps his forehead in disgust. "Now I remember," he says. "The electric dude said he plan maybe there was a short somewhere." Face red, but still silent, my husband picks up the ladder and goes to the garage. Beeeep! He climbs up through the hole to the attic, and starts crawling resolutely through the hot dusty space in hunt of smoke alarms. Of course, he finds a loose association on the very last one. But at least now there's silence!

No Fire, But Why Is The Smoke Alarm Beeping?

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