Household Tips

I came home the other night to find my lower level smoke detector beeping in that incessant every-thirty-seconds-beep-thing it does when it needs a new diaper or wants to be burped, or maybe just have its battery changed.

As I am the husband in my marriage (please note: I am female. All female. Born, raised and practicing.) I dutifully got the step ladder and began my inspection.

I managed to remove the alarm from the ceiling but soon found that it only dangled about one inch from because it is hard-wired into the house power.

I totally swore there was no battery in the damn alarm. But? NOTHING made the beeping stop. And, poor Gromit the cat had began to walk into wall every ten steps.

Then I did what any bride-to-be would do if her fiancée was standing right there while she was struggling with the smoke detector. I called my Daddy. He told me that if there really isn’t a battery back-up then I would need to find the breaker that controls that specific smoke detector and turn off the power and then disconnect the wires. Urgh!

I squeezed the plugs on the wire connector and on my last tug, it came free. It wasn’t until after thorough examination of the alarm and planning my trip to Home Depot did I find that there was a small little battery door.

Battery back-up!

Battery back-up!

The battery inside was most likely the original battery used upon installation. FIVE years ago.

We just bought the house in December, and, I haven’t gotten around to all those details quite yet. It is recommended that you change the batteries in your smoke detector each time you turn the clocks ahead or back for Daylight Savings Time.

I had one extra 9 volt battery and was able to change it and reinstall the fixture in a matter of minutes. It was a simple maintenance issue and I’m glad it happened. Now, I have to replace three other batteries as well in other detectors.

Safety Reminder: Change the batteries in your smoke detector! If you can’t remember the last time you did it, or if you just bought a home, DO IT NOW. It could totally save your life.

smoke detector, batteries, 9 volt, household safety, house fire, smoke alarm