why the batteries on a smoke detector/carbon monoxide detector can ONLY run out in the wee hours of the morning? I would be willing to bet money that a smoke/CO detector has never started the low battery beep at 3:00 *PM.* I'm fairly certain they have a photocell and a chip that only allows them to do the low battery chirp after it has been full dark for a minimum of four or five hours.
Yep. 3:38am.
Beep.
Aw, bugger. Did I really hear that? Maybe not. I'll just go back to...
Beep.
God-damned, mother-loving... I'm coming, I'm coming. Now, which one is it? Whose brilliant idea was it to have one of each on every floor? Oh yeah - that was me.
Beep.
AHA! Gotcha, you bastard. Now - read the directions... four rapid beeps for a warning, one beep every thirty seconds for low batteries...
Beep.
I know, I KNOW, gimme a sec, it's 3:30 in the goddamned morning... there - batteries are out. I should go downstairs and put new batteries in. Damn it, it's going to scream at me when I snap the last one in - I remember that from last time, I almost had a heart attack. And I'm going to have to turn on a bunch of lights to dig out three AA cells. And it's 3:30 in the bloody morning. Honest to God, I've got CO detectors all over this house. It can wait for tomorrow afternoon. I'm going back to bed.
Now ask me when I finally got back to sleep. Go on - ask me. That's right - 5:30. Right before Bob's alarm went off. Because I get a HUGE adreneline dump from that sound. Which I'll grant you IS the idea. Mind you - I'm the ONLY one in the family who does. Tonight I will put fresh batteries in everything, and maybe I'll get some sleep.
Yep. 3:38am.
Beep.
Aw, bugger. Did I really hear that? Maybe not. I'll just go back to...
Beep.
God-damned, mother-loving... I'm coming, I'm coming. Now, which one is it? Whose brilliant idea was it to have one of each on every floor? Oh yeah - that was me.
Beep.
AHA! Gotcha, you bastard. Now - read the directions... four rapid beeps for a warning, one beep every thirty seconds for low batteries...
Beep.
I know, I KNOW, gimme a sec, it's 3:30 in the goddamned morning... there - batteries are out. I should go downstairs and put new batteries in. Damn it, it's going to scream at me when I snap the last one in - I remember that from last time, I almost had a heart attack. And I'm going to have to turn on a bunch of lights to dig out three AA cells. And it's 3:30 in the bloody morning. Honest to God, I've got CO detectors all over this house. It can wait for tomorrow afternoon. I'm going back to bed.
Now ask me when I finally got back to sleep. Go on - ask me. That's right - 5:30. Right before Bob's alarm went off. Because I get a HUGE adreneline dump from that sound. Which I'll grant you IS the idea. Mind you - I'm the ONLY one in the family who does. Tonight I will put fresh batteries in everything, and maybe I'll get some sleep.
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kls_eloise- kls_eloise
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The first item on tonight's "to do" list is "change detector batteries.
I waited until it beeped to change mine, too...it went in about two years ago, heh. (Runs on a 9V battery.)
I changed them ALL last night, so I should be off the hook for a while.
That's when/how I found out that I have not one, but two in my basement. Which as you know is not very big. Trying to find the one behind the furnace at that hour sucked. Sorry you had to deal with it too.
I can gloat about batteries though -- the only thing in OUR house that could generate CO won't work when the power's out, so we have a plug-in CO detector.
But god help me, I have to make like a monkey to get to the smoke detector on the back porch. I won't do it without Rob in the house and a phone in his hand.