Beeping Alarms
So about a year ago the smoke detectors in my apartment started to beep intermittently, about every 2-minutes or so. Of course these aren’t simple alarms, the type with a standard battery that is easily sourced and equally as easy to replace. Oh no, these have lithium batteries that are meant to last multiples of years. They never do, it was about two at the most. But anyway, the point being it was something I couldn’t replace and fix myself. So I informed the letting agents.
And I reminded the letting agents. Several times.
I eventually got mad and wrapped the alarms up in towels and shoved into the back of a drawer, reducing the incessant high-pitched beep to a faint reminder of attention required.
And I reminded the letting agents once again. This time suggesting the landlord’s insurance is likely void and putting the agents in a risky position, seeing as they are meant to be managing the property.
Eventually, a year later, they finally decided to do something about it. And so it was arranged for the detectors to be replaced with more simple powered types. This happened on the Tuesday, and as requested, certainly on the face of it, the installer took the old faulty alarms away with them.
Wednesday night, snuggled up in bed and drifting off to sleep I heard – or thought I heard – a beep. Noo, what? I assumed I was hearing things, ignored it and fell asleep.
Thursday evening, I’m in the kitchen preparing dinner and again, beep. This time a little clearer, a little closer. I started a timer on my phone and listened intently. After 2-minutes, I heard it again. There is a definite beep. So either I had finally lost my marbles and needed a reservation at the asylum, or somehow there was a faulty alarm in my vicinity.
I checked the newly installed ones, but no beep. I then thought maybe the installer and left one of the old ones behind in error. Perhaps he left one on top of the kitchen cupboards, or the wardrobe in the bedroom. I started searching, but nothing could be found. Then I thought that maybe he had hidden one in my apartment, maliciously. I started going through drawers, cupboards, behind and under furniture. All the time a faint beep every couple of minutes driving my rage increasingly higher.
At the point of giving up I remembered there are smoke alarms in the communal stairwell. So the front door was flung open, phone with timer in hand and neck arched upwards. At least I was getting warmer, a beep could be heard and much clearer this time. I go down one floor and after another few minutes I sourced the irritation.
I was pleased to learn I wasn’t going crazy, at least with reference to hearing beeps. But the coincidence is strange, especially as these alarms were installed at different times and have different batteries.
Hopefully by the time I get home today the battery will have been replaced and I can finally rest at ease without the irritating tone every 120-seconds.