Sunday, January 22, 2012

Chirp Chirp

It began two days ago, an indefinable noise that sounded and disappeared so quickly I might have imagined it. I listened intently but didn't hear it again. Hours passed, and once more a faint chirp chirp reached my ears. Outside the rain poured, so perhaps the noise came from raindrops patting against the central heating unit outside the window. I dismissed the sound and got on with my life.

Yesterday I caught the faint traces again of an insistent chirp chirp. Standing motionless in the hallway, I tried to trace the source, but alas, all was quiet. Last night the disturbance penetrated my dreams, my subconsious mind whispering, "Smoke detector battery." Of course! I tuned out as best I could and made it until morning, the irritating warning becoming more and more frequent.

It'd just tested the many smoke alarms in the house (actually, that happens every time I cook). All fuctioned properly, and none spoke up when I asked, "Which one of you is bitching about a new battery?"

And the noise persisted. Only when it became persistent enough to trace was I able to track it to --- inside the guest room closet? Why would anyone put a smoke detector in a closet when there's one in the guest room a few feet away? But the mystery is solved, the detector that a former occupant deemed necessary has been fed, and for good measure, I fried an egg and retested them all.

Oh the sweet sound of security. Hmmm.... do you think only one fire extinquisher per room is enough?

3 comments:

  1. Erm. Probably time to get a fresh fire extinguisher or two here. *makes a note*

    A number of years ago, the condo below mine was going through probate after the owner's death. Apparently no one paid the electric bill and the power was shut off - our smoke detectors are hooked into the electric, so the smoke detector downstairs started its pathetic beeping.... it took about 10 days after contacting the management company before the power was turned on again...

    Probably good I didn't have cats at that point...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my! The sound woulda drove me crazy!

    ReplyDelete