It was the middle of the night. Everyone was soundly sleeping in their beds, and BEEP! BEEP! In a sleepy fog, Jesse and I got up and tried to figure out which smoke detector had a dying battery.
Even better, it was one that couldn’t decide if it was dying or not, so it didn’t beep consistently.
1:09AM: 2 beeps, about a minute apart. Maybe it’s the one in the hallway?
2:47AM: 5 beeps. It’s not the boys’ room, or they would have woken up.
3:07AM: 3 beeps. I don’t think it’s one upstairs. I’m not going downstairs right now.
4:44AM: 2 beeps. Definitely downstairs. Must be the dining room, since that’s the only one with a battery right now! (Also, don’t do this.)
According to the National Fire Protection Association, you’re supposed to check your smoke detectors at least monthly, if not weekly, and change the battery every six months to a year. You’re also supposed to replace smoke detectors about every 10 years or so, as they may not function as well with age.
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