“Chirp!”… “Chirp!”… “Chirp!”
This tip comes from a home inspector who explains WHY the smoke detectors decide to go "chirp... chirp... chirp!" in the middle of the night! I'm not technical by any means (ask anyone who knows me), but Michael Thornton explains it perfectly. Take his advice and change the batteries semi-annually so you'll never hear the annoying "chirp" while trying to catch some zzzz's.
Earlier this morning I was really cutting some Z’s when all of a sudden I heard that all too familiar and dreaded, “Chirp!”… “Chirp!”… “Chirp!” Damn! I did not follow the simple routine of changing my smoke detector batteries when I changed my clocks back earlier in the year. So I guess I deserve it.
So why do smoke detectors give us that annoying “Chirp!”… “Chirp!” at ungodly hours? Yes, we pull the pillow over our head and hope will stop - it won't! So why in the middle of the night?
Most smoke detectors operate on batteries or have a back-up battery. Battery energy is produced by a chemical reaction. As with most chemical reactions, lower temperatures cause the chemical reactions to slow down resulting in reduced electrical output. When the batteries fall below a certain voltage, the detector gives us a warning by chirping.
Because temperatures drop during the night and when a a battery is near the end of its service life, the chemical reaction may produce just enough voltage during the warmth of the day to satisfy the detector. When the evening temperatures drop and the chemical reaction slows down, the detector warns us that the battery is too weak to function.
Moral of the story? Change your batteries semiannually. Now, get a good nights rest!It is a great day at Complete Home Inspections!
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