Help solving a mystery....

Hiya,

I have a bit of a mystery to solve and I could use some help.

We have two smoke alarm/CO2 detectors in our basement. One of them decided to start chirping recently. Of course, hardwired or not, that means low battery. We replaced the battery and it still chirped. We replaced the battery again. Chirp. We reset the alarm. Chirp. We did a complete reset. Chirp. We figured the alarm was probably just old and needed replaced so we bought two new ones. No sense in waiting for the other one to start chirping too.

We bought upgrades and installed the first one. Chirp. We replaced the battery. Chirp. We replaced the battery again. Chirp. We did a complete reset. Chirp. We removed both alarms completely and bought two new ones of a different brand. We installed the first one. Chirp. We can not replace the battery, it is a 10 year concealed batter. We reset the unit. Chirp. The original units were Kidde brand. The new ones are First Alert.

Now here is the weird part.

We removed both alarms, removed the batteries from both. No alarms mounted, no alarms with batteries in them. Chirp. Every 60 seconds. Chirp. No alarm, no battery, nothing but a mounting base and the hardwire connector hanging from the ceiling. Chirp.

WTF is chirping? I called customer service and they said it must be a different unit. There is no other unit. There are two. We took them both down and removed the batteries. There should be nothing left that can produce a chirp but every 60 seconds, chirp.

Any ideas?

a reply to: Vroomfondel

It probably due to the battery backup and the battery needs changing , mine did the same , that's all I can suggest.

a reply to: Vroomfondel
It may have a capacitor holding some current? Im always real careful with large capacitors. I put a screw driver across to drain and power. The big ones can kill you

a reply to: Vroomfondel


Ummm...

It's probably just a Jiminy...





YouSir

One other thing....

It sounds like you may have a problem down there. Ive used special hand held detectors as required by law, before entering confined spaces to see whats in the air down there. Be careful

Take the detectors to another room and see if they still chirp. If there is a chirp down there when the detectors are gone, have a good laugh. If the detectors stop chirping upstairs or outside, the problem needs further investigation and remediation

I'm not sure if I need an electrician or an exorcist.

I did a complete reset, which included removing the battery and bleeding the capacitors dry before reinstalling.

No alarms mounted, no batteries in the removable kind, nothing attached to the hard wiring, but the chirp is still coming from the ceiling where the alarm used to be mounted. There is nothing there now but a hole in the ceiling, the mounting base, and the hardwire connector. But it still chirps. The alarms themselves are quiet. The chirp is coming form the hole in the ceiling....

Everyone who's replied seems to have replied before reading the full post, and they missed the strangest twist at the end: still hearing the chirping after you removed the alarms lol.

Theories and possibilities:

1) Have you lived in this house for a decade or more, or did you move there in the last couple years? If it's the latter, the previous owner/tenant might've left an alarm in the basement in a spot of which you're unaware, and after a year or two, the battery has just gotten down to emergency level, and the incessant chirping begins.

2) If it's an older house/building, it's possible there's an unfinished spot in an upstairs wall somewhere, and a smoke/CO detector actually fell down inside a wall where it's unreachable. Unlikely, but possible.

3) An old Casio Calculator Watch from the mid-80's dropped behind an upstairs toilet, and the yearly alarm is ringing.

4) There's a stash of cartel cash or pirate gold hidden in your basement. Those who stashed it there also left a homing signal GPS beacon thing, and it's been activated. Get ready for a fight.

5) You're co-habitating with a really annoying troll ghost who can make a very realistic smoke/CO low battery chirp sound.

6) ALIENS.


Good luck friend. Let us know what you figure out!

originally posted by: Vroomfondel
The chirp is coming form the hole in the ceiling....

What's in the hole? Run a cell phone video up in there and see what it shows.

Don't let anything grab your hand and turn this into a horror movie.

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Any other electrical equipment in the basement?

Could be a carbon monoxide detector if you have a boiler, hot water tank, etc.

I too thought crickets, but they chirp more frequently than every 60 seconds.

Mystery solved! But not by me...

My wife had the idea to call the local fire department and ask them if they had any ideas on what might be causing this unique situation. They said no, but they were curious as well and said they would come over and check it out.

It turns out that after we did all the tests and resets and such my wife had put the batteries back in the original units. I was working on the assumption they were dead, as I had left them. We had put the old units on the shelf right next to the ladder while we were working on finding the solution. The opening in the ceiling was between the ladder and the chirping alarm which made it sound like it was coming from the opening in the ceiling, even though there was nothing there to chirp. I asked my wife more than once if all the alarms were disconnected and had the batteries out. I guess she thought they were and I should have checked it myself. Not that I don't trust her, but it was just as easy for me to check as it was to ask her.

The FD guys were the nicest guys ever. They tried very hard to conceal their laughter as they left our home. I felt good about that. There are a few packages of steaks on the way to the FD as we speak....

a reply to: Vroomfondel

I was about to suggest checking your attic for a wayward bird nest.

Eldom as it is I'm glad we got closure as a whole for this thread !






🍺

Respectfully,
~meathead

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Steak? Firemen prefer Jacob's ladder (short ribs).

There’s no gold, I’d have it already…….😎

Anyway, house prices are way up, maybe it’s a message.


a reply to: M4nWithNoN4me

originally posted by: Vroomfondel
We had put the old units on the shelf right next to the ladder while we were working on finding the solution. The opening in the ceiling was between the ladder and the chirping alarm which made it sound like it was coming from the opening in the ceiling....

I was just about to post about other alarms with old batteries, not your new ones.

I kinda feel like I solved it too.

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Had this problem. It probably has a connector that holds a current like the ac thermostat wires.

We had to make sure that connection was properly connected as well as a battery.

I think it's because older models had connections to security systems. Like brinks and notified fire department or call center. It happens very often and residential communities and buildings.

a reply to: Vroomfondel


WHAT!!!!

No alarm, no battery, nothing but a mounting base and the hardwire connector hanging from the ceiling. Chirp.

So there's just a red wire black wire and white wire?

Look, I've been a professional Firefighter all my damn life!!!👀🙏🙏

Either the acoustics is deflecting you and there's something like a Cable/Phone line battery chirping elsewhere.

OR CALL A FRIGGING EXORCIST!!!!

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Annnnd...
Disregard🤣🤣😂😂😆😆😆😆👍🏼

a reply to: Bigburgh

I was really starting to wonder wtf was going on. I pictured myself in the basement saying "I need an old priest and a young priest..."

originally posted by: Vroomfondel
a reply to: Bigburgh

I was really starting to wonder wtf was going on. I pictured myself in the basement saying "I need an old priest and a young priest..."

Nah...
Only the recently living wondering how to use a boiler.

I had almost a similar incident some time ago. The beep/chirp lasted weeks.

Drove my sister nuts, and the high chirp pitch is above my hearing. Lol.. my sister started to twitch every time something beeped on TV.

Those medical dramas!😆😆😆😆

a reply to: Bigburgh

I have the same thing with hearing the chirp. I cant hear it unless I am right next to it. My wife, on the other hand, has perfect hearing and the poor thing was going nuts with this chirp. Its kind of ironic that the chirp persisted because she put the batteries back in the old alarms. I was thinking, for her sake, we just power everything down and leave it that way until we have a solution. I tried.....