What a night. We had a bug in our fire alarm. Literally. As in insect. Did you know an insect could set off a fire alarm? Did you know that some insects find this entertaining and can set it off as many as 6 times before being sucked away into vacuum cleaner land?
Apparently, the sadistic little bug (which I'll refer to as SLB) had it in for us. Each time he waited til we had drifted off to sleep. Then, RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG! There it would go again! The DH had changed the batteries when the time changed. He's good. Still, last night we changed batteries again thinking that one must have been defective. We sniffed for smoke and checked all over the house. We got up on step stools and examined the detectors. It's really loud if one goes off when you are close by. While I was checking out an upstairs alarm, the SLB crawled out of the alarm and then went right back in.
What I learned tonight:
- Bugs can set off alarms.
- Dust can set off alarms. When you change the battery, you should also take down the alarm and clean it out. That wasn't our issue, but I learned this around 3am while looking up fire alarm issues on the internet.
- The "Stop That Unbearable Noise" button, does not really stop anything. It merely makes the alarm less sensitive for about 15 to 20 minutes. If you still have a problem, it will go off again.
- If you have high ceilings, you can turn off the "Stop That Unbearable Noise" button with a broom handle. Bashing the alarm with the broom handle is not necessary, though it is very tempting.
- My darling husband is driven completely insane by alarms going off numerous times in the night. Actually, this lesson is not new. I've seen signs of alarm insanity in the past.
- Removing the alarm case, disconnecting the wires, and removing the battery WILL stop the alarm.
If the SLB is still there and was not sucked into the vacuum cleaner, then hopefully he will crawl out sometime today. If he does, I hope I see him. Even though I am typically an animal lover and will try to catch bugs I see in the house and set them free, if I see the SLB, I will react a little differently. I will smash him flat and grind him to the point where he is completely unrecognizable.
Maybe tomorrow, after I have recovered, I will put the alarm back in place. If it goes off again, it will need to be replaced. Because it will likely be stomped as flat as the SLB.
Now. Time for bed. Goodnight. Don't let the alarm bugs bite.
