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The Pleasure of Home Repair
My sweet dog, Rose is practically impervious to noise, except for the high-pitched sound of a dying smoke alarm battery. I learned this watching her whimper and shake as she hid underneath the bed where I used to live. That time, I had a man around who changed the battery. Yesterday morning, it happened again and now with the exception of a dog who was absolutely freaking out, I was alone. Every couple of minutes, as the smoke alarm pierced Rose’s soul, it pierced mine too. I got out the ladder, placed it on the high pile carpet, and felt shaky. (Did I say I’m not fond of heights?) I ripped off the cover, but couldn’t find the battery. I called almost every friendly neighbor in the building to help me, but no one was home. I considered cutting the wire. Who needs a functional smoke alarm, I thought. And then I phoned my buddy, who’s good at fixing things. He gently talked me through it, step by step, and was gracious about it, not making me seem like too much of an idiot. I felt accomplished and grateful it didn’t happen at 3 AM.
Photo by Zoe Leonard
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Way to go! (Extra awesome points for having the right battery on hand.)
Yeah, isn’t that heights thing scary? I think, “What if I fell? Can the cat dial 911 or go for help? Or would she just lick my feet?”
A girlfriend of mine thinks nothing of walking on her roof. I’m in awe of that. And my dog wasn’t helping at all.
Most smoke alarms pull completely off their base with a twist to the left (lefty loosey, righty tighty), though it may be hard-wired (the wires can be removed and replaced like an old-school phone cord). Then you can descend the ladder and figure the darn thing out at a safe elevation. 🙂 I’m so glad mine have the battery compartments right on the front. Push to pop out, change, push back in. Takes like 10 seconds. Still too long to be on a stepstool, but better than having to fight with the thing.
Thanks for the mnemonic device, JoDa. My smoke alarm was a little more complicated. But I’m glad it’s done for now.
Omg! Those things are awful! My dog has the same reaction. He goes into this shaking fit as if being tortured. I feel soooo sorry for him. I had alarm chirp two different times. Both times in the middle of the night:( Had to get my neighbor to give me a square battery. I now have several around. Took my roommate and I FOREVER to figure the thing out! Second time I had boyfriend over but he slept straight through it!!! I had to figure it out myself but I had practice! He was lots of help!!!
It happened to me again 5 days (or should I say nights) later. This time it was 3 AM. OMG is right. I have one other smoke alarm, and just changed the battery in the calm light of day as a preemptive move.