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SleeplessinSoCal

(9,712 posts)
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:09 PM Jan 2024

Strange sound, like a smoke alarm detector

I hear two loud bursts of sound, usually in the morning. This has been happening occasionally for months. I thought it might be coming from the kitchen. This morning I was in the kitchen and it went off again. So I went to the hallway where I hoped to find where it's coming from. It did it again, over my head from above a recessed canned light. Two short bursts of obnoxious sound.

Anybody know what that might be?

17 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Strange sound, like a smoke alarm detector (Original Post) SleeplessinSoCal Jan 2024 OP
How loud is it? bucolic_frolic Jan 2024 #1
Carbon monoxcide detector? Maybe needs batteries? Some have a life-time limit. Nictuku Jan 2024 #2
If it's a carbon monoxide detector. I can't see it. and didn't install it. SleeplessinSoCal Jan 2024 #5
I was going to say fire detector... slightlv Jan 2024 #12
Had an odd sound also... MiHale Jan 2024 #3
Interesting. SleeplessinSoCal Jan 2024 #6
Replace the batteries? Brainfodder Jan 2024 #4
Wonder if it's that new smoke detector throwing its sound. SleeplessinSoCal Jan 2024 #9
I had this happen last year MN2theMax Jan 2024 #7
Did you get the Covid booster? gab13by13 Jan 2024 #8
Yes. I did get my Covid booster. SleeplessinSoCal Jan 2024 #10
OK, I looked up my CO detector, gab13by13 Jan 2024 #11
only two. SleeplessinSoCal Jan 2024 #15
Is there anything sitting on a windowsill that gets the morning sun? cyclonefence Jan 2024 #13
Does your house have an alarm system? TwilightZone Jan 2024 #14
I'm going to contact our HOA. SleeplessinSoCal Jan 2024 #16
Sounds like a good idea. TwilightZone Jan 2024 #17

SleeplessinSoCal

(9,712 posts)
5. If it's a carbon monoxide detector. I can't see it. and didn't install it.
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:21 PM
Jan 2024

It seems that it's up in the attic space. Hard to get to. It reverberates throughout our tri-level condo. It's unpredictable. I recently got a new smoke detector. It's now outside our bedroom doorway. It had been 8 ft higher. When it was triggered by smoke from the kitchen it was a similar sound only prolonged. These are two short bursts.

slightlv

(4,398 posts)
12. I was going to say fire detector...
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 03:26 PM
Jan 2024

mine was doing it for months before we finally figured out which one in what room. Changed the batteries, and it hasn't happened since, thank goodness!

MiHale

(10,835 posts)
3. Had an odd sound also...
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:15 PM
Jan 2024

Checked smoke alarms, replaced batteries still the sound …took the gd smoke alarms out of the house …still the beeping…finally found the ten year battery carbon monoxide alarm that I had put in an inconspicuous spot. That was the offender.
The sound seemed like it came from somewhere else not from where I found the alarm.


SleeplessinSoCal

(9,712 posts)
6. Interesting.
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:25 PM
Jan 2024

We bought our place in 1998. It might have been up there all this time. I'm going to have to call my handyman and see if he'd like to explore our attic space. We had kitchen ceiling lights installed about 20 years ago and the electrician went in via the attic space.

Thanks for sharing.

Brainfodder

(7,181 posts)
4. Replace the batteries?
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:19 PM
Jan 2024

I replaced all the ones in my house 3 years ago with 10 year battery ones NOT connected to electric lines.

When those SOBs went off the shriek in the house was unbearable and I had to get to work and wreck all of them.
2 of the 6 I did dual gas detector as well, was sub $100 for all of it.

I hope that is all it is.

SleeplessinSoCal

(9,712 posts)
9. Wonder if it's that new smoke detector throwing its sound.
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:31 PM
Jan 2024

It's so weird. It's supposed to last ten years. The guy who installed it is from Afganistan. We had some interesting conversations. I could only express sorrow when we pulled troops out.

So many of the led lights I've installed have died long before they're supposed to. So why not this too...

MN2theMax

(1,739 posts)
7. I had this happen last year
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:27 PM
Jan 2024

though the offending unit was in sight. It kept doing the double sound bursts, even after I put in fresh batteries.
The carbon monoxide detector had reached it's ten year limit and had to be replaced to make the sound stop.

But first you'll have to find the thing! Mine plugged directly into a wall outlet and had a backup battery. Good luck!

gab13by13

(25,300 posts)
8. Did you get the Covid booster?
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:27 PM
Jan 2024

It could be a defective implant, I would email Bill Gates.

😊

..or some kind of battery gizmo needs its batteries replaced.

Come to think of it I'm going to check my CO detector for an expiration date, thanks for the post.

SleeplessinSoCal

(9,712 posts)
10. Yes. I did get my Covid booster.
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:34 PM
Jan 2024

I'm afraid the hunt is on. I'll report back if/when I find the darn thing.

gab13by13

(25,300 posts)
11. OK, I looked up my CO detector,
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 02:56 PM
Jan 2024

when it is dying it will issue 5 consecutive beeps. By chance are you hearing 5 beeps?

cyclonefence

(4,873 posts)
13. Is there anything sitting on a windowsill that gets the morning sun?
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 03:35 PM
Jan 2024

I had a similar situation years ago, and it turned out that the needle I kept on the windowsill for kids' splinters was heated enough by the morning sun to make contact with a birthday card I'd saved and kept sitting there. It was one of those musical cards, and the contact was just enough to cause a few little tweets.

It took a visit from the electric company to solve my problem.

You might have something metallic that touches something that makes a sound. Easy to check.

TwilightZone

(28,834 posts)
14. Does your house have an alarm system?
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 03:39 PM
Jan 2024

When the battery dies in ours or it loses power, it beeps loudly every so often (though, not as loud as a smoke detector) until power is restored or it's muted. It'll do the same thing if a window sensor loses contact.

Another thought is battery-backup devices. They will start chirping (some loudly) if there's a temporary cut in power or if the internal batteries are dying.

It doesn't really sound like either of those (and the location doesn't fit), but they're a couple possibilities I hadn't seen mentioned yet.

TwilightZone

(28,834 posts)
17. Sounds like a good idea.
Fri Jan 5, 2024, 04:13 PM
Jan 2024

Maybe it's something that was built-in that's either been covered by a remodel or access was supposed to be provided and wasn't.

It's an interesting - if highly annoying! - mystery.

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