Jan 19 2009
How to NOT Check Your Smoke Detector!
You know how the advice goes regarding checking your smoke detectors? Check them twice a year when the time changes, or Fall Back and Spring Forward.
It’s good advice, and really quite simple. Just press the little button and see if it makes a loud beeping noise that make cats and children scramble to get away from.
Well, unfortunately I found out tonight that my smoke detector works quite well. I put some water on the stove to boil. The water was pretty cold, so I figured it would take a few minutes to get a good boil going.
Since I had a bit of time, I decided to go ahead and check my email. I had several emails telling me of responses to various blogs I follow . . . and soon enough I’d been at my computer for at least 10 minutes.
Suddenly this loud piercing sound echoed throughout my apartment. At first I wondered what in the world was going on.
Then, I remembered. The pot on the stove!
I ran to the stove and turned the burner off, grabbed a hot pad, turned on the overhead fan, and opened the door to my balcony. After setting the pot on the balcony I still had to run inside and fan the smoke away from the detector.
I may have ruined a pot, but at least I know for sure that my smoke alarm works!
Hehe!
Thanks for sharing the tip on how to check if it works.
I was wondering, how to put it off after it starts beeping? How did you do it?
Ha ha — I’ve done that too.