More Adventures in Adulting

[elrhiarhodan]

House Wonderful has hardwired fire and smoke detectors. Which are wonderful, except that they have battery backups. Which generally isn't a problem, except for those of us who have balance issues and live alone.

First time they needed to be changed, my wonderful contractor, who's 6'9" came over and didn't even need a ladder to change the batteries.

The next time, though, I vowed I'd do it myself. I went out and bought a good quality step ladder with a utility tray so I didn't need to juggle new and old batteries.

Except for my bedroom, which has cove ceilings and the smoke detector is right over my bed.

Changing this is a PITFA, since it means I have to push the bed all the way out of the way, get on the next to top step of the step ladder and still need to extend out my mostly non-working arms (I need shoulder surgery for both). So I tend to let it go until it's absolutely necessary - like when the low-battery warning starts beeping at 3 AM.

So I changed it today. My arms ache. But I feel very adult. I should, I am - after all - over 50.

Comments

[kanarek13]

Hey, go you :D \o/ And I know exactly how you feel, my apartment has insanely high ceiling and whenever I have to change a lightbulb - oy. I just don't feel secure standing so high up on a ladder...

*hugs*

[elrhiarhodan]

HUGS BACK.

My bed is such a PITFA to move, too. It wants to take the rug with it.

[sherylyn]

Congrats on adulting at a most excellent level!! I loathe smoke detector batteries for those types of reasons. Yay for you, and I hope your arms feel better soon! <3

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you! I do feel like I've leveled up!

A long hot shower tonight should take care of the aches. I just adore getting old.

[sherylyn]

Hee! I love that feeling, definitely!!

And I'm glad that takes care of the aches. And yes, I *totally* empathize on the older part -- I'm still paying for all the decluttering we did in Jan. :-P

[pooh-collector.livejournal.com]

Yup, they always go off in the middle of the fing night. And, of course my housemate who is 7 inches taller than me, is losing his hearing, so he never hears them when they are going off in the middle of the fing night. So it's the bear, who is stuffed with too much fluff, who has to get up to deal with it.

In other words, I hear ya. Go you on the adulting and taking care of it before you have the middle of the night wake up call.

[elrhiarhodan]

I don't know why they have to go off in the middle of the night. It's so fucking ridic. It went off at midnight, and I used a broom to hit the reset button. It went off again at 3 am, and did the same. When off AGAIN at 7 am, reset it again. But it didn't beep again ALL DAY LONG, until I changed it at 4ish.

WTF?

[pooh-collector.livejournal.com]

Designed to be as irritating as possible, apparently.

[elrhiarhodan]

Exactly!

[bm-shipper.livejournal.com]

Yay for you! I think I would probably have asked someone to do it for me. I can be lazy sometimes... but it's great that you did all of this yourself, dear :)

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you! I am kind of proud of myself, tbh.

I don't have a lot of tall friends who live close by. If I couldn't change it, I would have called my contractor over. But that would have meant another night with the beeping, and frankly, while I'm lazy, I need my sleep too.

[tjs-whatnot.livejournal.com]

Fire alarm beep at 3 am is the WORST! It is also one of the reasons I like not living alone. The only thing that is more bothersome than the beeping of the alarm is my complete and total fear of ladders. *shudders*

But, with you as my role model, I'd like to think if I were alone for long enough, I would have braved it. Maybe...

[elrhiarhodan]

{{{HUGS}}}

I just couldn't bear the thought of another night of broken sleep - that was my motivation. And TBH, it was more troublesome getting the bed out of the way than climbing the ladder!

[turtlebaby-02.livejournal.com]

Congrats! And I feel your pain, I work I a hotel and changing those batteries is terrible. With an audience, usually. And I hate ladders so much. But alas, there's nobody else to do it at 10pm when they inevitably start chirping 10 minutes after the guest wants to go to bed. -_-

[elrhiarhodan]

That is ... awful.

{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}

[ladyrose42.livejournal.com]

There one (hard wired) smoke detector near my bathroom. If the door is not closed right, the steam from the shower will set it off. It flashes faster than normal to let you know which detector went off, but can't reach it over the stairs location. What was the electrician or contractor thinking ( Accident suicide while hitting reset button on smoke detector located above staircase)

When house newly built the damn SD went off at 2AM on the coldest night of the year. Called 911, etc. Turned out sawdust set off the alarm. Of course, the rip-off comes with all the detectors need to be replaced (yea-right) $$$ Even with the doors open and the loud alarm, the cats still stayed right in the open doorway. I do have a carrier hidden behind the couch if needed for real.

[elrhiarhodan]

You probably should replace your smoke detector - steam shouldn't set it off. Modern detectors sense particulates, not occulation.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Sis does most of the ladder-requiring stuff round our place, and we are working to move smoke detectors, lights, shower curtain rods etc down to a reasonable height...

If I had to do it alone, I would probably (if I couldn't find a Nice Young Man (TM)to help) hire Mr Fixit... he knows us :)

[elrhiarhodan]

I could have called my contractor, but I need to shift for myself. It's just not comfortable, sometimes.

[nywcgirl]

Our detectors are all battery powered and like you said, the worst sound is one going off in the middle of the night. Then again, better than going off for real, isn't? No fear for ladders or heights here, have to do the fire training every three years, so gearing up with breathing apparatus. But I also have a Hubbie is 6'4", so normally he will do it... But congrats on adulting.

[elrhiarhodan]

Having a 6'4" hubbie really helps. Can you lend him to me?

;)

[nywcgirl]

If you lived closer, no problem :-) ALthough I wouldnt mind making the trip to the states...
And will you believe that he isn't even one of the largest men between his friends.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

I know there are practical reasons to put smoke detectors in inconvenient places -- smoke rises, eh -- but that does sound like a PITA.

I'm lucky that I have 7-foot ceilings, and the smoke detectors are in easy-to-reach places.

My PITA is cleaning out the roof gutter that's overhung by my neighbor's maple tree. The gutter is only one story high, but I have a two-story ladder to hoist up there so I can climb up to clean out the maple seeds in the spring and the leaves (several times!) in the fall. I'm pleased to be able to do it, but that ladder gets a little more unwieldy every year.

[elrhiarhodan]

Most of the ceilings in HW are normal height and reachable with a step stool, but they went all fancy with the master bedroom. It wouldn't have been so bad if the detector was off set, so I didn't have to struggle with moving the bed.

But a hot shower and a good night's sleep has taken care of the aches. And I do feel most accomplished!

[hurinhouse.livejournal.com]

Why does it always start at 3am? I suspect a cruel joke from detector manufacturers at large.

[elrhiarhodan]

I agree. A very cruel joke, indeed.

[robingal1.livejournal.com]

so then, you're like an adult with more merit badges. today, you earned "latter climbing" and "big girl painties". good job!

[elrhiarhodan]

Hey there, friend! Long time no see.

And yes, I definitely did get some extra merit badges!

[reve-silencieux.livejournal.com]

I just have to pipe in here, to commiserate. My sister has a new house, lived in it a couple months max, and the night that relatives come in for Thanksgiving - it started shrieking right after we went to bed. Nice batteries they put in there! And of course, some no-name cheap brand, who the contractors DID NOT leave behind manuals, so we couldn't figure out how to turn it off. (naturally, we have no batteries) We had to get up on a ladder, take a picture of the inside (which made it shriek more) and then google.

Although now that I think about it... it wasn't the battery. Turning on the heat did it. :D Yep, that's quality!

Congrats on getting it done by yourself. I'd probably stick in an ear plug and hope for the best. (hey, having one deaf ear should be good for something!)