Beep

I was sleeping so good, when something went "Beep!"

I thought it was my head noises making a new, louder sound. In a little while, it beeped again. I counted slowly, and on 24, it beeped again. After about a dozen beeps, I finally dragged myself out of bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window...no. Out in the hallway, it was more like a "Screech!" Every 24 to 30 seconds.

On the hallway wall outside my bedroom door, there are the thermostat, the doorbell, and a smoke/CO alarm. I know that the thermostat is mute; it can't say anything, let alone "Beep!" The doorbell has done a lot of funny things, like ringing by itself or not ringing at all, but never before has it beeped. So it has to be the alarm.

By now, I'm wide awake, so I go through the house hunting a clock, and it's 4:50 a.m. Beep! Dang it. The only thing I've ever heard from this alarm before was a female voice yelling, "Carbon monoxide! Carbon monoxide!" That was when Willis started the lawn mower in the basement/garage. I guess the battery in the thing is probably low; I think I've heard a similar, but not so loud, screech from a different smoke alarm when the battery wore down. Only on this thing, I have no idea how to change the battery. So I just turned on the computer, and here I sit, listening to "Beep!"

If I can find my big hammer, maybe I can make it stop.
*
I got the cover off the thing. Inside, it said a short beep every 30 seconds indicates alarm malfunction, but didn't say what to do about it. It said if the battery is low, it gives a short beep every 60 seconds and says "low battery.". I removed the batteries and the beeping stopped. When I get some new batteries, I'll replace them and see if it works.