Haunted house story of the day

[USNRET]

Some months ago, while resting upon my sofa, I look up and see a smoke detector that has somehow manged to twist itself counter-clockwise and become detached from the mounting ring. It was dangling from the AC/interconnect wiring just lazily hanging out 20 feet above the floor. It's green LED flaunting that although I am now a free bird and not ensnared in this mount to the ceiling I am functioning properly and still getting my dose of 120 volts. I nap.

 

Upon occasion I would glance up and enjoy the sight of this free, but still trapped by leash, wonderment of a Kidde 1276 and, upon introspection, know that due to my fear of heights (and lack of appropriate ladder) the kindly smoke detector would continue it's high trapeze act......until this BEAST started its chirping. Incessant was this randomly timed sound! I could stand it no longer. I stared, I studied, I planned. Off to the garage quickly fashioning an expandable painting pole, a custom bent clothes hanger and duct tape I returned to confront this screeching Son Of a Bose. With deadly accuracy I dispatched the demon ripping free the connection between brain and power while deftly catching and cradling the offender.

 

Fast forward to scene two through months of time elapse. Our fair city widely advertised that the fire department would provide smoke detectors to deserving home owners, of which I am not due to financial disqualification. I re-read the story. There appears to be a loop hole; please inquire if there are extenuating circumstances...........I leaped upon this like a politician on a kick back. Email was sent. Within an hour I had a fire chief committing one of his Captains to launch a truck to the scene. It arrived as planned, promptly at 1600 hours today. Six brave firemen rushed to my home. Greeting them warmly (it was 106) in the front yard I ushered the team into the house.

 

Six brave men decked out in their finery stood solemnly staring upwards in my living room.

 

The Captain takes charge ordering his men to stand down until I provided proper protection to my humble abode's tile flooring from the assault it would incur from their fireman's (fireperson's ?) ladder. Be damned the drywall, we must protect the tile! I dash off to obtain the necessary equipment and then with the blankie proper positioned, it was my place to stand back and watch an episode of Keystone Cops.

 

{an interlude here while the fearless fire Captain orders his team to mind that painting, watch that door, NO turn bring the bottom to me, THE OTHER BOTTOM! He is exasperated but regains his composure and gets the ladder into position}

 

Up the ladder dashes a younger firefighter with the smoke detector and newly installed / tested battery. To the top he goes with speed and daring that my acrophobia finds fascinating. Quickly he attaches the device to its life source of power and a quick twist secures it into the mounting ring. The green LED glows warming all with the knowledge that power is flowing and this family is once again protected. The firefight starts his descent. The smoke detector, refusing to stay held within the grasp of the clutching ceiling mount, leaps free and beeps to let all know that it is free once again; dangling.

 

Like a flash the fearless man ascends and with bare hands captures the KIDDE and wrestles it back into its mount. A tug, a pull, at last it is securely restrained. Cheers!

 

Calmly returning to ground level the winner of the match takes a bow and the lowering of the ladder begins. Immediately it requires direct supervision and commands from the Captain to bring the tall beast returned to a horizontal plane for transport.

 

BEEEEEEPPPPPPP! That noise again. Ladder back into position which requires close, diligent monitoring and commands.

 

I suggest that I remove a lower detector from another location which in all appearances is properly functioning and replace the malfunctioning unit. Smiles all around. I dash off, remove a detector, replace the battery with a fresh (took time to test it on a meter at 9.65 volts). The plan is set. A know good smoke detector with a known good battery installed will be forced in; like it or not. I'll replace the lower detector later.

Ladder's in place, firefighter once again amazes me with climbing ability, replacement detector installed, tugged, pulled, verified mounting and back down the ladder.

Wait for it......BEEEEPPPP!

Screw this, go up and remove that #@$%^$#*&^

 

Short: ladder down, cookies and party tray I purchased to gift the station refused, firemen leave.

 

I have a smoke detector laying on the counter that in all tests passes while the offending one, removed from its act above is silently resting in a new location.

 

 

Alcohol time boys.

 

Edit: Although I intended to, I forgot to say that I poked a lot of fun here but I really appreciate that these guys came by to help out when it was WAY outside their scope. THANKS Flour Bluff F.D. heroes to us all in your dangerous job!

Edited July 7, 2016 by USNRET

[JL Sargent]

Wow, I feel like I was standing there! Firemen to the rescue!

[Karsoncookie]

So then, currently there is no functioning detector up there?

 

I should know this, but is it possible if no 120V to detector, it will beep, even if fresh battery?

 

If so, possibly when it fell and was hanging, a poorly wirenutted pigtail pulled loose.?????????????????

 

 

Good on you to think of replacing easy access unit with the high one.Very logical.

 

Bad on you for providing cookies, and not "Shrimp rings" w cocktail dip, and beer.    Lars

[Karsoncookie]

20' sucks to access on a home ceiling, unless on or very near wall that ladder w pad can be leaned against.

 

If a stepladder or scaffold is needed, thats the hard part.

 

Finding a 16'+ step is rare., and scaffold takes time.   Lars

[USNRET]

Near two opposing walls so an extension ladder works.
LED that indicates 120 available lights up; verified

Also offered was meat/cheese plate (all store bought in case of ???); beer when you're off duty. Flatly refused; in a good way.

[CECAA850]

Get out of there Mike.

[Karsoncookie]

So, this "120 veryfing LED" was lit up-   conciously witnessed   - on the LAST one they installed, before they pulled it ????????

 

And, the offered "meat/ cheese" plate gets you of the hook Hostess wise.   Lars

 

 

I'm gonna dig deeper to see if 120 interruption causes beeping.

 

Otherwise, makes no sense the second one did not behave.

[Karsoncookie]

I dunno - best I can find.....

 

http://www.wirechiefelectric.com/blog/resources/what-to-do-when-smoke-alarm-keeps-beeping

 

I would FIRST be SURE of this - "So, this "120 veryfing LED" was lit up-   conciously witnessed   - on the LAST one they installed, before they pulled it ????????"

 

Then, read the link carefully for funky "reset" type detail info.  Done.     Lars

Edited July 7, 2016 by Karsoncookie

[USNRET]

Done, done and done. One minute held.

[Karsoncookie]

OHH- Does the second one you removed from a lower ceiling work OK when replaced it there??   Lars

[USNRET]

OHH- Does the second one you removed from a lower ceiling work OK when replaced it there??   Lars

Both detectors in lower position work fine. Question at this point is "could the interconnect wiring between household detectors cause this"? From how I view the schematics, no.

 

Carl, I knew that you are a friend but how VERY generous of you; I will move immediately, when can I expect the check?

[Karsoncookie]

The only "interconnect" is a 3rd wire.

 

Smokes are wired w 3 cond + gnd Romex, as different than 2 conductor + gnd in most of your other home wiring.

 

So the red wire is a "switch leg" that makes them all scream.   Lars

[Karsoncookie]

I predict you have poor wirenut connections in the high location.

 

Very easy for a un caring electrician to lose that little stranded pigtail end in a wirenut joint with solid conductors.    Lars

[Karsoncookie]

Get up there, and without even removing the smoke mounting base, yank on the individual plug pigtail wires, 

 

Betcha one comes loose.   Lars

[USNRET]

Get up there

That is not happening (you skipped over my fear of heights). Put the bong / bottle down and read for context

Next step rent a ladder and have a buddy do it.

Edited July 7, 2016 by USNRET

[Karsoncookie]

No No, I read fully.

 

I meant somebody go up there, and possibly have a new smoke at the ready, up to you.

 

 

 

Fear of heights, YOU ????

 

You should say "ladders", not "heights".               Lars

[Karsoncookie]

Please let us know how it turns out.         Lars

[oldtimer]

No No, I read fully.

 

I meant somebody go up there, and possibly have a new smoke at the ready, up to you.

 

 

 

Fear of heights, YOU ????

 

You should say "ladders", not "heights".               Lars

More accurately fear of falling.

[CECAA850]

 

OHH- Does the second one you removed from a lower ceiling work OK when replaced it there??   Lars

Both detectors in lower position work fine. Question at this point is "could the interconnect wiring between household detectors cause this"? From how I view the schematics, no.

 

Carl, I knew that you are a friend but how VERY generous of you; I will move immediately, when can I expect the check?

 

 

 

It's in the mail.  Make your preparations.

[Paducah Home Theater]

I had a haunted house episode yesterday, but of a different kind.

So four years ago we sold our house and moved into my wife’s grandmother’s house while we built a new one. She had maybe 15 acres in which several family members built on, so this house was near my wife’s cousin’s house. Probably 4 am I hear something that wakes me up, not real loud but loud enough to wake me up due to seeming weird. It was almost like somebody was lightly knocking on the door. But at 4 AM? And why was it a faint knock if they really needed something? I decide to go see if my dog was doing something weird.

The house is an L shape, with the master bedroom being on one end, the front door being in the living room which is in the middle, and the kitchen then utility room being on the other leg, with a door on the far side. I barely walk into the living room and happen to look over to the outside door on the far side. A shadowy figure is just standing there outside looking in, but then leaves as smoothly and quietly as possible after seeing me, closing the storm door slowly so it wouldn’t slam. I shouldn’t have went outside, but I immediately grab a flashlight and a pistol to investigate but the guy is just gone, which is odd because there’s not many trees or houses or cars to hide behind and I was very quick. We call my wife’s cousin whose husband also comes out with a pistol and flashlight to check both sides of the houses and whatnot at the same time. We find nothing. Called the police to report it, they didn’t care.

I dismiss it as neighborhood riff raff. Some guys who lived on the same railroad tracks half a mile down got caught stealing metal farm equipment from another neighbor then trying to recycle it. I assumed it was them trying to scope the place out, thinking it was abandoned, then finding out otherwise, then retreating on the tracks, which is still a pretty long way, but I don’t know what else could explain it. I pay them a visit asking if they know anything just to send a subtle message since I’m still pretty sure it was them. Nothing else happened afterwards.

So anyway, here’s the weird part. I had more or less forgotten about it, but my wife’s cousin, in a moment of truth, spills the beans yesterday. She claimed that she went to sleep that same night worrying about doors for her house and it caused a poltergeist. She said that same night, she had an interior closet door slam on her and woke her up earlier. She’s been worrying herself about it for the last 4 years, literally thinking it was a poltergeist / ghost and finally had to let it off her chest, because now it’s happening all the time, her house is haunted now. She was dead serious too. I don’t know what to think of it. Obviously she’s probably full of it but she isn’t kidding around.

Edited July 7, 2016 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters