Last night I heard a beeping noise in my condo. It sounded like a smoke detector needing a battery but I was certain it wasn't since my smoke detector was now wired to the electricity and it was not beeping. I went to the source of the noise and decided I must have a cricket. I had a cricket in my place years ago so I sprayed my home office with roach spray and assumed by the morning I would have a dead, but quiet, cricket.
The following morning I heard the beeping sound again. I did a closer inspection of my home office and discovered an old smoke detector on a shelf that was making all of the noise. I had a spare battery and I installed it and it should be quiet again for another year.
A year ago I got a notice that I was due for an inspection from a representative of the state to test my smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. I have received these visitations in the past and the man would push the buttons on the things, they would beep loudly, and I would be home free for another five years.
This time, the man informed me that I was not in compliance since battery operated smoke detectors were no longer permissible in condos in New Jersey. They had to be hard wired to the electricity. Turns out there was wiring right above the smoke detector, but previous tenants had taken the easy way out and just put a battery-operated smoke detector in its place.
I went to Home Depot and bought a wired smoke detector. Coming into my place with a package containing my new smoke detector the inspector took pity on me and helped set up my new smoke detector. I put the old one on a shelf in my home office but kept the battery in. I completely forgot that it was there until it started beeping. I need to air my home office now because it smells like insect repellant.
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