# What is that beeping?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-beeping/291175>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [February 21, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-beeping/291175 "2005-02-21T15:01:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-beeping/291175/21 "2005-02-22T01:24:51Z")

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> [@Wile E](#):
>
> What do I do if it’s my neighbors?

Tie the can of WD-40 to a rock and throw it through his window/.

> [@Wile E](#):
>
> it’s scary up there in the attic.

Good gad, man, buck up! Take a cat with you. They can see in the dark and deal with any birds, bats, or hiding murderers.

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-beeping/291175/22 "2005-02-22T05:53:45Z")

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When my Welsh Terrierist, Maxwell Edison, was alive, he would go into frenzied barking, up and down the hall, when the smoke alarm chirped out its LoBatt warning. Without Max, I would have waited 'til morning, but I was teetering on a little stepladder, asleep, replacing the battery at 3:00 am.

I miss him.

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**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-beeping/291175/23 "2005-02-22T06:20:15Z")

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> [@Wile E](#):
>
> I think there is a chip in all smoke detectors and alarms that causes them to make their low battery noise in the middle of the night when one is sleeping. You would think that since people only sleep about 8 hours a day and there are 24 hours in a day that the odds are once in a while it will beep during the day, but nooooooo! it’s always at 3 or 4 am.

The smoke detector at my old place had an extra special chip in it. I’m not a huge drinker, but the batteries always managed to die at 4 am, when I’d had _ahem_ a few drinks. It’s a real joy to be drunk and sleepy, and trying to muster the motor skills to make the damn thing shut up! Luckily that place had really low ceilings, so at least I didn’t have to add teetering on a stepladder to the list.

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