Replacing The Battery On A Hard-To-Reach Smoke Detector The TheoryLabs Way.

WARNING: We are not smart people, and do not recommend this as a first choice of action, however we submit this instructable based on its resolute and violent effectiveness. We highly recommend reading this instructable in its entirety BEFORE deciding on whether or not it's for you. Seriously.

After three days of the sound of a mysterious and continual beeping sound resonating through our cavernous laboratory every 30 seconds. It was decided to do something MUST be done about it. Those closest to point where the sound seemed to be emanating from reported inability to sleep, as well as a slowly building rage.

Step 1 STEP 1: Assess the problem

The single beep we heard every 30 seconds turned out to be a smoke detector who's battery needed to be changed. In most households, this would not be any more difficult than reaching up with the aid of a small step ladder, removing the unit and replacing the battery. Our ceilings however are 30 feet high, and we have no ladder that height.

Comments

[lemonie]

Are the detectors really in the best place? Inside of a massive shed, shouldn't they be somewhere else? L

[flxforce]

yes,before install them,we should chose a right palce and should check to make sure they are workable every year.

[tanniynim]

WHAT? No scaffold? What kind of burners are you?

[buckdown]

actually - we totally have a scaffold - and it's on wheels - however at this point in time - it was completely structutally connected to something else on the other side of the lab. taunting us.....

[tanniynim]

Well, that's good. Would have been disappointed to hear you didn't have any at all. This actually turned out to be a great solution. Very nice. Leave it up to Gigsville to come up with a solution that is destructive and efficient. :)

[buckdown]

it's what we do.......

[willbill808]

The unit on the right... I remember when those were brand new. "ESL's Revolutionary New 400 series detectors" and, like capnshady said, that is connected to a security system. I wouldn't recommend disconnecting it unless you put your monitoring account on test, and you know what you're doing. Basically, if you don't know what an EOL resistor is, don't touch it.

[santy22]

Yay for rebels!

D.V. is terminated!

[prof.keil]

smoke alarms do not die of battery failure. The plaintive cry (or "beeping" as you callously put it) of the alarm is it's cry of boredom, of loneliness. Yes, they cry because they cannot bear to hang on the wall unnoticed and unused a day longer. The kind thing to do is to regularly give the alarms a chance to exercise. To alarm. Waft a cigarette under them and hear their heavenly aria; once a year is all they need.

[Derin]

we cant because that would make a HUGE alarm ring throughout the whole campus

[WriotE]

HAhaha! This is a shw33t instructable not bad, youz guys are funny.

[GhostlyKarliion]

note, I was only kidding, did you guys consider a scissor lift or ladder?

[GhostlyKarliion]

I did something like this once, but instead of a window my method involved a 12 gauge shot gun and some slugs... what?

[eight]

RE: #7 Sorry to be a dark cloud...

Americium (Am-241) is used in smoke detectors.
It is an alpha emitter.

THE US CDC says "Exposure to radioactive americium may result in increased cancer risk."

I say, don't phuck with anything radioactive.
Mind you it's half life is ONLY 423 years. So in 17 generations, your gonnadfs may be half as radioactive... presuming you had children following playing with Americium.

EPA Fact Sheet -> HERE

CDC LINK ->
HERE

Um, that said, interesting instructable folks.

[killerjackalope]

you went a bit of an odd direction with this... I had a similar problem in the old depot (turned out the whole thing was asbestos) and the smoke alarm was out of the forkilfts reach (really i dont know how it got there myself) so I tied a slipknot with a big start loop in it and eventually hooked the archiac device (were talkin metal boxes here). I gave a sharp tug and it held another, no movement, I could swing off the infernal automaton, so enter the second round of the forklift, tie the rope to the random towing-ish bar at the back and yank the bugger down, along with a large chunk of the now decayed concrete and a massive cable, later we found it had gotten ripped clean out the side of the electrical box. turns out the thing had faulted due to dirt and age and thought there was a fire... 8lb sledghammer did the trick... (yes I did realise i could have killed at the electric box but at the time i didn't know until it was lying in a heap on the floor.)

[Popcornfilms]

deliscious ;) most likely my favorite instructable ever.

[fungus amungus]

But you didn't do it wearing meat shorts. A little bit of disappointment has nestled its way into my being.

[Slinx]

Nice upshort shot there....I think I see Darth Shaw's panties :)

[capnshady]

The one on the right is the last remaining "hard-wired" smoke detectors that were attached to a now non-existent security system. It was never removed because of the same problems you faced with the battery operated one.

[allanf0]

What an excellent and detailed instructable. I can attest to the caution on step 4: After an improvised approach involving flinging the thing out a 23rd story window, I never got around to buying a replacement. That was over a year ago...

[crapflinger]

i'd very much prefer to see the method involving the whaling harpoon