Just a reminder to check one’s alarms/batteries etc…
Ours has had us in a panic… thought we’d got a chimney fire… turned out to be the Smoke Alarm telling us that the battery was now defunct…
Phew… put in new batteries and all is well…
Mind you, it’s nice to know no-one could have slept through that din… 
Also important to remind people to give them a little vacuum from time to time and most recommend changing units at 10 years of age.
Ah… we put this one up in 2015… not thought of dusting as it’s over the top of the staircase… but I’ll try…
Long reach vacuum?
Nope… but, thinking about it… OH managed to get it down without killing himself… so perhaps he’ll volunteer to go mountaineering again…
On the other hand, 8 years and it wasn’t obviously filthy or blocked… (OH checked the batteries and they were dead…)
EDIT: OH says he did give it a bit of a clean, although there was nothing much… and he’s not prepared to go climbing again… maybe in 2 years…
Even alarms that are mains powered have end of life, about 10 years, there is a date marked on them.
Well worth everyone taking a look at their equipment… better to be safe than sorry…
And also better to have it in a position/at a height that does not need mountaineering. None of us is getting any younger. 
this is particularly for the staircase… gives noise and light as well… and is placed in exactly the correct spot for it’s function…
Fitting one every 10 years is acceptable, even if I have to get a handyman to do it if/when OH finally concedes defeat…
Don’t forget Carbon Monoxide too.
One of mine went off the other night just after my second foot job.The noise was deafening and I had no choice at that time of night but to find my folding two step-up and climb up and yank the thing off it’s fitting and remove the battery. Luckily its above the fridge so had something to hold onto and then when new battery inserted it would not stop going off so its going to replaced later today when I can get to Leroy Merlin for another. I had two put in with one above the door into the cellier where the fusebox, washing machine and water tank are housed in case of any problems.
another good reason to get one’s appliances serviced regularly… 
Best buy one with a hush button if possible saves climbing to shut it up if its a false alarm.
Wish it was like that above, more like pulling the re-set toes out of their new alignment and massaging the shaved bone area - not that comfortable I can tell you. First session was nice, now its dreaded every other day he comes.
Got a replacement in L.Merlin yesterday, guaranteed three years and the noise is a bit less than the previous one. I can climb better now or otherwise with get a broom and smash it down.
I’ve just gone high tech and got an interconnected set of smoke alarms so that, if one goes, they all go. They’ll also ping my phone so I’ll be notified even if not home, though I’m not sure what I’ll do if hundreds of kilometres away with no key holder.
Unless you live in the back of beyond… if all your alarms go off when you’re away… I wonder if you’d come back to find your frontdoor forcibly opened and your alarms “sorted”
Of course, I’m only teasing you … we do the best we can with these Alarms and hope they never need to be used…
but it is a good idea to have a Key Holder, someone you trust…
Failing that… I do know that our Mairie does have emergency contact details for folk who are often absent and/or 2nd home owners… perhaps your Mairie has a similar list…
(I recall when a neighbour’s freezer kept beeeeping while he was at work… it drove everyone barmy… and that’s nothing compared to an Alarm… )
That’s kind of the problem, for the next year or so, we’ll be away more than we’re there and, having only recently bought, we don’t really know anyone around. I think I’ll check out the mairie idea and see if there’s any mileage there.
