Alarm in the Night

    It's 3:00 a.m. and the detector starts emitting a loud steady sound, more than a beep. I take the detector from the bedroom to the kitchen, trying to figure out what to do. There is nothing  written on the unit, and it is the type with a 10-year battery, not replaceable. I seem to remember I bought it only about 3 years ago. I can't find any instructions, and I also seem to remember it's a combination First Alert Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm. I find a notice : "--Actuation of your CO alarm indicates the presence of carbon monoxide, which can KILL YOU."  I open the windows. It starts to get chilly.

   Another detector in the hallway remains silent, so maybe I have a chance. First Alert #1 will not stop beeping, so I put it outside on the porch railing. It's very loud and I can still hear it. I close the bedroom window and turn off the furnace. I've checked for fire and I figure CO can only come from the furnace. It gets chillier.  I turn on the computer to try to assess the alert, but I can't see the Model No. because it's not visible on the cardboard backing under the sealed unit. I get first a screwdriver, then a can opener to make the hole a little bigger, and finally see Model No. P1210E.  Just as I try to check this model number to see if it has a history of premature beeping, the internet goes dead. It's 4 a.m. I grab a few extra blankets and go back to bed. What is the alternative.

   I do wake up  a few hours later, and find the internet is back on. I research the product and find I am not alone with this alert. Others have complaints that it did not last anywhere near 10 years. And I'm still breathing.

   The next day, I go to Wiley's and buy a new alarm, again the combination sealed unit. I mention my issues to the clerk who is showing me the alarms. He said he had the same problem, was unable to stop the alarm. We know that once disabled, these units are useless, defunct, but the beeping persisted. He said

he put his in the driveway and ran over it with his car.