A chirping smoke alarm often indicates a low battery. When it happens at night, it could be an environmental issue affecting ...

When the temperature drops, a lot of homes suddenly sound like they are hosting a flock of electronic birds. Those short, sharp chirps from your smoke alarms are not random, and they tend to cluster ...

Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021. Ever wonder why smoke alarms always seem to chirp in the middle of the ...

You are able to gift 5 more articles this month. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more. The blink seemed to taunt me. Often I imagined that its pattern had ...

We’ve all been there. It’s 2 a.m. and you hear an eardrum-piercing beep. Your first reaction is to cover your head with a pillow and pretend it never happened. Eventually the slow chirping takes ...

Is the carbon monoxide alarm in your home making a chirping sound? It may be time to install new a CO alarm. The alams come in all shapes and sizes, but serve one important role — keeping you and your ...

Recently, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and other fire agencies have seen an uptick in calls for CO alarms going off in homes. It may be time for a new battery or alarm. In July 2011, ...