Smoke Detector Battery Replacement

 Since I can never seem to remember when I last changed the batteries in the smoke detectors in our house, I figured I'd add a blog entry showing when I did it last so I'll have an easy reference in the future.

I need to replace them more regularly because the detectors we have (seven of them) are interconnected and screech loudly when they go off.  When the battery runs low, only the detector with the low battery screeches.  And after the screech, a voice states "low battery".  This wouldn't be so bad (I could replace the battery right away), but every time it has went off, it has been in the middle of the night.  And we have vaulted ceilings, so changing the battery involves digging out a tall ladder.   This week it went off in the master bedroom just after midnight.  We didn't want to dig out the ladder just then, so my wife and I closed the door and slept downstairs.  With earplugs.

The next day when I used the ladder to change the battery, this is the old battery.  A date of March 2017.  But is that a manufacture date or expiration date?  Not sure.

Until we bought new batteries, that had a date of December 2022.  Obviously that date is an expiration date.   If expiration dates are about 4 years out, does that mean I last changed the batteries in 2013?  Ouch! I know I replaced the detectors themselves in 2012 - I have the Amazon receipt.  And I know I replaced the batteries at least one time after that.   That would put us at 2013. Which matches to old battery dates of 2017.  So apparently we got about 5 years out of the old batteries.

One thing is for sure.  I've now replaced the batteries in April of 2018!   And I'll try to replace them again before we get "low battery" in the middle of the night.

Also:  I looked up what "Pile Alcaline" means.  It is "Alkaline Battery" in French.   Interesting.