AIBU to ask for help - constant beeping driving me mad!

[josephinebonaparted]

I am really about to lose it. We have those mains and battery connected smoke alarms through the house. Every now and again one would run low on battery and start beeping - once a minute, until the battery has been changed.

Tonight, something like that started at 10pm. I’ve tried to find the source of the beep since then, and have now changed all 12 of the alarms I can see from the attic to the ground floor with brand new batteries. And the BLOODY BEEP IS STILL ON!!!

What could I have missed? We moved to the house about 2 years ago. As far as I know there are no carbon monoxide alarms installed or loose (have been meaning to deal with forever, please don’t judge). It’s a tall Victorian terraced house and neighbours on both sides are living elsewhere while they are doing renovations.

What could it be?
A battery powered alarm tucked in a cupboard?
The neighbour’s alarm (would I be able to hear it?)
Another smoke alarm in the house I have missed?

I’d be super grateful for any ideas!

I was being driven mad by a very hight pitched beeping and happened to look outside and it turned out to be bats roosting in the cladding of our wall. You say you have an attic? Maybe an idea ...

Sadly I think it’s electronic in nature - definitely a regular beep. And regular now for 3 solid hours!

Check all appliances e.g. microwave, oven, dish washer, washing machine; all can have funny alarms built in that you may have set without realising.

Also, some phones and remotes have "find me" alarms that can trigger.

Basically, check ALL electricals, not just alarms.

Good luck!

Just timed it - once every 37 seconds. Like clockwork…

Honestly I can cry!!!

Perhaps it is next door?

If you have a landline could you check it’s not been accidentally unplugged?

When we moved into our house the previous owners had been desperate to sell and we were sure there was a massive problem we’d uncover as soon as we got the keys. First night most annoying beeping and we thought that was it. Turned out we’d unplugged the landline (that we never used) and it was out of charge.

Can’t you narrow it down where it’s coming from?

It’s a dying Tamagotchi!

I’ve got an app on my phone that measures decibels. Maybe you could install that so you can see where it’s loudest

I had a noise like the smoke alarm, turns out the freezer was on the blink & the noise was there to tell me that

It’s so difficult to locate! I’ve stood under every one of my smoke alarms for 2 minutes at least, and definitely not any of them.
The sound is loudest in the corridor/staircase between the first and second floor, and louder to the left rather than the right, which suggests neighbours…
But is it possible to hear a neighbour’s alarm beep?

Just checked landline and freezer, definitely neither.

Trying turning off all your electricity briefly at the fuse box and see if it stops? If not, likely to be in your neighbour’s house - depends on how thick the walls are whether you can hear it or not.

@josephinebonaparted Yes it is possible to hear neighbours smoke alarm beep. It happened to me. They were away and I had to put up with it for 3 days. It drove me bonkers so I feel for you.

Another suggestion is, have any of your dc been given digital pets (like a tamagotchi)? My dd was given one and I heard beeping that took me a while to find out that it was the digital pet had died. The only way to stop it was to remove its battery.

@josephinebonaparted Do you have an alarm system on the house? This happened to me and it was the alarm box on the outside of the house telling me the back up battery needed replaced!! Drove me almost to tears before I found it 😬

Do you have a smart metre, the screen bit beeps like this if it looses connection with the electric / gas metre.

Do you have a Carbon monoxide monitor?

Turn off all the electrics for a couple of minutes and see if it stops the beeping - if it doesn't then it is definitely nothing mains powered.

I would then try and isolate it - start where it is loudest, with all room doors open, and each time close a door - if the sound muffles then it is from another room, if it doesn't if is from the room you're in. Once you have eliminated other rooms and are 100% sure there's nothing in the room it could be - alarm etc - then it may be coming from the neighbours. If you can wait it out till morning you could go over and ask them if they have been hearing it too, or if it is coming from them.

We had an annoying beep for weeks a few years ago. It turned out to be the parking ticket machine on the street a few doors up from us.

@josephinebonaparted did you find out what was beeping?

Thanks for all your help everyone - it turns out it was the neighbour's alarm that had a low battery. I tore my hair out looking for old alarms in cupboards - had no idea that the sound could travel so loudly through these thick brick walls! The builders managed to turn it off about 30 minutes ago. I'm still hearing phantom beeping noises!

And to those of you who've experienced parking meter/security alarm/freezer/handset/tamogotchi beeps - I really feel for you. That noise is just so insidious!!

@josephinebonaparted that’s great that it’s finally over

@josephinebonaparted

Thanks for all your help everyone - it turns out it was the neighbour's alarm that had a low battery. I tore my hair out looking for old alarms in cupboards - had no idea that the sound could travel so loudly through these thick brick walls! The builders managed to turn it off about 30 minutes ago. I'm still hearing phantom beeping noises!

This happened to us!! God it drove us crazy - we were about to bash our wall down behind our fireplace Anyway as a last ditch attempt I thought I’d check with the neighbours and it was their smoke alarm - they didn’t seem phased at all (this was days and days of beeps) - the relief when it stopped was glorious