Just moved in - constant alarm chirping somewhere

jmmo20

I think I've pinpointed this issue to one of two properties on the other end.
One looks quite a mess and lots of rubbish in their garden so wouldn't surprised me if faced with the issue of a beeping alarm they would just chuck it in their garden.

jimbog

Is this only at night? If so, might be midwife toads

rach_k

Good luck!  Our next door neighbours (terraced houses) left their smoke alarm beeping for months.  It was every 37 seconds like yours.  They didn't seem to hear it, but they are a very noisy family!  I asked them to sort it once and they 'forgot' so a few weeks later I popped round with a spare battery and suggested they sort it before I went completely insane.  

jmmo20

jimbog said:

Is this only at night? If so, might be midwife toads

No, it's 24x7 every 37 seconds all the freaking time of night or day.
Granted it's less noticeable during the day as there are many more sources of noise, but still there. Lucikly for me our main bedroom is on the front face of the house but the guest bedroom and home office are on the garden face.

sammyjammy

jmmo20 said:

I think I've pinpointed this issue to one of two properties on the other end.
One looks quite a mess and lots of rubbish in their garden so wouldn't surprised me if faced with the issue of a beeping alarm they would just chuck it in their garden.

If its disconnected from the electrics it won't beep any more!  I had to pretty much smash one of mine to stop it, couldn't get the cover off (the installer had installed it over the stairs and I would have killed myself reaching it properly).  Really must replace it....

freesha

Phoebe Buffay?

Ditzy_Mitzy

_shel said:

 Cat scare alarm, my neighbours had one and it drove me mad beeping every 30 seconds.
 It was actually faulty hence why it was beeping and why i could hear it, theyre meant to be silent to humans 

The claim that the sound emitted by cat scarers is imperceptible to humans is a marketing myth.  The reality is that the devices emit a very high pitched, high frequency chirrup which is perfectly audible to children, teenagers and a reasonable percentage of adult women.  The marketing myth comes from an old belief that adults lose the ability to hear in these very high ranges in their twenties, a condition called presbycusis.  There is some truth to it, presbycusis exists, but it isn't as simple as vendors of sonic pest control devices claim it is.  The majority of people affected by early onset presbycusis are men - I don't know why men should be affected more severely, but they are. It also takes years for the high range perception to completely disappear.  As such lots of adult females, such as me, and, presumably, some adult males, can hear cat scarers. 
The things drive me bonkers but, fortunately, I don't live within hearing range of one.  There are plenty in the neighbourhood, but mostly operating in the gardens of houses owned by the elderly who, I assume, actually can't hear them.  
As an aside, they don't even have the desired effect on cats!  

jmmo20

Whether it's a cat alarm or a smoke alarm the noise is pretty clear.
I've been giving the environmental health contact number for my council. I think I will give the neighbours the benefit of the doubt and wait a couple of weeks before I get anyone else involved.

Bolt1234

This sort of thing drives you mad!!  I had this a few years ago.  It was the battery on the smoke alarm as others are saying but it wouldnt slide off the ceiling and at one point I was thinking of taking a hammer to it. The sound goes right through you and I wasnt getting a wink of sleep but yep - it was that battery!