I wonder what I'm going to write about. Ah, I will write about the lack of electronic chirps, squeaks, and alarms that aren't going off. I'm making yet another variation of my beef and bean chili (never the same way twice) and the smoke alarm hasn't gone off. Whew. A simple thing, replacing a battery in a smoke detector, right? Nope. And I hope I did it right.
Tiny house. Yep. It's a tiny house. It's 391 square feet, which is small but not as small as they can get, but it's tiny, only about 10 feet wide. Tiny, but long. Tiny but long, and steep. The roof is reminiscent of cathedrals, though the decor doesn't match. Every house has to have a smoke detector, or more. Smoke detectors live near the peak of the ceiling. Somehow get a ladder into that notch of the ceiling to swap out a battery.
Fine. If the house has nothing in it, move that ladder into a prime position. If you're feeling spendy, go set up a scaffolding and chase out those spiderwebs.
My house has furniture. The only working smoke detector is in the bedroom, which is a room that has enough room for a bed, and a bit.
The geometry gets interesting. The short ladder won't work so squeeze the ladder into the room, while positioning it, while squeezing myself past the underside, without marring the walls (gotta put socks on the ends of the ladder next time), and hope the slope is stable enough to not slide or fold or buckle.
Who designed this device? Don't answer. The fit is so tight that I didn't think I could get the battery out, but in trying, the alarm starts to chirp in some sort of protest. Get it out. Drop it instead of holding onto it. Get the new battery - and realize I can't see the leads in the device to know if the battery is going in the right way.
Grumble. Pinch. Squirm. Worry about tipping to the side or simply falling. The battery is in, and I know that the alarm may go off later if it is not pleased.
Getting the ladder up and in was hard enough that the ladder stays there for an hour, just in case.
Wait another hour as I unwind a bit by running a few chores.
Hours later, collapse the ladder, but leave it in the house because its storage is outside and I don't want to maneuver it until I don't have to maneuver it.
It's the next day and things seem to be working well enough. Of course, with many modern alarm systems, they seem to be more likely to be a nuisance than useful. A smoke detector in a tiny house seems sillier because it's not like any part of the house is abandoned like some attics and cellars. It's a tiny house, it's simple.
Sadly, building codes don't care. It's a house; it must adhere to safety rules, whether make sense or not. And there's some actuary who has the data to prove the value of our efforts to quiet the fickle cackle of an enthusiastic safety feature.
Ceiling mounted smoke detectors make sense in houses where the ceilings and the detectors can be reached without a need for ladders or stretching.
Fortunately, tiny houses that have lofts are more likely to have accessible sensors. My house has no such loft, so I dance with ladders, worry about bouncing into and off of walls, and live in (a very small but real) anxiety and fear of the alarm going off.
It is a smoke alarm. The alarm's chips signaling that the battery needs to be changed generate more anxiety than any worry I have about a fire. I worry about house fires too; I've even made appliance and design choices to limit the risk of fire, but I fear the alarm response more.
Sigh. It's the little things.
Try sleeping with a mosquito, a little thing.
I didn't realize that I was changing the battery on a recommended day. Duty has less to do with me seeing the indicator light flashing as I try to go to sleep.
Hmm. The chili seems to be doing well, too. Probably have to add some water. I can tell because living in a tiny house also means being able to monitor more with less effort. Handling the ladder is still a hassle, but it is for safety! Grumble. Grumble. Gripe.
Without realizing it, this is a good time to change out that battery. This is the season for cooking and baking. I have some surgery (knee) coming up, that would get in the way of ladder work. And I got to install another piece of art over the fridge. It's all good. That should be good enough.