Tonight we had house alarm false #3 in about 6 weeks. Geez. Gift baskets for my neighbors.
To the alarm panel I go, and it tells me it’s a glassbreak downstairs. This isn’t good, as were I looking to break into the house I’d do it though the basement (and thus the glassbreaks, motion sensors, punjii-pits and laser traps).
So, to the bottom of the stair I go, and for the first time in my house I’m getting really spooked: someone is breathing heavily on the other end of the long room! I sweep the room behind me, and go to have a look, with the Voice of Doom in my right hand and a suddenly tremulous flashlight in the left. I clear the entire area, and nobody there, but the sound remains.
Then I hear a sharp noise behind me. I looked up to hear sound coming out of a glassbreak detector. Freaky. As I was about to curse the alarm manufacturer, hot water dripped on me.
Glassbreaks will alarm and make audible noise when you run water through them, turns out. The leak is in the dishwasher discharge on the floor above. Water and breaker are off to the dishwasher, and Monday will be calls to the trades.
Yes, by the way, this is the same ceiling the dishwasher dropped during the kitchen remodel several months ago. I have high hopes it’ll stay together and dry out well, though the dishwasher needs a different kind of union to the discharge piping.
I’m going to have the flashlight examined, too.
A week ago I am awakened by a pounding on the door, two cruisers in the drive and two guys wanting to know about the unanswered 911 call. Noticeably confused they tell me to check the phone. No dial tone, just static.
They tell me this happens all the time and to call the phone company in the morning. After navigating the phone company service people the guy is right out and finds a squirrel has eaten through the phone line at the pole. Seems they like the flavor of the plastic sheathing.
I keep a tactical flashlight handy, 600 lumens with a strobe setting and a low light setting to save the batteries, nothing can hide from this rascal.
So if you hear static and do not have a dial tone, call the phone company before the police show up. They do have more important things to do.
Steve Lucas
Dang, if that had happened to me as soon as I heard the noise I would have been onto 911 – more brave than me. On the brightside – at least you found out about the leak before it did any damage.
Sounds incredibly frightening. I would have used 911 right away as well.