"Kate" wrote in message ...

If the battery is there to backup the smoke alarm during a power outage,
why would shutting off the switch in the fuse box keep the battery from
chirping?

Having dragged a ladder in, I would have thought the thing to do was change
the battery....

Oddly enough, when one of the wireless devices in our alarm system
experiences a low battery and makes the alarm panel beep it's usually around
three in the morning. Maybe that's built into safety electronics like smoke
detectors and alarm systems, they want to make sure you're home to hear the
low battery alert.