Question:
I live in a home built about five years ago in the L.A. area. All was quiet until about two weeks ago, when the smoke detector in the stairway started chirping because of a low battery. Problem is, it is situated way up in a skylight in the stairway, from a ceiling that is already very high. Impossible to get at even with a ladder. One would need to install scaffolding to get to it. After it started chirping for about an hour (2:00 in the morning, of all times), since all the other smoke detectors were interconnected, they all went off full-blast. I knew the smoke detectors had a dedicated AC circuit, so I went outside to shut the electricity off to them. The smoke detectors then went silent, except for the chirping one. It chirped and chirped for several days. I had to do something, because it was annoying, hard to sleep, let alone I shut off the AC to all the smoke detectors. I went down to Home Depot and bought an extendible 20 foot pole that is usually used to change light bulbs in high areas. I extended the pole and managed to dislodge the smoke detector from the ceiling and it's AC connection. If fell to the floor, but kept chirping, as if to annoy me. I then took the battery out. After that, I turned back on the AC power to the other smoke alarms, replaced their batteries, and put a couple of battery operated smoke detectors in the stairway area, which I can reach. I also managed to paste a cover (a white styrofoam plate) over the hole for the detector, with the 20 foot pole. I figure when it comes to sell the house, I'm going to have to hire someone to somehow go up there to replace the detector, to meet building inspection. But does anyone know if the building code requires smoke detectors in the absolute highest point of the ceiling, making them too high to ever reach? Anyway, since I added more battery operated smoke detectors, I don't feel any less safer, even with this one hardwired unit missing, plus I'm able to sleep again.

Answer: Q: It chirped and chirped for several days. I had to do something, because it was annoying, hard to sleep, let alone I shut off the AC to all the smoke detectors. I went down to Home Depot and bought an extendible 20 foot pole that is usually used to change light bulbs in high areas. I extended the pole and managed to dislodge the smoke detector from the ceiling and it's AC connection.

A: Current code requires smoke detectors to be interwired with battery backup. A google search shows that some models have rechargeable Lithium batteries which are supposed to last the life of the smoke detector, an ideal situation for high areas such as that skylight. I don't know if they would be compatible with your existing system though, you might have to change all the detectors.

I'd try to take that one that came down somewhere such as an alarm company and see if they have one that is compatible that uses a rechargeable battery.