re: Low battery alert from smoke detector at 1:45am

I once went to view a house for sale and the smoke detector was chirping the whole time. It was inside the master bedroom just above the door and within arms reach. A little annoying, but I figured it must have started while the owners were at work and they would get it when they got home.

We ended up making an offer on the house and went back a week later for the inspection. When I walked in, the same goddamn smoke detector was still chirping. The whole time I couldn't think of anything but how these psychos went (at least) a week with this thing going off the whole time in their bedroom while they slept (I confirmed they had been home, not on vacation, etc.). I ended up not buying the house, but I still wonder how long that went on before they decided enough was enough.