I've been sticking with alkalines myself—mostly because I'm cheap, haha. But your point about vaulted ceilings hits home. Last time I swapped batteries up there, I nearly took a tumble...not fun. Anyway, slightly off-topic but related: has anyone tried those combo smoke/gas detectors? Wondering if they're reliable enough to justify the extra cost and hassle of installation.
I've installed a few of those combo smoke/gas detectors in my rental properties, and honestly, they're pretty decent overall. A few quick thoughts from experience:
- Reliability-wise, they're solid. Haven't had any false alarms yet, and tenants haven't complained (trust me, they'd let me know).
- Installation isn't much different from regular smoke detectors—just a bit pricier upfront. But considering the peace of mind, it's worth it.
- One downside: some models have shorter lifespans (like 5-7 years), so you'll be swapping them out sooner than standard smoke alarms.
- Also, placement matters more with gas detection. You'll want to double-check instructions because gas detectors usually need to be lower on the wall (natural gas rises slowly, carbon monoxide spreads evenly).
And yeah, totally feel your pain about the vaulted ceilings...been there, done that, nearly broke my neck. Now I just pay someone younger and braver to climb up there, haha.
Totally agree on the vaulted ceilings—been there myself and my knees still haven't forgiven me, haha. Have you noticed if your detectors have battery backup? Had a situation once where a tenant's power went out during a storm and the detector stayed quiet because it didn't have batteries...lesson learned. Also, ever had issues with sensitivity to cooking fumes? Heard some models can be picky near kitchens. Curious if you've run into that at all.
- Battery backup is a must imo, learned that the hard way myself after an outage. About cooking fumes, yeah, ours goes off if you even think about frying bacon, lol. Did you try repositioning yours or had to swap it out for a different model?
- Battery backup's def a lifesaver—had tenants who unplugged theirs 'cause of bacon-triggered false alarms. 🙄 Repositioning helps sometimes, but honestly, pricier models with sensitivity adjustments save headaches long-term. Worth the extra bucks imo.
