4
votes

I know this sounds like a silly question and it may be closed before it may get a single answer but there is something strange in my house which beeps infrequently. I tried to troubleshoot the sound but no luck. I thought may be its coming from the living room but there is nothing special in the living room which may make a beep sound.

Can someone point me what should i look for to figure out what is making this sound?

6
  • 9
    Sure it's not one of these?
    – Doresoom
    Dec 23, 2011 at 20:38
  • @Doresoom : I just lost my 30 minutes bcz of your comment. ;-)
    – Asdfg
    Dec 23, 2011 at 21:08
  • Did you find out what it was?? Jan 18, 2012 at 16:01
  • i changed my sump pump's battery but still something is beeping. still working on it.
    – Asdfg
    Jan 19, 2012 at 4:27
  • 1
    finally spent 4 hours in the basement today and found that fios battery is down.
    – Asdfg
    Jan 23, 2012 at 0:54

7 Answers 7

4
votes

Fios battery backup? Those can beep.

1
  • Finally i figured it out today.
    – Asdfg
    Jan 23, 2012 at 0:54
10
votes

Random theories:

  • smoke alarm
  • kids toy
  • a robot
  • cell phone
  • handheld video game
  • a bomb
2
  • 12
    usually a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide alarm with a low battery. The occasional beep is the signal that the battery is getting low. They can be frustrating to locate as for some reason the high pitch beep is hard to narrow down to a single room. I usually close all the doors to rooms to help eliminate areas. Dec 25, 2011 at 4:18
  • Bombs are easy to find. Just look for the glow from the red LED display counting down to detonation. :) Jan 8, 2014 at 3:00
7
votes

Most likely a smoke detector or CO detector with a dying battery.

15
  • i know the sound of smoke detector which is pretty loud. This beep is not that loud and if i am watching TV, i barely hear it. I dont think i have CO detectors in my house.
    – Asdfg
    Dec 23, 2011 at 19:54
  • I have also heard some cordless phone handsets make a beep when their battery is almost dead. Check the couch cushions.
    – Dave Nay
    Dec 23, 2011 at 19:55
  • No cordless phones in the house.
    – Asdfg
    Dec 23, 2011 at 19:56
  • 3
    The dying battery sound of a smoke alarm or CO detector is not going to be as loud as when it's actually warning you. Check them. Dec 24, 2011 at 17:12
  • 2
    it looks it was furnace thermostat filter is beeping. I have turned it off and cleaned the filter. If it still beeps, it must be Sumpump battery. Thanks for helping me to narrow it down.
    – Asdfg
    Dec 25, 2011 at 19:20
2
votes

On top of what other people have said:

  • Fridge (door open, temp low)
  • Computer
  • Thermostat (filter reminder)
  • Alarm clock (low battery)

Or maybe it's not a beep but rather a squeak (furnace fan, fridge compressor, door opening/closing, window, water meter, gas meter, etc.)

1
vote

I'd say it's a fire or smoke alarm. Is it a short chirp every couple of minutes. If its not somewhere obvious then it might be a bit difficult to track down, human ears are very bad at locating these high frequencies. You could try using you computer to measure the volume at various points in the room. Sounds elaborate but it might be the only way to track it down.

3
  • 1
    sometimes it beeps once in a couple of hours and sometimes once in an hour. It doesnt beep very frequently. I tried to note the timing and found it at least beeps once in two hours.
    – Asdfg
    Dec 23, 2011 at 20:02
  • 1
    Is it just a single beep or a sequence? Dec 23, 2011 at 20:03
  • 1
    just a single beep. similar to coffee maker beep but less intense and only one beep.
    – Asdfg
    Dec 23, 2011 at 20:05
1
vote

Could be your dishwasher... Some models have an audible alert for when you need to change the water filter.

0
votes

Have you checked couch cushions? Had a child watch fall into one of ours and it beeped on the hour. Other things to look out for old cell phones or pagers which are alerting that their battery needs to be charged.

1
  • beeping is coming from the basement. It looks to be sump pump battery is dying.
    – Asdfg
    Dec 27, 2011 at 18:26

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