<p>Dear CCers:</p>
<p>Have you changed the batteries in your smoke/carbon monoxide detectors recently? Checked your tire pressure?</p>
<p>If not, please do so this weekend.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Your friend,</p>
<p>Zoosermom</p>
<p>P.S. If anyone has reminders I’ve forgotten, please pass them along.</p>
<p>I thought the “check your smoke detector battery” was supposed to be done when the clocks are changed. </p>
<p>Always a good reminder, though. Our smoke detectors are hard wired and the CO detector is a plug in.</p>
<p>Tire pressure is done monthly.</p>
<p>Yes, Ma’am! I have 4 9V batteries sitting on my coffee table. I guess I better check my tires too. 
Thanks for the kick in the pants.</p>
<p>^^^ Not everyone does it on the proper schedule! I didn’t do it yet this time and there was a fatal fire yesterday in my area in which, you guessed it, the smoke detectors weren’t working.</p>
<p>A good reminder, zoosermom. My tires were 10 pounds low! On my to-do list this season, get the tires filled with nitrogen. Apparently it’s less responsive to temperature changes.</p>
<p>How long is a fire extinguisher good?</p>
<p>And how does one dispose of a “too old” fire extinguisher?</p>
<p>Great Reminder for everyone,
goaliedad I have the same wired smoke detectors but our local fire department has recomended that you also install a battery one on each level since if you have an electrical fire it is possible for the power to be taken out first, or if you lose power to your house your alarms are useless, unless yours have battery back up. I added 3 battery operated ones last year just in case</p>
<p>"And how does one dispose of a “too old” fire extinguisher? "</p>
<p>I am required by my business insurance to have my fire extinguishers checked and serviced every year. Most communities have a company that does this. They generally just check the pressure and change the o-rings for about $15-$20.</p>
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<p>I’ve considered it, but with our setup, if the power fails our CO detector goes off (waking the dead in the process) and I have a UPS with a similar obnoxious alarm for when it is operating on battery.</p>
<p>There actually was a battery operated one in our kitchen with a 5-year battery as well installed by a previous owner (which I uninstalled when that battery was dying - giving off periodic peeps that made the dog neurotic). The only thing it ever contributed was keeping my wife away from the stove. Of course, my MIL has a copyright on the recipie for burning water. LOL</p>
<p>goaliedad, you’re going to be struck by lightening. :D</p>
<p>Might as well shut off the water supply to the outside faucets (if you don’t have the freeze resistant type) if you haven’t done so already.</p>
<p>In addition to tire pressure, it’s very important to check the treads on your tires on a regular basis. Some of the heavier cars, in particular, can chew through tires like crazy. I got only 20K miles on my last set - which were expensive Michelins. A great resource I just discovered is tirerack.com, where you can find consumer ratings, objective reviews and tests. It’s surprising to see - some of the pricier tires don’t perform that well or last particularly long.</p>
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Haven’t done that. Hadn’t even thought of it. Thank you!</p>
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<p>Haven’t had that happen yet (knocking on wood). More likely to happen to one of the trees in our yard. </p>
<p>In a previous home, we had a funnel cloud go down the street (didn’t touch down). Took out a lot of tree tops, though.</p>
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Hope you got some money on the warranty…</p>
<p>The other things to check with regards to the car before winter sets in are antifreeze (know what type you have and what the change interval is - it is different on many cars), check your belts and hoses so you are not stranded on the road (The parts just came in and it will be done Monday on our 6-year old 150,000 mile van along with replacing the water pump pre-emptively as this vehicle has a cheap design plastic impeller that has a history of self-destruction) and have your car battery tested (can be done for free at autozone).</p>
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<p>Oh, and if you are making that comment regarding my comments about the lack of cooking talent that I married into, they are OK with that too. In fact, my MIL always asks my wife “What is goaliedad going to fix for Thanksgiving?” I always end up doing the cooking for the family gatherings (often 15-25 people) by myself.</p>
<p>Christmas is worse, as I now am drafted to do both Breakfast (which is actually more difficult timingwise than dinner) and dinner.</p>
<p>I’m not exactly sure how I became the cook except that I used to spend too much time watching my Italian grandmother in front of the stove. I just read the cookbook and learn how to blend different recipies and substitute ingredients.</p>
<p>Teach your kids not to mix ammonia and bleach when cleaning. I admit I did a poor job of training my kids to clean a bathroom, and now my biggest luxury in my life is my twice-monthly cleaning lady. But someday, hopefully, my kids will be living on their own and will need to clean a toilet. I told my daughter the other day about the dangers of mixing ammonia (like Windex) and bleach (like Lysol Bleach Gel Toilet Cleaner). She was really surprised that using those products at the same time could be dangerous.</p>
<p>Hot water tanks</p>
<p>We live in a area that has very hard water (we don’t like water softeners) and we would typically get 5 to 6 years use from a hot water heater before it went. The last time I replaced it the man at the plumbing supply store told me to empty a full bucket from the tap at the bottom at the tank around the first of every month. He said doing so will remove the mineral sediment at the bottom of the tank that will build up and act as an insulator forcing the tank to work harder, drive up the gas bill, and reduce the tanks service life. Long story short, that tank I installed has now lasted 11 years and still going strong.</p>
<p>If you live in a seismically-active area, please please PLEASE strap down your water heater, and make sure that your bookcases are out of tipping-distance of any sitting or sleeping areas and are bracketed into a wall stud. I’ve spent a good chunk of my professional life making sure that nobody gets killed in earthquakes via structural collapse, but most of the earthquake-related injuries that occur are actually by non-structural means.</p>
<p>Shift Happens: Dare to Prepare! Secure your Space!
[Dare</a> to Prepare: Earthquake Readiness Campaign](<a href=“http://www.earthquakecountry.info/daretoprepare/]Dare”>http://www.earthquakecountry.info/daretoprepare/)</p>
<p>Zoosermom, we did change the batteries when we set the clocks ahead a couple weeks ago. But thanks for the reminder … my neighbors were saved by smoke detectors early Friday morning when their house caught on fire. There is an amazing amount of smoke damage, but they are fine. That is a cause for celebration.</p>