The factory expiry dates on all our hallway smoke alarms ran out last month, and the kitchen unit started chirping that annoying low battery beep every single hour. I bought a three pack of those interconnected hardwired fire safety alarms that communicate with each other so if one goes off, they all trigger. The instruction sheet made it look like a simple plug and play upgrade where you just click the new harness into the ceiling box. What an absolute pain.
The main trouble started because the mounting rings on the new alarms didn’t line up with the old ceiling plastic boxes at all. Trying to hold a heavy plastic baseplate perfectly flat against the ceiling drywall with one hand while trying to drive a self tapping screw with the other is a total balancing act when you are standing on the very top step of a ladder. I accidentally dropped the tiny mounting screws into the thick hallway carpet twice, meaning I had to climb all the way down and hunt around on my knees with a flashlight before I could even finish the first room.
Then came the real headache of connecting the digital interconnect wires inside the junction box. You have to wire nut the red traveler lines together so the alarms can talk to each other, and the builder back then had cut the ceiling wires so short that there was barely any copper exposed to twist together. Squeezing my hands into that dark, cramped ceiling cavity with a flashlight balanced on my neck while trying to tuck the thick wire bundles back inside without pinching the insulation took way too much precision.
The safety units are securely screwed into the ceiling plates now and the little green indicator lights are glowing on all three frames to show they have main power. Pressed the center test button and the entire system triggered an incredibly loud, synchronized alarm blast throughout the whole house instantly, so the interconnect lines are communicating perfectly. The home fire safety layout is fully operational now.