Your Smoke Detectors Are Probably No Good

Most of the homes in Timberton were built at least 15 years ago. Which means that your smoke detectors may not work properly. They are supposed to be replaced every ten years. Just replacing the battery is not enough.

You can remove a smoke alarm (twist CW or CCW) and there should be a manufacturer date on it. If it’s older than 10 years, then it will not be as effective. Even if you put in a new battery, or if it is wired to AC.

(Note: Port Ludlow Fire and Rescue will help with checking and installing smoke detectors. See information here http://www.plfr.org/public-education/programs-services/smoke-co-checks.php .)

So I grabbed 6 of  Kiddey brand smoke detectors (four-pack plus two more singles ), from the Home Depot online site, for a total cost of $78. These are the hardwired ones that will probably replace the existing ones in your Timberton house.

I picked those because they come with the adapters needed for the most common brands (my existing ones were Firex, which was bought out by Kidde). Plus they come with a 9v battery.  Took about a week to get here.

Installation quite easy. Get up on the ladder (carefully), twist off the old one, use my little power screwdriver to loosen the two screws holding the mounting plates, remove the old mounting plate.

Grab the right power adapter from the package, clip it on, then attach the new mounting plate. (Use a permanent marker to put the date on the unit for reference.) Connect the power connector, feed the wires back into the hole, and twist on the new one (make sure it is positioned correctly if mounted on a wall). Pop in the 9v battery (included – which is front-mounted for easy replacement), and test it. All done.

Took under an hour to replace 6 of them in my house. And that includes taking the ladder upstairs and back.

Reasonable cost. You can get ‘lifetime’ (10-year battery) units, but they cost more. Best price I found was via Home Depot (Amazon and Lowe’s were higher. YMMV).

A good idea to do. Doesn’t take long, and doesn’t cost much.

Brrr! – Gonna Get Cold!

From the Jefferson County Emergency Management

Cold temperatures, possible light lowland snow through Sunday. Visit NWS for your specific location forecast at http://www.weather.gov/sew/
Learn how to stay safe before, during, and after winter storms and extreme cold by visiting www.ready.gov/winter
For full details, view this message on the web.

Stay warm and safe!

(Register for alerts from Jefferson County Emergency Management here: https://local.nixle.com/register/ .)

Batten Down the Hatches!

From the National Weather Service and Jefferson County Emergency Management ( a ‘warning’ means that this is going to happen):


Advisory: High Wind Warning until 11:00PM Wednesday

Dear Nixle User,

…HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY… The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a High Wind Warning, which is in effect from 11 AM to 11 PM PDT Wednesday. The High Wind Watch is no longer in effect.

* WIND…Southeast and south winds will increase Wednesday morning and persist into early Wednesday evening. Sustained wind speeds of 20 to 35 mph are possible, with gusts to 50 mph.

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…Everett, Port Townsend, Whidbey Island, Anacortes, the San Juan Islands, Bellingham.

* TIMING…Winds will increase late Wednesday morning, peak on Wednesday afternoon, then ease Wednesday evening.

* IMPACTS…Winds of this magnitude can cause tree damage and scattered power outages. This will be the first event of this magnitude this season. Such events commonly bring more impacts in terms of tree damage and power outages than the same wind later in the season.

* AFFECT ED AREAS: ADMIRALTY INLET AREA … EVERETT AND VICINITY … SAN JUAN COUNTY … WESTERN SKAGIT COUNTY … WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY

Instructions:

Winds of this magnitude can cause tree damage and scattered power outages. Large falling branches have been known to cause fatalities during windstorms. Secure loose outdoor objects or light-weight furniture before the winds arrive.

For full details, view this message on the web.


If you want to sign up for alerts from Jefferson County Emergency Management, go here: http://www.nixle.com/ . (Note that these are the folks that will alert you to all sorts of impending emergency situations: fire, flood, earthquake, traffic, etc. )

Bears?

From a resident:

From: Rennae H
Subject: Bears

Message Body:
Took a short walk on the trail beginning at marker 20 from the grassy area on Heritage. About a 1/2 mile on the trail and we saw fresh bear scat right in the middle of the trail. Just wanted to let walks know.

Perhaps trail walkers should consider carrying bear spray on their travels around area trails. Here’s an article about walking in ‘bear country’: http://www.wta.org/go-outside/trail-smarts/how-to/hike-backpack-bear-country .

The Calm Before the Big Storm

TThe skies might be blue right now, but get prepared for a real ‘doozy’ of a storm.

This is from a weather blog that I follow (http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2016/10/warming-major-storms-threaten-pacific.html):

“Starting Thursday, we will enter a period of extraordinarily active weather with the potential for heavy rain, flooding, and a highly dangerous windstorm with the potential to be an historic event. The coastal waters and shoreline areas could well experience hurricane-force gusts, with a lesser but serious threat for strong winds over the interior. Keep in mind that there is still uncertainty in the forecasts, more so for the wind than the rain.

“Now in most years, the events along would be impressive, representing one of the strongest events of a typical winter season. But folks, this is just a warm up for the real action on Saturday.

“A true monster storm, potentially as strong as the most powerful storm in NW history (the Columbus Day Storm of 1962) will be approaching our area on Saturday. “

Be prepared and get ready to ‘hunker down’.