Install a Light in Place of Smoke Detector?

speedy petey said:

. . . to tell you what you wanted to hear.

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I tell people what they want to hear slightly more often than does Doc Martin.
And if you divide your post count by the number of likes you've been given, you and I are about equally popular, or unpopular. I hope this similar ratio is for different reasons.

Women on tech forums do not seem to have the same issues that men have, except one I met on a hearing aid forum. She played mindgames/headgames like a man and was one smart and offensive lady.

Petey, you should hang around on this forum
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/
for a while.
It won't do them good but it might do you good.

Sadly we get alot more readers than members, some of us worry about the answer those people get if they are think of doing the same thing and we want them first to understand that it not a good idea. If you get the answer you want a little further down the page, great.
Keep in mind that when we give dumb answers or even argue with each other we are just trying to help.

What give you that impression, Wuz? If you only knew! LOL!

I'm not looking for what I want to hear for stuff I never mentioned. At the risk of offending the moderators, it's about stuff people think I don't know, that I ought to, to make them feel superior for instructing me on it, though I never asked about it. (That's not a run-on sentence, I swear. I make my living as an executive secretary).

Not that I intend to write some kind of manifesto, but I'm a one question-one answer person. I completely understand the concept of "you don't know what you don't know," but I'm bright enough as the daughter of a depression era farmboy son of a carpenter, who served as an electrician's mate in the US navy, who was his one-and-only shop help, to know which way is up. The secretary bit only come from the fact he also did peoples' tax returns for as long as I can remember, meaning if I wanted to answer the phone as a kid, I had to be able to take care of the call (take a message, set an appointment, etc).

Now, my introduction to this forum a few years came after my daddy's unexpected passing when I couldn't figure out a particular circuit to convert a single pole switch into a switch-outlet combo. A question that took all freakin day to get an intelligent response about a single jumper amid all the manly-man posturing. Something that should have been a 5 minute phone call to him.

I don't know everything, and I am, in fact, a blonde, but I'm not stupid and would appreciate it if people would refrain from assuming that at the outset. One of my most hopeful relationships fell apart when my "date" took offense to my simple suggestion that he calculate the price of a new hard drive after all discounts and rebates by effective gigabyte. He thought I "embarrassed" him in front of the know-nothing salesbots at Fry's and that was the end of that.

Ban me for life it you want for going off on a tangent, but I don't appreciate Speedy's "she won't acknowledge my superior intellect" approach. Call it chip on my shoulder, but I don't need that kind of insecure garbage in what's supposed to be a place of helpfulness.

Until you mentioned it I had no idea of your gender nor would that ever impact a reply I would make. I can’t talk for others except being around here long enough I have seen very little gender bias if any. I can feel fairly confidant in saying all answers you received if you consider them good or bad in this thread were given without gender playing any role whatsoever.

If one has a predisposition to think they may receive a bias and it’s constantly in their thought process often times they see it around every corner of life. That perceived bias doesn’t have to be gender it could be race, age, education or many others even hair color. When one perceives a prejudice it doesn’t mean one exists.

I on the other hand do find it slightly offensive that members here would call out another member on a public forum with acquisitions of this nature and make suggestions for that member as to ways to correct the problems they perceive are taking place.

As to your initial question and an attempt to make this post on topic. The title of your thread is “Install a Light in Place of Smoke Detector?” You used 3 question marks in that post one in the title, one asking if you were crazy in thinking of doing what your title said, and one asking what others thought of your question. No one that tries to be helpful here knows the abilities of others coming and asking DIY type questions and we all look for clues. First clue is you don’t have a volt meter. Almost no one has a volt meter the conventional tool of choice is a multi-meter and you can pick one up for 30 bucks that will do all you will ever need. I would highly recommend one to anyone thinking of doing any DIY electrical work along with maybe another $30 worth of basic electrician hand tools and a few bucks worth of tape and wire nuts etc. Another clue was talking of 125 volts I hear 110 in the old days and now mostly 120 referring to north American voltage and 220. You said you have no breaker that supports the idea of a 125 v supply to your old worn out and battery shot units. These devices are surely on a breaker and you never mentioned how you know they are not and if they are not you have even bigger problems. Of course they are wired 120 if they are hard wired. “wuz” gave you some potentially deadly advice in post number 2 and that was to use a light bulb as a voltage tester. The idea of judging if the voltage is correct by the bulb not exploding if it was 220 is frankly Ludacris. I carry a test socket and a bulb and it can be a handy tool in some cases but I have safety leads and clips and not just any socket and bulb. I also feel I have the basic understanding of when to use such a tool and when not. The advice I gave was built around not just your question but also what I felt was within the scope of you doing and what would provide you with both light and fire protection. Sure sometimes the topic floats off topic as we are all aware there are many lurkers reading and gaining ideas here also. Plus we are learning from each other, and expanding on ideas in others threads. Example being I saw a post Neil made in a whole different forum that I felt could help you and I offered that advice and we briefly discussed the pros and cons of such.


In closing again I personally feel no one offered anything but positive advice in this thread. I’m not saying the advice given here is always good or I always agree with it but it was given with good intentions. I would ask people to always look at their perceptions along with reality and then if they feel they have an issue handle it with PM or get a mod involved and not bring such things into the open forum.

SavvyCat said:

Ban me for life it you want for going off on a tangent, but I don't appreciate Speedy's "she won't acknowledge my superior intellect" approach. Call it chip on my shoulder, but I don't need that kind of insecure garbage in what's supposed to be a place of helpfulness.

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Oh get over yourself.
For one, I did not know you were a female, not that it even matters.
For two, don't bother with trying to use that you think I am using a "she won't acknowledge my superior intellect" approach. That is yet another typical reaction from someone not getting the answers or only hearing what they want.
What I am portraying is not insecurity. I am quite secure in my knowledge of this trade and field. If someone is suggesting something very wrong, non-code-complaint or even dangerous (ALL three apply in your case) I an certainly going to express an opinion on the situation.
If you don't want opinions outside of the specific answers you want to hear I would suggest staying away from the internet and message boards.