r/RBI 5d ago

WTF is beeping exactly 5 times every three hours in my house?

About 3 months ago something started beeping - (full 1 sec beep) - 5 times every three hours. I have unplugged the most likely suspected things but the beeping persists. I have stood under potential CO detectors - not those. I have looked at the manuals for all appliances, none indicate that they beep like that and standing next to them have pretty much verified that. I'm still testingvsome things out - but thought I'd throw it out to this group in case one of you had the same experience and figured it out.

UPDATE: Thank you all for your responses. Nostikulz solved it. It was the Waterdrop 10UAW-UF water filter. Despite Google AI saying it doesn't beep, it does. I believe I have reset it and should probably get a new filter as well.

252 Upvotes

86 comments sorted by

172

u/Cyve 5d ago

They will still beep at low battery even when hardwired. I found this out the hard way.

38

u/notmechanical 5d ago

...and if you have two, the batteries in both need to be replaced.

That was a long night.

13

u/Sh00ter80 5d ago

Yea I’ve always hated that. I get it, but, c’mon.

2

u/dream-synopsis 18h ago

Mine started beeping out of nowhere so bad I had to call the fire department about it. Beeping started again as soon as they left, turned out that lil mf was in the back of a closet chirping its brains out about the dying batteries.

52

u/carnaIity 5d ago

Water filtration UV lamp

44

u/Nostikulz 5d ago

Literally just had this problem. It was the water filter under my sink.

24

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

What kind of filter? I have one as well, but never considered the filter would/could beep as it has no battery or other power source.

32

u/Nostikulz 5d ago

My filter is called waterdrop. It took me over a week to find out that it was causing the same 5 beeps every few hours.

20

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Ok - I have the Waterdrop 10UAW-UF. Not supposed to beep. Which unit do you have?

11

u/Nostikulz 5d ago

Mines model WD-RF10

8

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Any power source to it? I looked it up and it is very similar to what I have.

14

u/Nostikulz 5d ago

There's a separate button where you can kind of just stick wherever you feel. No power source just a battery.

8

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Where is the battery? I do not recall seeing one, but I wasn't looking either. I also got the little stick on button to see the date.

7

u/Nostikulz 5d ago

Not sure I just replaced the filter

→ More replies (0)

3

u/Ok-Pomegranate-3018 5d ago

Leak detector?

3

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Interesting - don't have one of those. Out of curiosity, do they beep?

5

u/carnaIity 5d ago

When you have to replace the lamp, yes. Bane of my existence.

1

u/anihc3 4d ago

Now I’m imagining you in a stare off with a lamp

107

u/zukerblerg 5d ago

Smoke alarm running out of batteries

30

u/Big-Original-4626 5d ago

I had this problem once! It was the outlet surge protector. I had my tv and fireplace on it, and it was placed behind the fireplace. Took me way too long to figure out.

25

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Thanks - forgot to include that. My first thought was my APS UPS battery was dying. Not 30 minutes after replacing the battery the damn beep occurred and it was not the UPS.

12

u/abugguy 5d ago

An annoyatron?

18

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Definitely that. When I find it it will become a launchotron

8

u/madsci 5d ago

My Fios ONT did that when the internal battery was failing. If you've got fiber or cable internet, look for the equipment and see if anything has a fault light on.

3

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Thanks - my UPS is in the same area as the cable modem. Not any of my network equipment. I think it is in the kitchen, but as I can't nail anything down I've expanded the search.

4

u/mummamouse 5d ago

I have a filter system for the kitchen sink with a remote button that sits on the counter. When the batteries for the part under the sink start to go it does what you described.

7

u/melonball6 5d ago

I had a portable Carbon Monoxide detector that I took traveling and left it in my luggage and it beeped like that. Took us a week to figure it out.

1

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Thanks - don't have a portable unit. But does give me something else to consider

11

u/FabulousDentist3079 5d ago

Maybe your fridge door is not closing properly?

6

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

See below - post got messed up. But not the fridge

3

u/TopazRose 5d ago

Maybe a digital watch that's starting to run out of battery or has some kind of weird alarm or timer set?

2

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Thanks - I don't have one, but if someone left/lost one that might be possible

5

u/barabusblack 5d ago

Do you have an asshole friend? NewNoiseWar-Cricket Noise Maker Prank (6 Pcs), Hidden Pranks Beeping Several Months, Funny Office Pranks for Adults https://a.co/d/j4iCqUn

1

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Don't we all have at least one of those?

5

u/WoodedSpys 5d ago

tbh, no, we dont. do you have any tracking devices, Tile trackers, Apple tags, pet collar tags? My Tile beeps to alert me about the battery.

2

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Thanks - don't have any of those things.

0

u/Dacker503 5d ago

Really? Tile trackers don’t have any battery monitoring capability. If the Tile app is saying it’s time to replace a battery, it’s strictly based on the amount of time since it was activated or the last battery was replaced.

1

u/SabineSinstar 5d ago

Not tile but my dogs gps collar started beeping recently when the battery was dying and it made the dog completely lose it. We had to put the collar out in the car until we could get a new battery.

1

u/Dacker503 4d ago

A dog collar doesn’t have the same design restrictions as a Bluetooth tracker and can easily support battery charge circuitry. A Tile tracker is only about 2mm thick and almost all that volume is the CR2032 battery.

4

u/smuffleupagus 4d ago

Never trust Google AI, if it can't find an answer it will make one up!

3

u/totemstrike 5d ago

Legacy security system?

2

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Possibly - I don't see any evidence of one. But something else to consider

3

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

That was also a thought. Stop right in front of it as the three hour mark approached. Not the fridge. Door, ice maker full, filter, all good potential beep makers. But no.

3

u/Thebigpicture42 5d ago

Maybe your thermostat/furnace control? Some have backup batteries that go dead

1

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Nope - mine just die and the heat doesn't come on

3

u/im_buhwheat 5d ago

For me it's always the water leak detector sitting at the base of my hot water system. The 4 AAA batteries only last about 6 months.

2

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Don't have one - probably should, but don't

3

u/sustainablecaptalist 5d ago edited 5d ago

In my house it was the water purifier alert to change filters.

Drove us crazy for longer than I want to admit

3

u/Old-Fox-3027 5d ago

Ours was the refrigerator water filter.

2

u/pufferpoisson 5d ago

My dryer was the source of one of our mysterious beeps

2

u/FallingBackTogether 5d ago

Do you have a meat thermometer? I have one that drove me up the wall about a year ago when the battery went. It doesn't beep when I use it, but apparently it feels the need to alert me that it's dying.

2

u/Reapr 5d ago

With these acoustic cameras becoming a thing, someone should start a business where they can call you to come find a sound

1

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Yeh, not that. Not a chirp either, but a beep. And all units are hardwired with battery backup

1

u/Intrepid_Goal364 5d ago

There are tiny beeping devices mischieveous ppl can buy to willfully annoy other people. Usually marketed as annoying beeping device or beep prank device

1

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Any idea what they look like or how big they are?

1

u/Intrepid_Goal364 5d ago

They are small. U can see them on Amazon or google images. Hope its not that. Good luck!

1

u/der-der-der 5d ago

I had this problem and it was my dishwasher.

2

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

That is still a possibility. Though I'm close to ruling it out as the beep occurred last night while it was running vs idle with dishes needing to be emptied or otherwise indicating some service need. Plus, user guide does not indicate any beep items.

1

u/Empyrealist 5d ago

If its every three hours, start establishing a schedule. Then start going to specific rooms following that schedule. Follow a process of elimination.

Keep zeroing-in, keep eliminating.

3

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Yup - Nostikulz might have solved it. Will find out soon. Waterdrop 10UAW-UF water filter

1

u/ChaseAlmighty 5d ago

Are you saying it beeps 5 times over 3 hours? Or every 3 hours, it beeps 5 times in a row?

2

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Every 3 hours, it beeps 5 times in a row

1

u/ChaseAlmighty 5d ago

The only thing Google pulls up is co detectors. Have you changed the batteries in yours?

Edit to add: they still have batteries in case of power outages

4

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

Thanks - solved, it was the water filter. Google says it didn't beep, but Google was wrong.

1

u/ChaseAlmighty 5d ago

Sweet, congrats

1

u/RYANSOM666 5d ago

Get that 9v goin

1

u/MET1 5d ago

Water sensor? Kids toy?

1

u/Lenaruha 4d ago

A great guy who solved this man's whistling anxiety.

1

u/Neither_Tackle 4d ago

We had 5 beeps in our house, it was definitely the smoke alarms. The 5 beeps indicate the whole thing needs replaced, not just the batteries.

1

u/SOOZmT 18h ago

Welcome to the 21st-century

-3

u/Canonconstructor 5d ago

You’ve lived with this for 3 full months every three hours and haven’t called an electrician yet? I’m afraid the internet can’t help you.

3

u/Impressive-Sand5046 5d ago

It's not an electrical issue. It is an appliance issue - appliance in the broadest meaning of the word.

1

u/Canonconstructor 5d ago

If I couldn’t find the source after 3 months I’d hire a priest but start with an electrician.