Can anyone tell me.... why oh why these things happen...

PARTICLES......PARTICLES......CONDENSATION the smoke detector doesn't actually detect smoke, it detects particles in the smoke. inside the detector is an ionization chamber and a source of ionizing radiation. The source of ionizing radiation is a minute quantity of americium-241 (perhaps 1/5000th of a gram), which is a source of alpha particles (helium nuclei). The ionization chamber consists of two plates separated by about a centimeter. The battery applies a voltage to the plates, charging one plate positive and the other plate negative. Alpha particles constantly released by the americium knock electrons off of the atoms in the air, ionizing the oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the chamber. The positively-charged oxygen and nitrogen atoms are attracted to the negative plate and the electrons are attracted to the positive plate, generating a small, continuous electric current. When smoke enters the ionization chamber, the smoke particles attach to the ions and neutralize them, so they do not reach the plate. The drop in current between the plates triggers the alarm. steam or high humidity can lead to condensation on the circuit board and sensor, causing the alarm to sound. as for putting the kiddies down for a nap......you might want to check your home for hidden cameras.........seems kinda suspicious that the neighbors KNOW when nap time is. class dismissed.

The fire alarm goes off at our house too due to steam from the shower or the clothes dryer so you're not alone there! These things are sent to try us I guess! When my daughter was a small baby I used to go down for a nap at around 1 pm each afternoon while she slept and it was then that someone would inevitably knock on the door or the phone would ring until I put a sign on the door and kept the phone off the hook. Confucius says, "If s**t has to happen, let it happen PROPERLY."

If it's humidity that sets off the fire alarm , I would be hearing it constantly. I live in Florida where the humidity is always high, shower or no shower running. On top of that I am only a few yards away from a lake. I hate being cooped up with the AC on all the time, so it has to get pretty hot before I turn it on. Maybe the steam is more like smoke than we know or has one of the same chemicals as smoke. I will have to look this up. I had neighbors like that so I played a radio to try to cover up the noise. It worked most of the time. Eventually they got used to the noise and would sleep through a loud party right in our own home. Send the fruit and "pine needles" (Rosemary?) ASAP

I haven't ever heard of a shower setting off the fire alarm. That is such an odd thing as I can't understand how the water could be that warm or the steam. I have to sleep during the day on Wednesday and when we lived in town, it seemed that everyone in the neighborhood would mow then. I had to learn to sleep through it.

Pmpl honey - you are living in the same place as me then honey! I love those pine needles in a garlic and erm pine needle flat bread, so can I have some, can !??? xxx

If it's right by the bathroom then it's becuase of the heat from steam and the consistancy of the steam is a lot more compact and thick closer to the source you might want to move you smoke detector a little farther from the bathroom. LOL!! Now about the neighbors. He he he .. It's the worlds cosmic sense of humor. Honest there is someone up on a cloud saying ain't that the funniest thing you have ever seen. so do I get the chicken?

Hi Sissy! I too used to have this problem with the fire alarm going off after or during a shower. Now that we are renting a house and not an apartment for some reason the fire alarm we have now doesn't go off unless their is actual smoke! I think it has to do with the humidity and/or fogginess! I can also relate to others sabotaging nap time! It is a pain in the butt big time!

Good question...must be the steam that's all I can think of....it's sorta like smoke I guess! and you can keep the pine needle chicken and unripe fruit! LOL

My smoke detector will go off for a few seconds in the middle of the night sometimes, during the summer months. I asked my site manager about it, and she said it is because of the humidity. So my guess is that it is the same consistency as smoke, just as you've suggested. Everything else that goes on like that is simply because of Murphy's Laws. My life too, is run by them. Try to enjoy the ride... it really can be rather amusing. p.s. I will pass on the food offerings lol.

You know if you ever want someone to call, come over just put your baby down for a nap and then dry to take one yourself and they are sure to show up. I have no idea but these things happen just when you think you have a moment to yourself to take a well deserved nap, shower, or a private moment with your husband. What I would do next time is put the ringer off on the phone and let the answering machine get it if someone does call. Put a sign on your door saying don't knock baby and I taking a nap, and the same sign on your lawn whenever you want to take a nap. I know it seems like a lot of trouble but if you at least put the sign on your door and take care of the phones you might be able to get some small earmuffs for the baby so the lawn mower won't wake it up. One rule in my house was whoever woke up the baby had to take care of it until I got up lol. Needless to say when I announced that the baby and I where going to take a nap everyone was quiet the whole time we where sleeping lol.

I don't know about the smoke alarm, but I do know about trying to shower with a baby in the bathroom with you LOL. I also know about the neighbors getting noisy when the baby goes down for a nap. Never fails. Thats when someone has to let out their yapping dog or the kids down the street decide to run there homemade motorcycle up and down the road. ARGH! Seriously, some days I have visions of being locked up when they catch me chasing one of my neighbors down the road with a baseball bat in one hand and my tired, but not sleeping, son in the other!

When my oldest was little, every time I'd put him down for a nap-no matter what the time-the a$%hole down the road would whiz by on his dirtbike which sounded like a chainsaw two inches from one's head. Of course my poor baby would start awake screaming. I told him, "sweetie, don't worry, it's just a jerk on a bike, a jerkbike!" and he picked up that term. Fast forward a couple of years and we're at a convenience store. Outside is huge "hog" with an equally huge biker and he's just getting off it. Lew points and says "look Mommy, there's a jerkbike!" I got ready to kick butt as best I could but the big teddy bear (that looked like a Hell's Angel from the movies) laughed, ruffled my boy's hair and said "I have 3 kids and none of them like my bikes!" Thanks for bringing back a precious memory!

Hey Sissy! Don't worry, you are so not alone! These things happen to the best of us! There are just some things that we just can't help! I think it is the steam that sets the smoke alarm off! I wouldn't put one in my house because I used to smoke and and burn things in my oven! I would be setting it off all the time! Luckily, I don't have any kids, and I am fairly careful and haven't burned down the apartment! As for mowing the lawn, everytime I decide to lay down for a nap that's when they decide to mow the lawn too! So you see, it isn't just you!

*Chuckles* What a prize! I'll have to bring this steamy situation to my firefighter friend. I'll let you know what he says about it. *Pleiades

I've never heard of steam setting off a fire alarm, perhaps you need to take cooler showers! I guess it won't hurt your baby to learn to sleep through lawn mower and vacuum cleaner noise, though. It will set a good pattern for them later in their lives. Although I have learned, the hard way, not to take a flash picture of a sleeping baby. Especially when he/she isn't yours!

ummm...idk cuz it senses the heat maybe from the steam? and the vaccuuming and mowing of yards is all cuz maybe you need to become one of those b****y moms that yell at everyone and everything. lol or maybe your just unlucky? idk is it just canada? i havnt had this problem yet.

Hmmm. I think that you must have had someone in the shower with you and the two of you were on fire. Hence the fire alarm going off. As for putting the baby down. Sod's law aas we say over here. I once drove mine a 100 mile round trip to soothe her one night - in the middle of the night! She slept well in the car. As soon as we got home...... Waaaaaaaa!!!! Grrrrr.

Because it's a stupid fire alarm? Seriously I've never heard of that. Something must be wrong with the smoke alarm!

Well, when you are residing in a close neighborhood everything may happen. Especially the baby can be easily awaken even it's a tiny noise. I know that for sure because I had a nephew who cries every time he got disturb by anything that is noisy. Just bear with it. I mean don't mind it so much. It could ruin your day.

I understand how you feel about the baby taking a nap situation. I said a few chosen words last week about this too. I have been out of work every since December 2008, and I can count on one had how many visitors I have had. Well last week when I first started baby sitting I had more company than at a family reunion, every time that baby dozed off someone would come ring my doorbell or call on the phone and would wake that baby up. I was very upset about the whole thing. Don't even mention my neighbor with this loud truck of his, he was constantly in and out of his drive way.