hmm..old stuff..

Beige

Senior member
Jan 13, 2006
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I moved into a new twin home with the works two years ago. We have been cleaning, ripping,repainting,etcc from the house since then because it was pretty much falling apart. The original price of the house is 250k and we got it for 85k so you can guess how bad it was.

So anyway after two years of self construction work I stopped and noticed two weird looking boxes hanging inside the laundry room. I always saw them but never paid mind to them until now.

So i decide to take one down and to my surprise its a freaking fire alarm. Now when these were made is beyond me but I think they must be the originals when the house was built and the house is about 65 years old.

These things are huge and heavy. They do not even use batteries. They use some type of mercuryr type liquid and when theres a fire the tank in the inside containing god knows what...uses this trumpet like device connected to it to make some noise. I have no idea how it works since i didnt put a match next to it to try it out.

Now to the part everyone wants................................PICS which i took in my house...Du'h!...anyway..
This brings me to the question...anyone else seen these in old houses?

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Edit: Yes i know some of the pics are blurry. So you wont be able to read some of the text. not that its important to you. All it has is a serial number and stuff.
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
14
81
fobot.com
freon is used blow the horn ,pic 4 shows the bottom of the bottle

i would ebay those suckers, i bet some collector would pay $ for them
 

Wnh5001

Senior member
Dec 1, 2005
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Zzz remodeling sux, i think when i get a house ill pay some ppl's.. >_< its too time consuming and sux even more when you put up something wrong.. double WHAMMY...
 

jupiter57

Diamond Member
Nov 18, 2001
4,600
3
71
They are common "Fire Alarms" from the late '60s-Early '70s.
I remember a door to door salesman giving a pitch on them. My FIL had them in his house before he died.
There is a heat-sensitive seal that will melt when it reaches a certain temperature, thereby releasing the freon into the horn, waking you. (Or at least warning you of fire, if you are not asleep.)
 

Beige

Senior member
Jan 13, 2006
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Originally posted by: Wnh5001
Zzz remodeling sux, i think when i get a house ill pay some ppl's.. >_< its too time consuming and sux even more when you put up something wrong.. double WHAMMY...

I dont put anything up wrong...its do it right way or do it my way..which also happens to be the right way >_>
 

Beige

Senior member
Jan 13, 2006
672
0
71
Originally posted by: jupiter57
They are common "Fire Alarms" from the late '60s-Early '70s.
I remember a door to door salesman giving a pitch on them. My FIL had them in his house before he died.
There is a heat-sensitive seal that will melt when it reaches a certain temperature, thereby releasing the freon into the horn, waking you. (Or at least warning you of fire, if you are not asleep.)

The sound must be annoying...
Does that also mean that they are dead after one use?
The ones I have here don't seem like they have ever gone off.
 

Aztech

Golden Member
Jan 19, 2002
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Originally posted by: Wnh5001
Zzz remodeling sux, i think when i get a house ill pay some ppl's.. >_< its too time consuming and sux even more when you put up something wrong.. double WHAMMY...
Yeah, I suck at home improvement. My house was flooded badly in Katrina. I'm gonna sell it as is...

Oh yeah, see what they fetch on the eBay.
 

jupiter57

Diamond Member
Nov 18, 2001
4,600
3
71
Originally posted by: Beige
Originally posted by: jupiter57
They are common "Fire Alarms" from the late '60s-Early '70s.
I remember a door to door salesman giving a pitch on them. My FIL had them in his house before he died.
There is a heat-sensitive seal that will melt when it reaches a certain temperature, thereby releasing the freon into the horn, waking you. (Or at least warning you of fire, if you are not asleep.)

The sound must be annoying...
Does that also mean that they are dead after one use?
The ones I have here don't seem like they have ever gone off.

The sound is very annoying, meant to wake you from your sleep.
Yes, once they go off, the canisters are empty, you have to buy new ones.
(IIRC, the replacement canisters were VERY expensive, way back then!)
Doubt seriously that replacements could be found today, what with the Smoke/Fire Alarms we use now.
 

j00fek

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2005
8,099
1
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nice. when we remodeled our house back in '88, my sister and i found a 1900's newspaper in the walls. its was good reading. :D

brought it to the library after to get archived.