Battery-Operated Smoke detector replacement

Difficulty level: Easy

Did you know that you should replace your smoke detectors every 10 years? This is a battery operated smoke detector, so I felt I could handle this replacement. This was super easy to do. Most smoke detectors have the same size bases and adjustable mounting slots on the base, so I only had to drill one hole to mount this base (my new smoke detector is slightly smaller than the old one).  This smoke detector uses a 9-volt battery (my recommendation). Though it is a no-no to paint a smoke detector, painting the wall behind it is okay. Though why go through the trouble?

If mounting an electrically wired smoke detector, do not use an aluminum ladder, and shut off the power in your breaker box that goes to the detector before replacing. I’ll save that one for another weekend.