Earlier this year I began to hear 14 bleeps every evening at 7..30. I assumed that they were coming from the computer and at first thought it was coming from the BIOS or from some program that sounded an alarm. Not finding any reason for it I turned the computer off just before the time but the bleeps continued.. I had also found that it also beeped at 7.30am. When the clocks changed in the Spring the evening bleeps changed to 8.30 but the morning ones remained at 7.30,
The TV, PVR and Digital STB are fairly close to the computer so they were then thought to be the culprit, I unplugged each one separately and then all of them together but still the bleeps continued. I unplugged the phone as well although it is in the wrong position to be the source of the sound.
Over time the bleeps have become a few minutes later.
Can anyone make a suggestion to the source/cause?

Smoke alarm?

No totally different sound and in a different location.
But a shortened version of a story about one.
90 year old neighbours smoke alarm started bleeping as it needed new battery. Her son who calls in every day was on holiday. The caretaker of the flats was on holiday and the stand in got a new battery but could not get the detector opened to replace it so it bleeped all night.
When her carer came to attend to her in the morning she decided to phone the Fire Brigade. An officer came in a car and decided that it was an electrical fault affecting the whole building and that Health and Safety prevented him from doing anything about and suggested that the buildings management company should be contacted.
The carer asked my wife for the number for the management company. My wife suggested that she contact one of the ladies many grandchildren. One came along and battery replaced.

If you can't locate it by sound, then isolate whether it's mains or a battery device by turning off the house power briefly at the consumer board when the bleeps are due. At least then you'll know whether to bother search draws for an alarm clock.

BTW, that smoke alarm story....hmmm... The Firebrigade Officer thinks that a battery smoke alarm affects the electrical safety of the whole house. Really??? I find that a bit hard to believe.

All Health and Safety is hard to believe. Three years ago we had this edict :

"Following a recent visit to *******, it is evident that there are various items being kept in the communal areas of the property.
Although a lot of the items in the communal hallways are aesthetically pleasing and the majority are only kept by the front doors to the flats, these have all been deemed as both a health and safety risk and a fire risk by an independent, specialist fire inspector. This is due to both the combustibility of the items in the hallways along with the potential trip hazard in some cases, should visibility be poor due to smoke.
We therefore respectfully request that all items, including any door mats and plant pots be removed from the communal hallways immediately, so no unnecessary risk is posed to any residents or visitors at the property and all requirements made by the experts have been met.
Unfortunately, due to the reasons for this request and the potential dangers highlighted by this recent information, we will have no option but to have any remaining items removed from the property and disposed of after two weeks from this letter.
I trust you will find this to be in order and thank you in advance for your swift cooperation in this matter"
Later they visited and put signs on offending items many of which were in alcoves or at ends of corridors away from fire exits.

The source of sounds is very deceptive. If I kneel down by my computer desk at the time it sounds as if it is from there even if the computer has been unplugged.
The smoke detector system is electrical with detectors in the hall and kitchen and the battery is for backup during a power cut. Last time our battery expired I replaced it with a ten year one. I hope that I am still around when it needs replacing. By then I will be about the age my neighbour is now.
We were paying a quarterly fee of £133 for years to comply with work said to be needed by a fire and Safety Officer. When we thought it was all over we were advised of another £26K of work (between 50 Flats) needed to bring the system up to new requirements.

It sounds like you might have an old digital watch or alarm clock somewhere in the room

I've never had a watch with an alarm and any battery clock hidden under the floorboards would have expired by now We live in a flat and I doubt if the bleep is coming from above or below as we never hear a sound from either. Each is occupied by one old lady.

I'm afraid it's tinnitus. There's no hope for you.

Yeah, my wife must have it as well.
:yawn:
I did not mention the bleeps to her as she is not interested in computer problems then one morning she asked what that noise was.

They probably have a different method now but - years ago the street lights used to be turned on and off by a signal sent down the mains cable. Some household appliances eg stereo would play the beeps. Other than that, neighbour's alarm clock or maybe a (visitor's) lost digital watch down the sofa, ditto tradesman in loft, meter reader in electric cupboard. Gonna bookmark this post.

If it happens at the same time every day, it sounds as if one of the old ladies has an alarm set for some reason (probably to remind her that Corrie's about to start). That kind of beeping carries a long way.

If one had an alarm set would it not bleep until turned off. This is 14 evenly spaced bleeps.
The one above is a recluse who I have not seen for about three years. She does not answer her door except to the caretaker who has to call out to her. I have not even seen her daughter who visits her daily.
The one underneath I have only seen twice in seven years and from lack of sound the flat could be empty.

As you already know, it's VERY difficult to determine where such a noise is coming from, and finding it is the only way to discover what it is.

A number of years ago we had a Sony TV remote stuck transmitting (the ON/OFF button was stuck down) in the service department, which was a large workshop building.

It was a nightmare trying to find it - and any Sony TV's we tried to repair kept turning ON and OFF - eventually we did manage to locate it though, but it took a few weeks.

I am convinced it is in the corner of this room. If it were from above I would hear it in the next room. I can sometimes hear it from the bedroom if both doors are open.

At least if it's regular you can get ready for it, it just takes a long time if it's every 12 hours

Pill dispenser alarm / reminder??

The bleeps started around February.
I did not know that you could dispensers with alarms. The one above me is so scatty that in the days when she still went out she asked me if I could hear her TV. I said yes and she said that her daughter had given it to her and she did not know how to turn down the sound.

OP, I when I read how much your maintenance charges were, I wondered what sort of development you live in. Is it a large block of flats and who owns it? Do the residents have any say in the management, and do you have meetings every month for example?

If you live anywhere near me, I could come and have a look if you like, see if I can help you track down the source of the bleep. Two heads and all that!

We are in East Sussex.
That was not a management fee but a cost for fire precautions.
The majority of the residents (33 out of 52) own the freehold between us. We bought it several years ago. The cost has been recovered from extending leases and rental of garages and other things. We now get annual dividends. Early ones were up to a Grand a year but now less leases need to be extended the last dividend was around £600. Our Quarterly service charge is about £650 but it includes heating and hot water from our communal boiler, water rates etc and caretakers salary.
The unissued shares could be bought by leaseholders but the price now would probably put them off. Personally I would vote to sell the remaining shares at a reasonable price to give us a bumper dividend.
We have five directors who do not get fees and but use a company to manage things for us. This is the third company we have used without taking into account ones that have been taken over. All have been crap but no others seem cheaper or better.

Ah, OK. Sorry I cannot help you re bleep, but maybe there's a kind hearted FM electrician in your neck of the woods who would look as a freebie. Perhaps the residents could form their own management company but this would require a large investment of time I guess. There's plenty of help out there though, e.g. http://www.fpra.org.uk/

Did you say one of the dwellings could be empty?
If the sound could be from the area of the electricity meter, it might be a prepay meter warning that a payment is required. If nobody is living there, no topup is being applied and the meter keeps on beeping.
Maybe.

Great theory. No, there is not a long term empty flat apart from a far away penthouse and no one will have a pre pay meter. All the meters are in the basement, four floors down from me, outside, down a flight of steps and 50 yards along a passage way.

just before it happens take the batteries out of the smoke alarm
if you dont here the beeps inset new batteries you can rule out anything else of you do reinsert them and turn 1 thing off every 12 hours if you turned everything off and account for things like watches on a timer then its coming from out side your property