Why Regular Maintenance of your Home Alarm System is Important

Maintenance of your home alarm is not usually top of  the priority list and is often easy to forget about.  In the event of attempted burglary, when your home is unattended and especially when you are away on holidays, it absolutely needs to work. The team at Home Security Online  have outlined below the the best way to maintain your home alarm system simply ands easily.

Check Alarm Control Panel Diagnostics

Regardless of how often you use your alarm system, it is suggested that you perform simple maintenance at least once per month and get a security professional service every 12- 16 months to ensure the integrity and longevity of your home alarm system or business alarm system.

The initial step for alarm system maintenance is to run a diagnostic test from the control panel. Most current  alarm, system panels can send a signal between all  motion detectors  and make sure that everything is functioning correctly. To run  alarm system diagnostics, follow the prompts on your control panel. For  a majority of  systems, it’s labeled as “test” mode but it is recommend ed to consult your user manual before performing diagnostic tests .

Check the Alarm Battery

Regardless of whether you have a wireless alarm system, or a  hard wired alarm system with a battery backup, make sure to check all the batteries during your maintenance routine. Check  every sensor, detector and integrated piece of  security equipment used as part of your alarm system such as the alarm remote controls.  Be sure to change the batteries that are low. A dead battery in any part of your alarm system poses as a great security risk and may even cause false alarms.

Many alarm systems will alert you  if there’s a low battery somewhere in the system. Alarm panels with an LCD screen will typically have a low battery indicator, while keypad panels without screens will usually make a beeping noise.

Alarm system batteries will on average, have a lifespan of anywhere from three to five years. If you can’t recall the last time you had your alarm system serviced,  it might be time to replace the batteries.

Clean Security Equipment

Dust and dirt can seriously affect  how your alarm system functions. It can clog  up security detectors, build up on keypads and sensors obstructing  system communication, so ensure you give each  part of the system  a good cleaning.

 Detectors

Smoke detectors  require proper airflow for quick and effective response times in the time in the event of fire detection. If your detectors are full of dust, dirt, lint or pet hair they might not be able to do their job. Make sure all openings in the sensors are unobstructed and clean.

Motion Sensors

Window and Door reeds  work using electrical contact. When a door or window is closed, the two parts of the sensor are touching, which tells the system that everything is safe.  When a door or window is open,  the connection is broken so the alarm system knows there’s been a breech.  Dust and debris can build up on your sensors and limit the connectivity between the two parts so during your  maintenance routine, be sure to give each sensor a good cleaning to ensure proper contact.

Keypads

Similar to your  phone screen, anything that gets touched frequently  is going to get dirty. Dirt and grease can build up inside the keys of your alarm system keypad or on the touchscreen panel,  which can hinder its proper function. Don’t forget to clean your control panels and keypads to keep them working longer.

Test the Alarm System

Running alarm system diagnostics from the control panel is a quick and effective  way to find out quickly which part of the system may not be working, but it’s not always foolproof. Once you’ve finished your regular routine maintenance, perform a manual test of your alarm system .

Set your control panel to “test” mode and turn on the “chime” feature (if available) this way, you’ll be able to hear when a sensor is tripped. Go around your property and trigger each sensor individually. Wait for the chime or consult the control panel to make sure each one is working properly. Reset the sensor and move on to the next one.

If you have alarm monitoring, don’t forget to test external communication as well by calling your alarm monitoring service, triggering an alarm, and asking if they received the signal.

Professional Service

Even if you follow all maintenance guidelines,  a  professional service from a trained alarm technician  who will be able to inspect the wiring and perform more thorough diagnostics on your alarm system is recommended at least annually.

Maintain Your Alarm System Genuine spare Parts from Home Security Online

Proper maintenance is the best way to ensure that your system will function properly in the event of an emergency and continue working for years to come.  Here at Home Security Online, we stock alarm systems and spare parts from leading brands including, Hills Reliance, Ness, Security Paradox and Bosch.   If you have any questions regarding proper alarm system maintenance or are looking for particular security equipment Contact Us today. We have years of experience re-selling an extensive range of home security products at a fraction of the retail cost.