I have an unmonitored security alarm of vibration sensors and door contacts in my bungalow - avoided PIRs when installed in 1994 as have 2 cats. Adjacent neighbours are keyholders and this has worked well for me. Alarm been great and supplying company very good. Ovar the last 9 months have has a succession of false alarms which the engineer( who seems very good) is trying hard to sort out. He thinks it's a wiring fault and is trying to find it by isolating zones in turn rather than doing a full re-wire. This is obviously cheaper for me - I have a contract and pay only for parts not for call outs or labour - but could take ages and is potentially nerve wracking when alarm fails not to mention a nuisance for neighbours if I'm not at home at the time. Engineer says that system shouldn't wear out but have now received a letter from company offering a quote on a new system! Is engineer right and should I persevere or should I consider getting a replacement system?
I don't think it should 'wear out' - the alarm system, door sensors and PIRS, which we had fitted in our house over 20 years ago is still fine (I have since left that house but my ex still lives there). The system in our current house was fitted in 1994 and again that is fine too. We had a couple of problems with false alarms a couple of years ago, but they were due to battery problems - replaced the battery and everything fine since.
If it really is the wiring maybe that will take longer to 'fix', but I can't see any justification for paying for an entire new system (unless you think it's worth it to save the aggravation of trying to get this one fixed).
One of the posters on here has a hubby who is an alarm engineer (sorry I can never remember your name, nice poster ) so if she's online she might be able to advise.
A bit X-files, but maybe the alarm is doing it's job, and an external influence is causing the alarms. Maybe some house movement has disloged a magnetic sensor enough for it to trip now and again, heat/cold shrinkage in summer/winter. Maybe vibration from nearby works. Do magnets ever wear down? Always wondered about that-when I was a kid, those U-shaped magnets always seemed to loose their magnetism after a while.
I don't know the 'scientific' answer to the magnet question runboy, but I do know my cat has been wearing the same magnet on his collar (to open our magnetic catflap) for nearly nine years, and it still works! Although of course the battery inside the flap does need renewing at intervals.
Has the engineer renewed the battery in your system, Sunny?
thank you for suggestions. Battery has been replaced also new pcb, door contacts and a couple of new vipers. Mice as cause have been considered (re wiring not vibration detection!) but no evidence of mice. Engineer thinks something has moved causing damage to a wire but where they are visible no damage can be seen.
quote:
Originally posted by velvet: I don't know the 'scientific' answer to the magnet question runboy, but I do know my cat has been wearing the same magnet on his collar (to open our magnetic catflap) for nearly nine years, and it still works! Although of course the battery inside the flap does need renewing at intervals.
Has the engineer renewed the battery in your system, Sunny?
) so if she's online she might be able to advise.
