3 Common Causes of False Alarms

There are different causes of false alarms. In this post we’ll discuss 3 of the most common causes of false alarms, including:  corrosion and damage to wiring, power problems, and outdated or old equipment.

Corrosion and Damage to Wiring

Certain areas are especially prone to corrosion. These will generally be in coastal areas, but may also include certain industrial areas.

– Look for damp patches on walls, doors, windows and their frames, near showers, kitchens and sculleries.

– Corrosion causes increased resistance on circuit wires and will be most obvious on circuits with perimeter detection devices (vibration detectors, magnetic contacts, foil, tension switches, etc.), but will also have a substantial affect on electronic devices.

– Damage to wiring may be caused by virtually anything. Visually check wires or detectors near doors and windows, in passageways and high traffic areas or where boxes and goods are stacked against walls, etc. Rats love the PVC covering on wires and will generally attack cables in ceiling spaces, cupboards and other out-of-the-way places. Source: Property24

Power problems

Your alarm system will warn you when the system batteries become weak. Changing the system batteries on a regular basis can help prevent a false alarm. You’ll be happy to know that many wireless home security systems are outfitted with batteries that can last up to five years.  Source: Safewise

Outdated or Old Equipment

If it’s been awhile since your security system was installed and you’re experiencing a lot of false alarms, your equipment may need to be replaced. Here are just 2 types of older security equipment that can cause false alarms.

• Non-supervised wireless devices
  Everything we use today, the panel checks in with the device every 24 hours so that the panel knows everything is working well. Old devices don’t communicate with the panel and can’t send signal
• Old ionization smoke detector
  Ionization is an old smoke detector technology that’s not as reliable as newer photoelectric detectors and more susceptible to false alarms. Yet this type of detector is common in homes that were built 12-15 years ago (they were built with them installed.)
• Outdated glass-break sensors
  Acoustic glass-break sensors listen for the sound of breaking glass. However, that also leaves them susceptible to false alarms from other sounds of glass breaking (like dropping a dish or watching a loud movie with crashing noises).
• Newer dual-tech glass break sensorscombine acoustic and shock-sensing technology so the sensor only goes off if the window actually breaks.

How to prevent it: Contact a home security company to come take a look at your existing system and see if there are any weak points that should be addressed. Source: AckerManSecurity