This article is purely aimed at
those individuals who have
installed their own Audible only
Home Alarm system. The way I see
it is that if you have
successfully installed your own
home alarm system, then I can
assume you know a bit about what
your doing, and that your system
is fitted to British Standards
BS4737, and you should know what
the Engineer code is and be able
to adjust your programmed alarm
settings if required. I will not
be held liable if you damage
your system while following
these simple servicing
procedures.
Also please note that in the
eye's of your home insurance
company it will not matter how
competent you are, your alarm
system will not be regarded as a
"maintained alarm" unless
serviced by an approved company.
*Please be
very careful, as there is always
the potential for an Electric
Shock when working with any
mains powered device*
Before we start lets check
you have the minimum required
tools for the job:
- Digital or Analogue
Voltage/Current/Resistance
meter.
- Small Electrical &
Insulated to 250V Flat ended
& Phillip's screwdriver's.
- A Small set of Step's
and possibly some long
ladders.
- A small un-used
paintbrush (about 1" should
be fine).
- A dust cloth and some
cleaning fluid (safe for use
on plastic).
- A Selection of Spare's
including some correctly
rated fuses just in case.
- And if you have Smoke or
Heat detectors then you'll
require some Smoke detector
spray and a hairdryer.
Right then, your now ready to
begin the servicing of your
Alarm System.
Steps 1 and 2 should be
routine practice for all alarm
owners........
Firstly lets make sure your
system is fully working before
you start to do anything to it,
so set and unset the system in
the usual way making sure that
it sets ok, starts the entry
timer on entry, and un-sets
without showing any faults.
If all went well with that we
next need to Set the system,
cause an alarm condition making
sure that the bellbox is
sounding and if present that the
strobe light is flashing, also
check that any internal audible
alarms and sounders are working
correctly, and then silence the
alarm by entering your code, and
note what the cause of the alarm
is displayed as, before you
reset the system. Did it Reset
ok..?, Lets proceed onto Step
2........
Depending on what panel you
have this might be easier with 2
people.....Put your control
panel in Walk Test mode, and
walk past or activate all
detectors that are used to alarm
your home, you should hear a
confirmation beep or series of
beeps for each detector as you
are walking around triggering
them, if not then this is where
a 2nd person might be useful so
they can see the visual
indication at the control panel
or keypad as you walk around
triggering everything. If
applicable use the smoke spray
(read the instructions on the
can) to test any Smoke sensors,
and you'll need a Hair dryer to
check any Heat Detectors,
keeping the hair dryer at least
18 inches from the detector..
If that went ok, and your panel
has the option you can now
quickly activate any other
testing features your panel may
have, such as sounder tests,
strobe tests, keypad tests, etc
etc.
All ok..?, this is where the fun
starts........
Lets get that control panel
into Engineer mode, if your now
stuck because you cant access
Engineer mode then you can't go
any further with this
self-servicing of your alarm
system and should seek a
professional security company to
complete the servicing for you.
Sorry but Each panel is
different and I cant access
Engineer mode for you........
Detector Cleaning:
Each Detector must be
cleaned, so get your
Screwdrivers, the dust cloth
(slightly moistened), your small
stepladder, and also you'll need
the paintbrush..? Replace any
detector that shows signs of
corrosion, Do each Detector
separately, don't rush, take
your time and do a good job.
- Motion Sensors/PIR's:
Remove the front cover of
the sensor (you might have
to remove a screw), and
gently with the paintbrush
dust out the inside workings
of the sensor, taking
extreme care not knock any
switch or dislodge any of
the small jumpers that
control the detector's
settings, also if applicable
be careful not to dislodge
and loose the tamper spring.
Check that there are no
access holes in the detector
where insects or spiders may
be able to gain access, and
if there are seal the holes
with masking tape, or some
form of
non-conductive/corrosive
sealant such as Silicone
sealant. The front cover of
the detector should be wiped
over with your dampened
cloth and dried, if
especially dirty or stained
you would be wise to wash,
rinse and dry the cover,
there's no reason why it
shouldn't look as new when
your finished cleaning it.
Always make sure the inside
lens of the cover is also
cleaned and that the lid is
totally dry before replacing
the lid back on the sensor.
Also while your up the steps
replacing the lid, check
around the detector for and
cobwebs and remove them. If
you find a Spider get rid of
it.
- Heat/Smoke Sensors:
Remove and visually inspect
each detector, most will
simply unscrew from their
mounting. If it's over 10
years old I'd seriously
think of replacing it. Most
will have a date for
replacing stamped or
attached to them. With your
brush, get rid of any dust
that has accumulated and
wipe each sensor clean with
your dust cloth. If you find
that dust has got inside an
area you cant clean then try
using your Vacuum Cleaner.
- Electronic Shock
Sensors: These devices
are normally fitted to
window frames or door
frames, so remove each lid
and have a good look for any
signs of dampness, what we
need to look for with these
sensors is any signs of
corrosion at the terminals
and on the circuitry, so
look out for this while your
gently brushing over the
circuit board, give the lid
a quick wipe with your dust
cloth and refit.
- Glass Break
Detectors: A nice easy
one, just dust out the
insides with your
paintbrush, and give the lid
a wipe with your damp cloth.
- Door Contacts:
Check each contact for any
signs of corrosion where the
wires are joined to the reed
switch terminals, if all ok
then wipe over the covers
and refit.
- Panic Buttons:
Some panels will still go
into a full alarm condition
in engineers mode if these
devices are messed or
tampered with, so unless its
really dusty just wipe them
over with a damp cloth
taking care not to press the
button/buttons.
- Other
Sensors/Devices: Some
detectors such as Pressure
mats will not need cleaning,
so as long as they have walk
tested ok, leave them alone,
for any other detectors or
devices just use your
judgment, and clean them as
required.
- Bellbox: Well its
up to you with this one,
I'll normally leave the
bellbox alone unless its
especially dirty.
When you have finished
cleaning each Detector, take the
control panel out of Engineer
mode just to check you have
replaced all the sensor lids
correctly and are not causing a
Tamper fault. If all seems ok,
try to set the alarm in the
normal way and watch for any
detector saying its triggered
when you know it shouldn't be.
Investigate any faults you find
before proceeding to the control
panel checks.
!.Please be
very careful, there is always
the potential of an Electric
Shock when working with any
mains powered device.!
Now were going to check that
the internal workings of your
control panel are as they should
be, so once again place your
system in Engineer mode, and
remove the lid from your control
panel. Engineer mode should put
your panel into a state which
ignores any tamper faults, so if
upon removing your control panel
lid your system went into a
tamper alarm condition then your
not in Engineer mode, and you
should replace the lid on the
control panel and then reset the
system in your normal way.
Do not attempt to proceed
unless your 100% confident in
your abilities to complete any
of the following tests.
Note: Most of this information has
been taken from the website
www.thesecurityinstaller.co.uk run by Dave
Partridge who is a long term security
specialist.
Continue to self-servicing your
Intruder alarm system page 2 |
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