Two most common causes of False Alarms

Nobody wants false alarms. Burglar alarms going off in the middle of the night are not good for neighbourhood relations or for our precious beauty sleep!

Did you know that most false alarms are triggered by one of two common causes? The good news is that both are easily dealt with…read on …..

Spiders!

Spiders love to hang out in corners! Unfortunately that is also the best place to position a PIR alarm detector. Think about it….a spider scuttling across the carpet is not going to register with the detector, but a spider who walks across the PIR is going to look like an elephant to the detector! I’m sure they are attracted to the LED lights in PIRs. We have even found spiders making a cosy home inside detectors.

The problem is usually at it’s worst in the Autumn when the spiders are moving back inside. However, this summer seems to be spider heaven too- we have had several false alarms caused by spiders this week alone.

Even the cleanest homes and offices can have spiders so if you get a false alarm my advice would always be to see if one of our eight legged friends has taken up residence.

The Solution

Vacuum webs from around the PIRs. This often solves the problem. For more persistent arachnids it is worth trying Spiderex. Our engineers can supply a can for just £9.95+vat a can.

Flat Batteries!

And the second most common cause of false alarms? A flat battery.

Burglar alarms are powered by main electricity. They have a back-up battery that is designed to last for up to 8 hours in the event of a powercut. But what happens when the battery is flat and there is a powercut? You’ve guessed it….bells start ringing!

It gets worse;

Firstly even the shortest interruption to the electricity supply will set the alarm off. A burglar alarm is designed to detect someone trying to disable it. It will interpret a loss of power as exactly that, a burglar trying to get past the alarm.

Secondly without power the keypad is useless. You lose control of the system and can’t turn it off. That is really going to upset the neighbours! If it does happen, don’t panic – the bell should be programmed to stop ringing after 20 minutes.

The solution

Have your alarm regularly serviced. Our engineers all carry battery testers and can show you if the back up battery has enough power to last the required 8 hours (A battery is expected to last for around 4 years).

To book a service please call Claire on 01663 719520 or email her on claire.dunn@esi.uk.com and she will be happy to help. A service costs from £80+vat in the first year. We then offer a loyalty discount if you renew with following years costing from just £50+vat.

What do you get for the money?

It’s not just a service! Our standard maintenance plan gives the following benefits:

Free telephone support from one of our knowledgeable engineers 24/4
4 hour call out response 24/7 in an emergency
Reduced rates for all call outs
Reduced rates for all repairs (parts and labour)
Plus a service to check that everything is working properly
Some insurers offer a discount if you have a maintenance plan in place. ESI are SSAIB accredited and accepted by all major insurance companies.