When you have an alarm system installed, you should make sure that it has 24 hour battery backup. Simply put, if the power goes out for any reason, your system will continue to operate without interruption for 24 hours.
The control panel needs a battery. The biggest determining factor on the size of battery required is what the power draw of all the devices that the control panel powers use. These are measured in amp hours and the total tells you how much power per hour is used and you multiply it by twenty four. You also have to factor in the siren being active for a set period of time. This calculation will tell you what size battery you need. You cannot put too large a battery in the control panel because the charging circuit will not be able to charge the battery properly. Most control panel batteries are 4 to 7 amp hours.
Every other device in your system that has a power supply should also have a battery backup. If you have remote power for additional devices, that battery should be properly sized as well. Cellular communicators should also have a backup battery matched to work for 24 hours as well.
Most homes now have phone service provided by their cable company, or some sort of Voice Over IP Service. VOIP will be a topic for an upcoming post but for today here is the important part – most modems do not have a battery backup built into them and shut down when there is no power. If there is a battery built in, it is only calculated to work for 8 hours. This renders your security system unable to communicate in the case of any emergency unless you have a cellular communicator attached to the security system. You should consider buying a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) and plugging your modem into it. This will give you some protection during power failures.
As batteries age, their efficiency deteriorates and they cannot hold their charge as long. That is why it is important to change your backup batteries every 3 to 5 years, or sooner if you receive indications that the battery is low.
If you live in Central or Northern New Jersey and would like information on any of the topics discussed above, or if you would like us to perform a Home Safety and Security Audit, absolutely free, please call 800-369-3962 or simply click the link below.
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