House Alarm Repair needed... but who can do it?

dellfanatic

I've got a problem with my house alarm (wired, not wireless) which keeps randomly alarming indicating attack or sometimes tamper. I'm not sure where the fault lies but it's been there for 10 years or so. We moved in 10 years ago and the alarm was deactivated. We had it activated but it tends to alarm sometimes.

However, it got really bad lately alarming twice in one night. We don't arm the alarm at night so not sure what's going on.

I'm having problems contacting the company who originally put it in, he's a nice chap and would probably know more seeing as his company installed it. But I can't wait any longer - I need to get this sorted out asap.

Anyone know any decent (and not too expensive) alarm companies who would do some kind of repair on it? I looked at ADT Alarms (advert on tv) but their prices are through the roof. Not sure what to do any advice appreciated

robby-01

get a quote for a new system.It will be better in the long run as you will get warranty etc.If existing cables are wired correctly and ok then they could be reused so cost may not be prohibitive.

david29dpo

i agree. if the wiring is ok bin the hardware. the bits are cheap.

dellfanatic

The alarm box on the outside is quite old too it's faded and the alarm isn't very audible really! What sort of cost am I looking at then for a new outside box and inside "brain"?

I have a niggly feeling it's some faulty wiring somewhere that could be triggering the alarms, but I guess on the other hand it could just be a faulty box perhaps... :think:

fatnbald

the circuit boards and anti tamper switches in the bell boxes can suffer from corrosion due to their exposure to the elements, a replacement bell box (low profile design) with a built in strobe, battery and anti tamper switch will probably set you back about 30-40 quid or so, just have a look in the yellow pages for you local alarm wholesaler, they will usually be very helpful with a bit of advice if you need it, they are dead easy to fit, just make sure you get the back plane tight and flush to the wall, they usually have a 4 wire connection from the control panel.

Be warned when you arm it (they are inhibited for installation) it might go off, be ready for it as they are very loud, if you are at the top of a ladder it is not a good place to jump out of you skin.

securityman

You can link out the tamper and pA in the panel to test what one is the problem.
When you find the problem you can leave it linked out or use the spare cables if they have used 8 core cable.

Sm

bomberman2

I bought a Sterling system with 5 x pet PIR's, 1 x panic alarm, 2 x external sounders (front and back), control panel (excluding modem) 100mtrs of cable £280........

B2

alanobrien

As already suggested if its that old i would replace it with a decent panel and dual sensor technology PIR's.

Look for a local alarm installer the cost should not be that high given the wiring can be re used.

Alan50

The above has a re-chargable battery that has come to the end of its life.
Normal fault:- intermittant tamper indication on the panel
Ask a local guy to replace the above together with a new re-chargable battery for the control panel, then walk test the system.

There could be other faults but 9 times out of 10 its the above

Good luck

Alan (NICEIC domestic electrical installer)

See. https://www.NICEIC.com for electrical safety advice