If you have an alarm system, you already know how important it is to protect your home from intruders, allowing you to keep yourself, your property and your family safe. But what happens in the event of a power failure? Even the most advanced home security system in the world is useless without power supplied to it.

Criminals know that a power outage is a prime opportunity for burglary activities. Studies show that crimes, including burglaries, go up an average of 7% in the event of a power outage affecting just streetlights. When all power is cut, including the power to alarm systems, the number is even higher.

For this reason, all modern alarm systems have a battery backup designed to power the system for approximately 10-24 hours, depending on the complexity of the system and the condition of the battery. When power is cut, the system automatically transfers to the battery backup and continues to work at the same arming level as it was set to before the power outage, although other systems, like the keypad light, may be reduced to conserve power.

Please note all house alarm systems including the aritec and the hkc alarm systems and even the older scopetronic and the horizon alarm panels need to have a backup battery.

When power is restored, the system goes back to using AC power and charges the battery again. But these batteries cannot operate indefinitely. Like all batteries, they will eventually degrade, having a reduced capacity and operational life, whether they have been used or not. For your safety, the battery should be able to power the system for a minimum of eight hours.

If the battery is beginning to fail, it will alert you to the problem. Many malfunctions, including false alarms, or alarm events when the alarm is not even set, can be traced back to the battery. If the battery becomes fully depleted and there is a power outage, the alarm panels will stop functioning and the alarm may begin to whine until the battery has no charge at all. 

Some alarm system batteries like the Aritec Battery, the Yuasa battery, or the Yucel battery will work for many years but if there are power cuts. these batteries will eventually say low battery or battery fault. 

If this happens you can call ESP Security and report the fault on your alarm system. The earlier you report this the better – before the battery
leaks acid. The battery may not have enough power to power the alarm system but it can still sound the external siren and make you very unpopular with your neighbours.

While the batteries can be replaced yourself, the best way to be sure is to have the system serviced by a professional company such as ESP Security. We serve customers across Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, and Louth. In addition to testing the battery, we will also be able to diagnose any other issues that you may be having with the system and provide advice and assistance about any other system operations you might have questions about.

Scheduling regular maintenance checks of your alarm system is the best way to reduce annoying false alarms and keep everything functioning in tip-top shape while keeping your family and home safe.