Keeping your alarm system well-maintained is very important if you want it to function correctly if it is ever needed. While most alarm systems are installed by professionals, there are things that you as a homeowner can do on a regular basis to make sure that everything is running the right way. By following this checklist, you can help prevent a problem before it starts.
- Make sure your cameras are functioning correctly. Many home alarm systems in Tampa and from our other SafeTouch locations come with cameras, whether they are stationary or tilting, and it is important to make sure that they are working at all times. You want to make sure that the cameras have a clear view of whatever they are supposed to be looking at. For external cameras, it is important to pay special attention to any plants that might be growing around them that might take away their line of sight, and always keep trees and shrubs trimmed to the point where they don’t get in the way of your cameras. Also, check to make sure that whatever is recording the footage from the cameras is still working properly.
- Test out all of your motion sensors. You should go around to all of your interior motion sensors and make sure that they are registering movement. If there isn’t a light on the sensor itself, the control panel should be able to tell you if there is movement detected on one or more of your sensors. This might be a two person job, but a broken sensor is a weak point in a security system that needs to be fixed immediately. For exterior motion detecting lights, replace any light bulbs that may have gone out, and make arrangements to have malfunctioning units replaced right way.
- Do a comprehensive entry point check. Since most home alarm systems in Tampa are based heavily around guarding the entry and exit points, making sure that the security contacts on doors and windows are in good repair is necessary to make sure that everything is working correctly. Any time a chime doesn’t go off when you open a door should be looked into immediately, but checking to make sure the contacts aren’t damaged is a good idea every once in awhile in order to make your security company aware of a potential problem, letting them fix it before it breaks. The same thing is important for windows as well; make sure that contacts on windows are dust free and are still communicating with your control panel when you open and shut them.
- Schedule an annual professional checkup for your system. There are a lot of parts to a security system that, as a homeowner, you may not know how to fix, or even what to look for. Having someone who has installed a lot of home alarm systems in Tampa and our other locations conduct a walk-through and diagnostic check on your system for you can help solve problems you didn’t even know were there. Most professional preventative maintenance visits don’t cost very much, and won’t take more than a couple hours to finish.
By following these tips, you shouldn’t have to worry about your security system failing to keep you safe in case of a fire, burglary, or other incident. A little bit of preventative maintenance can go a long way in extending the life of a home security system, prevent expensive repairs, and leave your system down for a period of time.