If you have an alarm system in place, whether it be at your home or place of business, you may be understandably concerned about the possibility of encountering a false alarm. Unfortunately, false alarms can happen from time to time. On the bright side, all false alarms can be prevented. It is important that you take steps towards prevention because false alarms can be a nuisance not only to you, but to local emergency responders as well. In some cities, you may even be charged a fine for excessive false alarms!
One of the best ways to prevent these alarms is to make sure that everybody in your home or business knows how to use the alarm system. Most importantly, these people should be able to clear a false alarm before police are dispatched to the property. See below to read instructions on how to conduct a real world burglary test.
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First, call your monitoring company and ask an operator to put your account in test. If your account is in test, the operator will not dispatch on any signals received.
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Second, arm your system (you can arm it for “Stay” or “Away”) Note: If you arm it for “Away” you will need to open and close your entry door to make the system believe you have exited the premise.
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Third, once the system is armed you will need to trip an alarm; you can do this by opening a door or window with a sensor on it.
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Fourth, go to the keypad and disarm the system with your code. Preparing yourself and those around you for an alarm event is a big step in helping you eliminate false alarms.
Furthermore, be sure to check door seals on all sensored doors and windows within your business or residence. Many false alarms are triggered by doors that do not close properly. If you have a door that does not shut properly, be sure to have the necessary repair done as soon as possible, either by yourself or a repair man.
It is also a good idea to check for drafts throughout your home; a drafty door or window can easily lead to a plant, curtain, or sign being moved or knocked over. In many cases, this is enough to trip a sensor and cause a false alarm. If you have a drafty window or door, get it fixed as soon as possible. In the meantime, be sure to keep lightweight objects away from that area to reduce the possibility of them tripping a sensor.
Finally, do not try to beat out your security system’s built-in exit timer if you are not sure that you will have the time to do so. Instead, play it safe and enter your disarm code any time you need to re-enter your home after arming it. Otherwise, you run the risk of taking too long to exit and causing the alarm to sound as a result. If you need to, have the exit delay on your alarm adjusted.
