How to Troubleshoot a Home Alarm

Drained Battery

• 1

  Enter the password at the home alarm control panel's keypad. Trip the circuit breaker to cut power to the control panel.

• 2

  Open the control panel's lid and remove the battery contacts from the backup battery. Remove the battery.

• 3

  Place a fully charged replacement battery in the control panel. Attach the battery contacts and close the lid.

• 4

  Restore the electric power. Enter the password at the keypad to arm the system.

DIrty Transformer Wiring

• 5

  Enter the password on the control panel and trip the circuit breaker to discontinue power to the home-alarm system.

• 6

  Open the control panel's lid; if there are screws on the side of the lid, remove these first with a Phillips screwdriver or a Torx screwdriver.

• 7

  Locate the grooved black box (transformer) inside the control panel. Loosen the two screws on one end of the box using a Phillips jeweler's screwdriver.

• 8

  Unwind the wire from each screw. Spray a two-second burst of electrical cleaning spray on each screw. Wind the wires back around the two screws.

• 9

  Tighten the screws and close the lid, reattaching any screws. Restore the electric power. Enter the password in the control panel.

Dirty Sensor Connections

• 10

  Enter the password in the control panel to disarm the system. Open each door that has a home-alarm sensor attached to it. Open each window that has a home-alarm sensor attached to it.

• 11

  Apply distilled alcohol to the edge of a paper towel. Wipe the sensor on the edge of the doors and on the bottom edge of the windows with the alcohol-moistened paper towel.

• 12

  Apply distilled alcohol to the edge of another paper towel. Wipe the sensor on the inside door frames and on the windowsills with the alcohol-moistened paper towel.

• 13

  Tighten the screws on the sensors on the door frames and on the windowsills using a Phillips jeweler's screwdriver.

• 14

  Close the doors and windows. Enter the password in the control panel to arm the system.