How do I know when to replace alarm battery?

The security system typically gives warnings visually on the display panel with a dead battery indicator, and audibly via an irritating beeping noise. You can call a technician, which can be expensive, or you can take the project on yourself.  Be sure to read our guide on changing home alarm system battery

How do I get the right battery for my alarm system?

When looking to purchase a new alarm battery replacement, it is important that you get a battery that matches the specifications of the one you are replacing.  First check the installation manual or wiring diagram for type of battery.  If you don’t have either of those then check the front of the battery for rating information.  3 things to consider when looking for a replacement alarm battery – voltage, dimensions, and AH (amp hour) rating.  Be sure that your alarm replacement battery is at the very least the same dimensions and voltage. The amp hour rating (or actually capacity of the sla battery) should be somewhere in the same vicinity as your old battery – please note that a higher capacity battery with the same voltage and dimensions will actually run your alarm system longer during power outages.

How to change a Home Security System Back-Up Battery?

Step 1:  Read the installation manual

First step is to locate the owner’s manual to look up what type of battery your system requres and for wiring instructions.  Always obtain a replacement battery that meets the manufacturer’s specifications outlined in the owner’s manual and/or on the wiring diagram.  If you don’t have either of those then check the front of the battery for rating information.  3 things to consider when looking for a replacement alarm battery – voltage, dimensions, and AH (amp hour) rating.  Be sure that your alarm replacement battery is at the very least the same dimensions and voltage. The amp hour rating (or actually capacity of the sla battery) should be somewhere in the same vicinity as your old battery – please note that a higher capacity battery with the same voltage and dimensions will actually run your alarm system longer during power outages.

Step 2:   Locate the system panel

Afer referring to owner’s manual next step is to find the location of your security systems housing panel. Typical locations for this panel would be basements, closets, mudrooms, and other discrete but accessible locations in the house. Once the panel to your home security system has been found, it is time to remove the cover. This might involve removing a screw or two depending on the make and model of your security system. Once the panel is off, you should have full access to the alarm battery compartment.

Step 3:  Place system in test or deactivate

Typically installers leave behind an engineer’s code to disable the alarm when needed. This code should be entered into the system prior to disconnecting the battery to avoid tripping the alarm. Unfortunately, without this code, removal of the battery could cause the alarm to sound. If this code is not accessible, cover the speaker of the alarm to weaken the noise while removing the battery. It is important to muffle the sound as best as possible as most alarm sound louder than 100 decibels and could cause serious damage to human eardrums if too close for longer than a few minutes.  Before replacing the battery, if the system is monitored, place the account “on test” with your central station to avoid a false dispatch.

Step 4:  Unplug the power source and disconnect old battery

To be safe and avoid running electricity through the cables, unplug the power supply to the main panel (careful not to touch it to the circuit board or enclosure).  Disconnect the battery from the circuit board. Usually the units are color coded red and black for positive and negative connections. If your panel had been neglected in the past, you may need to replace a terminal or two on the battery leads due to corrosion. A local electrical or electronics supplier should have a suitable replacement. Usually the leads are 18AWG wire.

Step 5:  Install your new battery

Install the new battery into the compartment inside the panel. Paying attention to polarity reattach the cables to the battery just as they were removed. Plug the power supply to the main panel.  On most alarm models, the alarm will continue to sound with the engineer’s code being entered. A message may appear that warns “Open Zone” or “Tamper”. If the engineer’s code was entered prior to the battery removal, the alarm will not continue to sound.  Plug the transformer back in or reconnect the wire disconnected

If the alarm continues to sound after the battery has been installed, check the main panel tamper switches. These switches are spring loaded and are pushed back into place once the main panel door has been put back into place. Reinstall the door so that the switches are pushed in and the alarm will cease.

Depending upon the panel, you may need to reset your panel’s clock. If applicable, instructions for resetting the clock should be in your user’s manual.

IMPORTANT  Don’t forget to call and clear your account from test after you are done with your servicing.

You’ve heard the expression: “Take care of your tools and they’ll take care of you.” That expression still holds true for power tools. Unless you’re a professional contractor, you probably don’t think about your cordless drill until you need it. The average homeowner may use a cordless drill a couple times a year.  The rest of the time it sits in a cabinet or on a workbench. Unfortunately that kind of treatment isn’t good for the battery.  Let’s face it. A cordless power tool without a working battery isn’t much good. Batteries.com has some helpful hints for caring your power tool batteries.

First, never leave your battery on the charger. Even though your charger may shut off automatically, the continual charging will eventually deteriorate the chemicals inside.

If your battery is nickel-cadmium (NiCd) chemistry, you should fully discharge and recharge it every few cycles. This prevents what’s known as memory-effect, which is very common with nickel-cadmium batteries and shortens their lifespan.

Don’t leave your battery out in cold temperatures. Like a lot of things, battery chemicals are sluggish when they’re cold. Even though it may be fully charged, your battery may not deliver full power until it’s warmed up.

Keep the battery clean and dry. Water and other liquids may leak into the battery, causing a short circuit. Dirt, grime and other residue on the contacts could prevent the battery from delivering power to the tool.

Inspect the battery periodically for cracks or other damage. Any damage to the battery shell could allow liquids or other contaminants to get in and cause a short.

Finally, if you’re going to store your NiCd or NiMH battery for a long period, it’s suggested that you drain the battery down to 40%. This allows for easier recharging. Even then, it’s recommended that you recharge the battery after several weeks, even if you’re not going to use it.

You might be thinking that’s a lot of work for something I don’t use very often. Maybe it is, but imagine a tree limb crashing through your roof in the middle of storm. Is that the time you want to find out if your power drill battery is still any good?

When television signals converted from the standard signal to the digital signal most of us gave up on receiving signals for free using antennas. If you are one of the many who gave up then you don’t know what you’re missing.

Antennas still have the ability to pick up local digital channels and even some high definition channels. By simply using an digital antenna like the TERK FDTV2 you can still receive free local channels* and even free high definition channels (HDTV). These antennas are easily set up. To check out the ever increasing availability of FREE HD Channels in your local area, visit: www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps or www.titantv.com

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*Channels received will depend upon your equipment, installation, location, and the actual channels being broadcast in your particular area.

This weeks Batteries.com Deal-of-the-Week is 15% off a AA, AAA, C, D & 9V Alkaline & Rechargeable batteries. If you are looking to stock up for the upcoming holidays this is your chance.

Use promotional code VCTN12 at checkout to receive the discount. Hurry though, this offer won’t last long!

You wouldn’t think of something as small as a watch battery as being dangerous.  But unfortunately small button and coin cell batteries are becoming a serious danger to children.  These small batteries are used to power watches, hearing aids, toys and even musical greeting cards.  To a child, these batteries often look like candy and because of their size are way too easy to swallow.  The CDC reports that in the last 12 years, the number of ER cases of children ingesting batteries has more than doubled.  Sadly a small number of these cases have even resulted in death.

The danger comes from the battery becoming lodged in the child’s esophagus and the battery’s chemical contents begin to leak, resulting in serious burns.  It becomes more difficult because the symptoms don’t often appear for some hours and even then it appears as simple stomach pains.  Since parents are usually reluctant to take their child to the emergency room for stomach pains, treatment  could be delayed until serious harm is done.   Sometimes, even when a child is taken to a doctor, the cause can be overlooked unless an x-ray is taken.

By law, any toy designed for a child under the age of 3 is supposed to make the battery inaccessible.  But children are resourceful and adults sometimes careless.  Don’t leave these small batteries laying around, even when they’re intended for adult use.  Have you ever changed the battery in your garage door opener or car’s key fob and left the batteries sitting out?  As most of us know, a child will stick pretty much anything in his or her mouth as long as it will fit and they’re more likely to do it when an adult is not looking.

Even pets are not immune to the danger.  In fact, pets are probably more at risk than children.  While your child may not be able to swallow an AA battery, your dog might.  Since your pet is likely to be even less cooperative than your child, you may never know what happened until it’s too late.  If your child or pet is showing signs of intestinal distress, check to see if they may have swallowed a battery.   If you believe it may have happened, call the Battery Ingestion Hotline at 202-625-3333 or your Poison Control Hotline at 1-800-222-1222.

For more information, visit http://www.poison.org/battery/

By now you have likely read about the research being done by a team from Rice University who have developed a process for spray-on batteries. And while this incredible achievement mat mark the beginning of anything from cars coated in solar cells and batteries to toys with test batteries built into the packaging. But the true beneficiary, as always, may be portable electronic devices.

The process developed by Neelam Singh and his team of researches separates the 5 parts of a lithium ion battery into separate mixtures that can be individually applied in thin coats. Two of the layers are current collectors, a third is a cathode, the fourth is the anode and the middle layer is a a polymer separator. Together they can hold a current for up to six hours with an output of roughly 2.4 volts.

Although li-ion batteries are already common and small, they must still be built to a certain thickness, thus requiring any gadget that uses one to be at least that thick. Once the spray-on technique is refined, however, we can expect to have similar battery outputs from a much thinner sheet of battery, allowing for much thinner devices. The fabled “digital paper” would certainly benefit from a thin coat of battery, not to mention Google’s new Glass Project for wearable digital glasses.

Like many similar discoveries, it may take months or years to see an application of the science in real-life devices. And in some cases the new technology may not be practical at all for certain consumer goods. But it is advancement’s like those found by Neelam’s team that can help drive the technology forward in hopes that at some point the consumer applications will follow.