How to Change Your Home Alarm Battery
Not sure how to go about replacing your house alarm battery? Try reading our house alarm battery replacement guide to learn what it will take to replace your battery.
How to Change the Battery in Your Home Security System
There is no doubt that you will be well aware of when it is time to change your house alarm battery. The security system typically gives you two warnings – a subtle dead battery indicator on the alarm display panel, and an incredibly annoying beeping sound that only comes on when you're looking for some peace and quiet. While every home security system is different, replacing the alarm battery is a pretty standard process across the board.
Removing the Spent Alarm Battery
The first step to replacing your house alarm battery is to find the location of your security systems housing panel. Chances are that you were present when the system was installed and already know the location. If this is not the case, common locations for the panel would be closets, mudrooms, basements, and other discrete but accessible locations. 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.
Removing the old alarm battery from the security panel is pretty simple. Inside you will see two wire leads that are attached to the terminals of the alarm battery. Removing the wires from the terminals of the battery requires a good tug on the middle of the wire; if this does not work you may have to use a pair of pliers to remove them. Once the wires are removed from the alarm battery you can remove it from the panel entirely.
When looking to purchase a new house alarm battery replacement or other emergency lighting battery replacement, it is important that you get a battery that matches the specifications of the one you are replacing. There are three important variables that need to be taken into consideration when looking for a replacement alarm battery - the dimensions, voltage, and AH (amp hour) rating. These specifications should be marked on the front side of the battery that you removed from the panel. You need to make 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.
Installing the New House Alarm Battery
Once you have acquired the correct house alarm replacement battery, the installation process is extremely easy. Simply place your new alarm battery into the battery compartment of your security panel and attach the positive and negative lead wires to their correct terminals (red = positive, black=negative). Once the battery is hooked up to the security panel, it's time to replace the cover.