Behind the scenes of load shedding

While we are all aware of the inconvenience of load shedding, but how many of us give a thought to how the blackouts may affect our home security systems?

Basil Lanka of Lazer 911 Security explains.

ALSO READ : 6 safety tips to keep in mind for load shedding

“When the power goes down, each and every alarm will immediately send a Mains Fail signal. Security control rooms get a huge influx of signals, sometimes thousands.

“Depending on how long your alarm has been without power, your back-up battery will start sending ‘battery low’ signals. Thereafter, the battery will be drained, and your alarm system will shut down.

“Some alarm systems sirens go off when power goes off or comes back on, meaning it triggers a false alarm signal. This then sends more signals to your control room and leads to more congestion . If the battery has gone too low we will not get that signal,” he said.

He added that although the life span of a battery should be two to four years, the consistency of power outages due to load shedding will have an impact on the performance of your battery.

“Make sure you watch out for the trouble indicator on your alarm system warning that your battery is low; and get it replaced. A false alarm when power goes off may also indicate a bad battery.”

Basil pointed out it was important to remember that outdoor devices draw up to three times more power from the alarm battery than indoor ones, and recommended that an additional power supply be installed with outdoor sensors- in order to even out the power distribution.

“This additional power supply also has its own back-up battery, which will ensure your alarm is powered up for longer periods during a power outage.”

Alternatively, consider an inverter, which converts the battery to normal household electricity.

“They might be costly but will hold power for your alarm for days. You can connect your gate, garage, alarm system and some lights on this device and still run for days,” said Basil, adding that a small generator would always handy to charge your inverter if – in a worst case scenario – outages go on for an extended period.

What happens in your security control room during load shedding?

“We are flooded with thousands of mains fail and low battery signals including false alarms, Telkom lines go down, networks and cellphones eventually go down or are badly affected,” said Basil.

” Because of this we cannot call each other and therefore have to attend to each call with huge delays, never mind the costs. Extra staff are called in to help.

“During this time we prioritise calls. Panic signals first, alarms second and others then follow. It’s a ‘mad house’ for us but we will attend to each and every call,” he assured.

During this time the control room is run on diesel generators and inverters with extremely reliable backup power.

“Please be patient during this time. In an emergency, keep hitting on that panic button and we will prioritise your call and be there in minutes to help you.

“Remember while you’re dealing with load shedding in your area for about two hours, alarm companies have to deal with load shedding in all areas for about eight to 10 hours.”

He reminded households to test all alarms frequently in off peak periods but urged them to inform the control room first.

” If you suspect you have a bad battery, charge it immediately and preferably get a gel battery.” he advised.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram

To receive our FREE email newsletter, click HERE