Fire alarms and intruder alarms need to be regularly maintained if they are to effectively protect occupants and property. If you neglect alarm servicing and maintenance, your alarm may eventually fail.
Unfortunately some alarms can fail silently, and it may not take a full system breakdown to create a dangerous situation. Just one broken sensor could create a blind spot that allows a fire to spread, or permits access for an intruder who would otherwise have been detected.
In this article, we’ll look specifically at the actions you should take if your fire alarm fails or begins to go off for no reason.
Signs of Failure in Fire Alarms
Assuming you don’t have a monitoring arrangement for your alarm, the first sign of failure could be a beeping noise coming from the alarm. It is wise to run through some initial checks before calling out Angel Security, if only to spare yourself the annoyance of the alert.
First, look at the wiring around the alarm and into the sensors. If you do not locate any damage, try pushing the Reset button and see if the beeping stops. Locate any batteries inside the alarm box and replace them. If this resolves the problem, the alarm may not be damaged, but it’s still wise to call us out to check.
If you continue to hear audible alerts, check your fire alarm sensors for damage. For example, broken glass across the front of a sensor will cause the alarm to sound or report a fault. The fix for this is inexpensive and usually just requires a new glass panel. However, please don’t replace the glass yourself as ordinary glass could shatter when struck and cause serious injury.
Until Angel Security’s engineer arrives, you may determine the zone where the problem occurs and disable the alarm in that zone. This should be used only to silence the beep for the comfort of the occupants; never disable a zone in any other circumstances.
Having Your Alarm Checked
Don’t worry about the cost of a call-out if your fire alarm is reporting a fault. The cost will pale into insignificance compared to the risk of disabling your alarm if the worst happens.
Angel Security will call at a convenient time to determine why your alarm has developed a fault. We will run through the same basic checks, reset the alarm, check the sensors and batteries and check that all of the cables are intact. We will also clean the alarm and its sensors, visually inspect them for damage and ensure none of the alarm components have been removed or relocated.
If we decide that there is a broken component and something needs to be replaced, we will quote you for the parts and labour. If your alarm is old, it may be more economical to replace or upgrade it to offer the best protection against fire in the future. Ultimately, the choice is yours. Many repairs are inexpensive, particularly if the fire alarm is well maintained.
After the repair is complete, you may wish to consider regular fire alarm maintenance or servicing appointment to prevent future failures.
In the Meantime
Fire alarm failure is annoying, and it’s obviously potentially dangerous. If your alarm isn’t working properly, you must be more alert and look out for danger or fire risks until your Angel Security engineer calls. The consequences of fire alarm failure can be tragic, so please don’t hesitate to call if you suspect there’s a problem. Who knows: it could be the call that saves your life.