Can You Recharge A Home Alarm Battery?

Having a home security system is an excellent way to prevent home invasions. According to statistics from the United States  Bureau of Justice, "In 2016, U.S. households experienced 15.9 million property crimes — a rate of 119.4 per 1,000 households."  Keeping your home alarm in working condition will help you stay safe, and recharging or replacing the batteries in your home alarm is a key step in home security. It’s also important to remember that batteries have a finite amount of life and need to be managed appropriately. 

Reasons for Power Failure 

Many home security systems will go offline but will work off a  backup battery  when the power is down.  Power failures  occur for several reasons, including, high winds, ice or extremely cold weather, lightning, hurricanes and tornadoes, and accidents that disrupt power lines.  

Brinks Home Security™ offers home alarms with a battery backup that lasts for at least 24 hours after a power outage. Once the power is restored, the battery will begin to start recharging itself. 

Recharging Your Battery 

Some alarm systems operate using a 12 volt 4.8 AH  Rechargeable Sealed Lead-Acid Battery. These run on a  trickle charging  system. Trickle charging allows a battery to self-charge at a low rate in order to remain fully charged. Lead-acid batteries last longer than a typical lithium-ion battery, which needs an adapter in order to recharge regularly. For example, cell phones that use lithium-ion batteries must recharge at least once, sometimes twice daily. 

Replacing the Battery 

Because many home security systems are  self-charging, you will need to replace it when you begin to notice that the batteries are low. Smoke detectors give off a disturbing chirp every few minutes whenever their batteries near the end of their life. Home security alarms are similar in that the keypad will beep at regular intervals, sometimes once a day at the same time. You will also see your control panel LED display a low battery indication on the screen. Furthermore, you should change the battery every two to five years. It’s necessary to replace a battery because low batteries could produce  false  alarms. Check your home security owner’s manual for the minimum amount of voltage you will need before you decide to replace your battery. 

When you’re ready to start looking for a suitable security company to protect your home and family, get in touch with the representatives at  Brinks Home Security™. We have modern alarm systems that are professionally monitored and customizable to meet your exact needs.  

Lauren Slade is a Dallas-based writer and editor.