Heavy rain and thunderstorms cause false alarms for Florida home security systems.

Here in Orlando, Florida – we’ve been under extreme drought conditions for many months. The old saying April showers bring May flowers hasn’t been true this year. Here we are in the beginning of June and both April and May were dry as a bone. Thankfully, the weather seems to be breaking and mother nature is giving us the rain we desperately need. For the last week, we’ve had heavy rain and thunderstorms almost every day in one part of Central Florida or another. After a ravaging spell of wild fires burning across the state, our landscape desperately needs the rain.

Unfortunately, for local Orlando homeowners the thunder and lightning that has come with these storms is causing home security systems to go on the fritz. Power surges can occur from lightning strikes up to 10 miles from the location of the original strike, according to National Geographic. Even a slight surge can cause your home security system to trigger a false alarm. The alarm system may sound a local siren at home and send a signal to the alarm monitoring central station indicating a break-in when in fact, there is nothing wrong. Often, during severe weather effected alarm systems will send these signals multiple times in a row – a sure sign of a weather induced false alarm.

Your home security system is designed to absorb small surges of power at the transformer, the alarm system’s power supply plug. This plug is meant to absorb as much surge as possible before allowing the power surge to effect your home security system’s main control board or keypad (the heart of your home security system). Sometimes the power supply will burn out and the security system will have to rely on it’s battery power to stay functioning. Certain brands of home security systems, such as those made by DSC will alert you to a problem by indicating a trouble light condition on your alarm keypad. This trouble light can indicate a power failure, a low system backup battery or trouble with your home phone service. DSC home security system keypads not only give you this trouble light indicator on the keypad, they also will beep continuously until this trouble is acknowledged. Remember, as we come into an era where many homeowners utilize internet phone service, your communication source can also be effected by surges or power outages during a storm. If your alarm can’t use it’s communication path (the cellular alarm communicator, internet communicator or telephone line) – the alarm will sound the siren locally but it will not be able to transmit emergency information to the alarm monitoring station.

If your alarm system causes a false alarm during a storm or if your alarm system keypad is indicating a trouble, contact Lane Electronics right away for additional service help. We offer 24 hour emergency support for monitored customers here in Orlando, Florida.

Power surges can also cause unseen damage to your home security system, including causing your door or window transmitters to seize – a trouble often unrecognizable from the keypad. Equipment failures like these may not be discovered until your home security system fails during an actual break-in. If you experience a power surge strong enough to cause other electronics in your house to go on the fritz, it’s a good idea to schedule an inspection on your home security system too – even if your alarm is not indicating a trouble on the keypad. A technician can test your devices and inspect the alarm system’s components for damage. Severe lightning damage to your home security system or other household appliances may be covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy.

For more information about home security systems or for help with technical service on your home alarm system, contact Lane Electronics in Winter Park, Florida for help at 407-299-6070.

 

 

Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems is a licensed and insured Florida alarm contractor offering home security systems in Orlando, Florida, Winderemere, Florida, Kissimmee, Florida, Deltona, Florida and surrounding central Florida cities.