Alarm system (Battery backup problem)?
Rudie Stay in Africa asked:
I got a Paradox alarm system with 3 beams outside and 5 passive inside the house.
The battery is the problem it is a 12 volt and 9 amp battery how long is the battery suppose to last if there is a electric failure
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I got a Paradox alarm system with 3 beams outside and 5 passive inside the house.
The battery is the problem it is a 12 volt and 9 amp battery how long is the battery suppose to last if there is a electric failure
December 14th, 2009 at 3:38 am
It’s not possible to answer your question without a lot more detail (age of the battery, current draw for each device, etc…).
But I can give you some generalizations. If the battery is older than 3 years, I doubt its capacity is anywhere near what it was when it was new. That many powered sensors will put a heavy drain on a system (the outside beams are the real killer). Also depending on how many keypads you have, if they are set to backlight all the time, etc…
I wouldn’t expect your backup time to be very long under these conditions (maybe 30 to 60 minutes) - if battery is in OK shape.
Batteries are fairly cheap. If it will fit in the enclosure, I would get at least a 12V/18AH battery w/.250 terminals. If you have the room and don’t mind changing the terminals out, you could get a 12V/35AH battery that uses nut & bolts. Although the recharge time from your alarm panel might become quite long itself.
Another thing I would consider is powering those outside beams with thier own power supply. That will allow your internal security to stay up and running all day if it needed to. Brad