Load shedding safety: keep your system on when the lights go off
Load Shedding Safety Tips
Eskom’s scheduled load shedding adds additional stress to our already busy lives, from juggling homework and meal times while the lights are on, to causing power surges that can damage our electrical appliances and home alarm systems. Fortunately, modern home security systems are designed with a quality battery back-up system that ensures a seamless switch-over to battery power when the lights go out.
While the South African Intruder Detection Services Association (SAIDSA), of which Blue Security is a member, has strict regulations that relate to power outages ensuring that security firms are prepared to keep you safe during load shedding, it’s important as a home owner to also take some precautions.
Blue Security technical director Clive Samuels offers the following checklist with load shedding safety tips for when the lights go off in your neighbourhood.
Communication Lines
If there is a power failure certain telephone systems, including ISDN lines and portable phones will not work, so your security company’s control centre will not receive any signals if your home security system is breached during a power outage. This problem is easily solved by making sure you have both a telephone and radio communication set up, so that if one fails a signal will still be sent to the control room.
Battery Power
While there is a lull in load shedding at the moment, seize the opportunity to prepare for the next round of power outages by making sure your battery is in good working order. An 18 AMP battery should provide back up power for your alarm system for more than five hours, depending on the size and sophistication of your home security system. Home alarm batteries can last for a few years although regular bouts of load shedding unfortunately may reduce their life span.
Handy Spares
If you live in a neighbourhood that tends to be struck by unusually long periods of power outages, consider storing a spare battery at home. Batteries are not particularly expensive and it is possible to save money and change it yourself once you know how to do the job.
Testing… 123
Regularly test your home alarm system for any faults, as load shedding can cause power surges when the lights come back on. Unfortunately, these surges have the potential to damage your alarm system and other home appliances.
Keys and gates
Make sure that you have the keys for your electronic garage doors handy, particularly if the system is not linked to a back-up battery. Remember to test your driveway gate battery regularly, especially if you have not replaced it for a few years.
Torches and cellphones
Remember to recharge torch batteries and ensure cellphones are fully charged ahead of a scheduled load shedding event. Keep spare candles and matches on hand in an easy to access place in your home.
Mobile App
If you find for whatever reason that your battery has failed and your alarm system dies, you will still be able to call for help in an emergency if you have the Blue Security Mobile App set up on your cellphone. Just press the panic button on the app and a security professional will contact you to establish the nature of the emergency. The app sends a signal to our control centre notifying staff of your exact GPS location so that they can swiftly dispatch an armed response officer, paramedics or other emergency professionals to assist you.
If you need any assistance regarding testing your home alarm system, battery replacements or advice on how to access our mobile app, contact us on 031 717 5000.