To turn off your power alarm, which is likely related to your security system's power supply or battery backup, you can typically resolve the alert by power cycling the main alarm panel.
Silencing or Resetting Your Alarm Power Alert
A "power alarm" on your security system usually indicates an issue with the main power supply (like a power outage) or a low/failing backup battery. While the specific method to silence or clear the alert can vary by system, a common troubleshooting step, especially if the alert persists after power is restored, involves restarting the main alarm panel.
Here's how you can perform this process based on standard procedures often recommended:
Locate Your Alarm Panel Box
Your primary alarm panel box is the central hub of your security system. This metal enclosure contains the main circuit board and connections for power and the backup battery.
- Typical Locations: Look for this box in less-visited areas of your home or business, such as:
- A utility closet
- The basement
- The garage
- Sometimes, a main floor closet or service area.
- Appearance: It is usually a metal box, frequently gray or beige. It will have wires connecting to it, including the low-voltage power wire and wires running to keypads and sensors.
Power Cycling the Alarm Panel
Once you've located the box, you can power cycle the system to attempt to clear the power alarm.
- Unplug the alarm panel box's power supply: This is typically a plug-in transformer (often looks like a large wall wart) connected to a standard electrical outlet. Unplug this from the wall.
- Disconnect the battery: Inside the metal box, you will find a large backup battery (often a sealed lead-acid battery, rectangular in shape). You need to disconnect at least one terminal from this battery. The terminals often have slide-on connectors that you can carefully pull off. Disconnecting the battery ensures the system loses all power.
- Wait: Allow the system to power down completely. Wait a minute or two to ensure any residual charge is depleted.
- Reconnect the battery: Carefully re-connect the battery terminal(s) inside the box. Ensure the connections are secure (red wire usually goes to the positive (+) terminal, black wire to the negative (-) terminal).
- Plug back in: Plug the power supply transformer back into the electrical outlet.
The alarm panel should now begin to power up. This process can reset the system and may clear the power alarm. Listen for status beeps and check your keypads for system status messages. If the alarm persists, it might indicate a more significant issue with the power supply, battery, or the panel itself, and contacting your alarm provider for service may be necessary.
This method addresses the issue by removing and restoring power to the main control panel, a common step recommended for resolving various system alerts, including power-related ones.
