Keeping your Home Safe during a Power Outage
You are just about to sit down to dinner when a loud thunderclap shatters the quiet evening, soon followed by torrential rain. The lights flicker a few times, then everything goes dark.
A Long, Dark Night
You are in for a long, dark night. The power ends up being off for the next 18 hours since the storm knocked out a major transformer.
What does that mean for your alarm system? The alarm system has a back-up battery that will kick in if the power goes out. A fully charged battery should keep the alarm powered up for 12-24 hours. If the power outage extends beyond that, the system will not function.
What to Do During a Power Outage to Protect Your Home
It is important to be aware of the increased burglary risk during a prolonged outage. Burglars are opportunists and many view an outage as the perfect time to strike.
If the outage extends longer than your battery life, you are more vulnerable because your alarm won’t work if someone breaks in. But also, if your whole street or neighborhood is without power, many people may have gone to stay elsewhere, making your area even more desirable to burglars.
What should you do to help protect yourself and your home during a power outage?
Make Sure Doors and Windows Are Locked
Your first line of defense against burglars and intruders is locked doors. Statistics show that nearly 1 in 3 residential burglars occur through an unlocked door or window. So when the power goes out, grab a flashlight and check the doors and windows to make sure they are locked.
Make the Home Look Occupied
The tricks you normally rely on to make your home look lived in aren’t available when the power is out. No lights or television playing without electricity! Whether you are staying in the house or not, make it look like someone is there to keep the thieves away. Park a car in the driveway. If flooding is a risk, you will want all vehicles off the road anyway. Neighbors can help each other out by parking in empty driveways – the car is on higher ground and the home looks occupied.
If you have a dog, be sure it is visible (and audible!) when someone comes to the door or through the back gate periodically throughout the day. If you have a newspaper delivered or are expecting packages, come by the house to pick them up each day or ask a neighbor to bring them in for you.
Be Ready for Power Restoral
Most alarm systems will come back in the previous state when power is restored. That means if the system was armed when the battery backup ran out, it will probably be armed when the power comes back. Be aware of this so you can prevent false alarms once the system comes back. Depending on how bad the storm is, first responders may be tied up and you don’t want to have a preventable false alarm.
Also, the backup battery shoould recharge over time once power comes back. Depending on how long the battery power was used, the charging may be slow or you may even need to replace it. Call your alarm company to do a health check after a prolonged outage.
We Can Help!
Cultris Security Systems can help you determine how to secure your home and property. Contact us at 281-506-8466 or visit us online – we’re here to help!
