Failure rate of window / door magnetic sensors

[[email protected]]

I installed my own security system 8 years ago. Last week, lightning
struck our house and fried all sorts of things. I discovered about
half of my window and door magnetic switches were bad. The control
panel was fried, but I fixed that.

I have Ademco mini stick on NC sensors. Of the broken ones, all but
one was broken so that they are always closed. One broke always
open.

I can assume the one that was open was caused by the lightning
strike. But what about the others that are broken closed? Did the
lighting do that, or do these types of switches fail over the years?

Thanks

 

[Matt Ion]

Given the relatively low cost of simply replacing all the switches, I'd
think that's probably a much easier and more efficient solution...

 

[Slim]

sounds like you might have a grounding problem.

 

[Crash Gordon]

It happens, usually it welds the switches closed, which is why we always
recommend the homeowner test all openings at least once a year but
definitely after a major lightning storm nearby. I've never found one go
open though.



--
Crash Gordon
-------ouch------

<I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe>
|I installed my own security system 8 years ago. Last week, lightning
| struck our house and fried all sorts of things. I discovered about
| half of my window and door magnetic switches were bad. The control
| panel was fried, but I fixed that.
|
| I have Ademco mini stick on NC sensors. Of the broken ones, all but
| one was broken so that they are always closed. One broke always
| open.
|
| I can assume the one that was open was caused by the lightning
| strike. But what about the others that are broken closed? Did the
| lighting do that, or do these types of switches fail over the years?
|
| Thanks
|

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for all the replies. I did go around and check each switch
with a meter. And I ordered all new contacts - about $150 worth.

As for a grounding problem, I have the control panel grounded to the
ground rod out by my meter. This was a pretty bad strike, as I lost
lots of things. The control panel had two traces actually melted on
zones 5 and 6. I jumpered over them to repair that. No fuses
blew????

Anyway, thanks again for the quick replies.

 

[Tommy]

[email protected] wrote in @d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:

Thanks for all the replies. I did go around and check each switch
with a meter. And I ordered all new contacts - about $150 worth.

As for a grounding problem, I have the control panel grounded to the
ground rod out by my meter. This was a pretty bad strike, as I lost
lots of things. The control panel had two traces actually melted on
zones 5 and 6. I jumpered over them to repair that. No fuses
blew????

Anyway, thanks again for the quick replies.

You should still replace the control board. You never know what might be
fried in the electronics, even if the panel seems to work correctly.

A replacement control panel is not very expensive.

What kind of panel is it?

 

[Robert L Bass]

Funny we were just having a discussion about that here. According
to one gentleman posting here, all of your contacts should be bad,
but I see you report different contacts failing with different
modes of failure.

All contacts on the affected loop were ruined. One froze open the
rest froze closed. Replace them all. Magnetic contacts are cheap.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Robert L Bass]

It happens, usually it welds the switches closed, which is why we
always recommend the homeowner test all openings at least once a
year but definitely after a major lightning storm nearby. I've
never found one go open though.

I've seen them go open or closed (mostly closed). We usually
replaced everything on the affected loop. Since I always ran motion
and glass breaks on individual zones it only affected the cost of
replacing a few extra contacts.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[shotgun boogie]

[email protected] wrote in @d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:


You should still replace the control board. You never know what might
be fried in the electronics, even if the panel seems to work
correctly.

A replacement control panel is not very expensive.

It will be if he gets it from the same source as the contacts.

 

[[email protected]]

I made a mistake on my total. I only spent $90 on contacts. The
mini stick on cost about $3 each, the door ones are $5-6. The other
$60 was from an irrigation timer I also bought that was blown.

The control panel is an old Radio Shack but works for our needs. I've
checked out all the curcuits and the unit is fine. But if I need to
replace it, I'll be posting on here for suggestions.

A bit OT, but has anyone found the wireless systems reliable? I
originally installed an X-10 wireless system, but it kept going off
from stray signals or would continually report sensors that did not
respond. It was a big PITA. I have had no problems with the wired
system for 8 years until this lightning strike.

 

[Matt Ion]

I made a mistake on my total. I only spent $90 on contacts. The
mini stick on cost about $3 each, the door ones are $5-6. The other
$60 was from an irrigation timer I also bought that was blown.

The control panel is an old Radio Shack but works for our needs. I've
checked out all the curcuits and the unit is fine. But if I need to
replace it, I'll be posting on here for suggestions.

A bit OT, but has anyone found the wireless systems reliable? I
originally installed an X-10 wireless system, but it kept going off
from stray signals or would continually report sensors that did not
respond. It was a big PITA. I have had no problems with the wired
system for 8 years until this lightning strike.

I'd say a single $90 repair in 8 years isn't doing too badly... you'd
probably spend more than that on batteries for a wireless system in that
time.

 

[Nomen Nescio]

Crash Gordon said:

It happens, usually it welds the switches closed, which is why we always
recommend the homeowner test all openings at least once a year but
definitely after a major lightning storm nearby. I've never found one go
open though.

Granted, welding shut seems to be the more common failure mode. But
sometimes, they do go open. I think what happens is that the heat causes
the glass tube to crack where the metal reed goes through the glass,
causing it to lose its support and the spring tension that tends to keep
the switch closed. Back in the old days, some manufacturers used gold to
plate the contacts of their reed switches. Bad idea.

 

[Robert L Bass]

Back in the old days, some manufacturers used gold to plate the

contacts of their reed switches. Bad idea.

Most of the contacts we used are rhodium plated. I believe that is
to reduce problems with residual magnetism -- not static discharge.
This is still common practice among magnetic sensor manufacturers.
Take-offs were sometimes gold plated to prevent oxidation.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Crash Gordon]

Actually your quite correct...I do remember one house that none of the
switches worked about a week after I put them it...after calming down a
pissed off client, come to find out ADT installer was there "testing" all of
my switches with a 12v 7amp battery and a siren. Duh. Homeowner wanted me to
replace all the switches...idiot. Told him sorry...outta warranty have ADT
fix what the exploded. He just smoked dem contacts till they blew open and
stayed open.

--
Crash Gordon
-------ouch------

<I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe>
| Crash Gordon said:
|
| >It happens, usually it welds the switches closed, which is why we always
| >recommend the homeowner test all openings at least once a year but
| >definitely after a major lightning storm nearby. I've never found one go
| >open though.
|
| Granted, welding shut seems to be the more common failure mode. But
| sometimes, they do go open. I think what happens is that the heat causes
| the glass tube to crack where the metal reed goes through the glass,
| causing it to lose its support and the spring tension that tends to keep
| the switch closed. Back in the old days, some manufacturers used gold to
| plate the contacts of their reed switches. Bad idea.
|

 

[Slob]

Actually your quite correct...I do remember one house that none of the
switches worked about a week after I put them it...after calming down a
pissed off client, come to find out ADT installer was there "testing" all of
my switches with a 12v 7amp battery and a siren. Duh. Homeowner wanted me to
replace all the switches...idiot. Told him sorry...outta warranty have ADT
fix what the exploded. He just smoked dem contacts till they blew open and
stayed open.

musta been some wimpy contacts. shoulda used a piezo.

 

[Robert L Bass]

Actually your quite correct...I do remember one house that none of
the
switches worked about a week after I put them it...after calming
down a
pissed off client, come to find out ADT installer was there
"testing" all of
my switches with a 12v 7amp battery and a siren. Duh. Homeowner
wanted me to
replace all the switches...idiot. Told him sorry...outta warranty
have ADT
fix what the exploded. He just smoked dem contacts till they blew
open and
stayed open.

Why did the client have ADT come in? Sounds like the customer got
taken in by ADT.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Crash Gordon]

They were Sentrols.


--
Crash Gordon
-------ouch------

<I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe>
| Crash Gordon wrote:
| > Actually your quite correct...I do remember one house that none of the
| > switches worked about a week after I put them it...after calming down a
| > pissed off client, come to find out ADT installer was there "testing"
all of
| > my switches with a 12v 7amp battery and a siren. Duh. Homeowner wanted
me to
| > replace all the switches...idiot. Told him sorry...outta warranty have
ADT
| > fix what the exploded. He just smoked dem contacts till they blew open
and
| > stayed open.
| >
| musta been some wimpy contacts. shoulda used a piezo.

 

[Crash Gordon]

Yep. The problem was it was a builder system and ADT can hit the homeowners
faster than we could even though we were the builder's low voltage
contractor. ADT get's info from closing reports, we can't afford that...and
somehow they were also getting phone numbers before they were even
listed...dunno how, maybe they bribed the sales people.

On this particular one it didn't matter, because after all the brew-ha-ha
blew over the homeowner realized what idiots they were and I got the sale
anyway. ADT never got to install anything...because they weren't "allowed
to" ! According to them WE were suppposed to go and fix it before they would
install (the homeowner thought this was dumb too). If they were smart they
would have installed their equipment and waited a couple of days to go back
and fix the switches, but they didn't...so we got it.



--
Crash Gordon
-------ouch------

<I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe>
| | > Actually your quite correct...I do remember one house that none of
| > the
| > switches worked about a week after I put them it...after calming
| > down a
| > pissed off client, come to find out ADT installer was there
| > "testing" all of
| > my switches with a 12v 7amp battery and a siren. Duh. Homeowner
| > wanted me to
| > replace all the switches...idiot. Told him sorry...outta warranty
| > have ADT
| > fix what the exploded. He just smoked dem contacts till they blew
| > open and
| > stayed open.
|
| Why did the client have ADT come in? Sounds like the customer got
| taken in by ADT.
|
| --
|
| Regards,
| Robert L Bass
|
| =============================>
| Bass Home Electronics
| 941-925-8650
| 4883 Fallcrest Circle
| Sarasota · Florida · 34233
| http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
| =============================>
|

 

[Slob]

They were Sentrols.

I've got an old kids walkie talkie set that has a button on it to send
morse code. I have shorted the button so it sends the tone all the
time. I put 2 alligator clips on one side of the battery lead. I use
it sometimes to test switches. Basically I run the 9v battery on the
transmitter through the alarm circuit. As I open and close windows the
receiver beeps when loop is closed and is silent when loop is open.
Don't use it much but every now and then is comes in handy on someone
else prewire.

 

[shotgun boogie]

Actually your quite correct...I do remember one house that none of the
switches worked about a week after I put them it...after calming down
a pissed off client, come to find out ADT installer was there
"testing" all of my switches with a 12v 7amp battery and a siren.
Duh. Homeowner wanted me to replace all the switches...idiot. Told
him sorry...outta warranty have ADT fix what the exploded. He just
smoked dem contacts till they blew open and stayed open.


<I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe>

What was ADT doing there?