How often does my alarm need testing?

Question

How frequently should I test out an alarm system? And what if it doesn’t work, how can I diagnose the issue and figure out if it’s a small issue or one that means the whole system has to be replaced?

Jon · Accepted Answer

As a home owner you can carry out walk tests as often as you like, but it is recommended to have you alarm tested every 12 months by a security specialist.

Andrius · Answer

According to the British Standard regulations, fire alarms should be tested once a week by the responsible person(s). This requirement is found under Article 17 of the 2005 Fire Order Safety Act.

Although The recommended period between successive inspection and servicing visits should not exceed six months.

Joe · Answer

Hi,
May a minimum it needs to be tested by an engineer every 12 months for correct operation, you also need an alarm engineer to fault find. It’s what they have trained for. 

Thanks

Nicholas · Answer

Just needs doing once a year just like a service we can do that for you

Alexander · Answer

Hi Akinfolayan, 

It is recommended that you test your system once a month, there will be a setting in your system's control panel that will say something along the lines of "Walk Test" this will do a full test of all of the equipment and tell you if it is working as it should be. If there is an issue, then be sure to contact me and I can come and have a look for you if you cannot resolve the issue yourself. 


So to find out what the issue is, the control panel depending on the system itself, will usually tell you what is happening or there will be an error system lit up on the panel to let you know there is an issue. If you can't see what it is, then it's best to call an engineer such as myself to come and have a look. 

Depending on what the issue is, it would be rare that the entire system would need replacing unless it's very old and has never been serviced/maintained and the system is not functioning correctly, but there are many tests that I can perfume to check everything before making the decision that the system needs to be replaced.

How often does my alarm need testing?

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