Evening all, in the progress of doing up our house, the alarm system is dated and looks pretty ****. I want to replace it but not sure exactly where to start. Could I buy a new system and use the existing cables, just replacing the PIR's and door sensors with the new ones. Not sure about the bell, can I leave the existing one up there or do I need to replace that as well, complete beginner at this!

everyone

Evening all, in the progress of doing up our house, the alarm system is dated and looks pretty ****. I want to replace it but not sure exactly where to start. Could I buy a new system and use the existing cables, just replacing the PIR's and door sensors with the new ones. Not sure about the bell, can I leave the existing one up there or do I need to replace that as well, complete beginner at this!

everyone

hi Keith,

a warm welcome to the forums,

concider this, if the system looks that bad to you, what do you think we as pro'swould think if we were to see it?

so i would recommend replace the cables using the old ones as draw wires. that way you should find any hidden juction boxes, which will be worse than the controls i'd wager.

the external siren's age is a factor, under recent noise pollution legislation you can get fined for a siren sounding for 20+ minutes, so id replace it unless you know it is less tha 5 years old as modern sirens have a safety cut off timer built in.

for what they cost i'd recommend buy all new detectors, either quad or dual-tec as a rule of thumb. which one depends on the circumstances of you property so we can't advise blindly.

regs

alan

Alan,

Well the current system is an Optima Plus (not the plus 2) just the plus, so I reckon it is pretty damn old. Which systems do you recommend, dont need anything top of the range, just something that is fairly tidy looking and easy to fit. With the bell on the side of the house, I could probably get away with leaving that cable in place couldn't I, just miles away from the key pad.

One other question, the existing PIR's, how the bloody hell do you get them of the wall!

Thanks everyone

1 - if you are doing that much work on the house, i would completly start again with the alarm, replace the lot. then you know everything is new.

2 - you could get some quotes from companies, you do not have to use them, but they will give some pointers as to what needs to go where. you never know you may get advice from somebody you like and decide to use them.

3 - get the best you can afford, the more you pay the better you get. again quotes will identify your needs grade 1 , grade two 2 etc.

4 - do some homework, before you start. if you going to do it yourself then make sure you understand the basic.

5 - make sure someone qualified fits the fused connection unit.

6 - as i diyer you do not have to follow the regs on your own property, but think about this, they are best practise, and there for a reason.

6 - as i diyer you do not have to follow the regs on your own property, but think about this, they are best practise, and there for a reason.

that all be Brussels then?

lol

regs

alan

Alan,

Well the current system is an Optima Plus (not the plus 2) just the plus, so I reckon it is pretty damn old. Which systems do you recommend, dont need anything top of the range, just something that is fairly tidy looking and easy to fit. With the bell on the side of the house, I could probably get away with leaving that cable in place couldn't I, just miles away from the key pad.

One other question, the existing PIR's, how the bloody hell do you get them of the wall!

Thanks everyone

we can't advise you of the best panel for the job, as this is very circumspect to the value protected, location and your skill level. but imo just about any panel costing

Edited April 26, 200719 yr by arfur mo

6 - as i diyer you do not have to follow the regs on your own property, but think about this, they are best practise, and there for a reason.

hi allen and welcome to our little community

kaa gives some good advice above but point six isnt quite true

the regs apply just the same to diy as a company installed system ie

16th edition wiring regs

building control regs

noise control regs etc

there may be plenty more than that but the fact you are unaware doesnt negate the need to comply with them - there are several threads on the site which will point some more of them out to you and it is good advise to familiarise yourself with them before starting the job

be careful out there

angus

Well the reason I am looking at doing it myself is because I got a quote today for

i would like to retract the advice i gave in no 6, it is not 100% correct. for which i apologise. no hidding, just bad advice. please look into and follow all relevant regulations.