A home alarm system can provide security and piece of mind for you and your family. But, should you ever choose to remove the alarm system, you might be in for a big project depending upon just how far you want to go. Many alarm system components are unobtrusive and may be better left in place than removed. Some pieces however can be bothersome. Removing them is generally just a matter of undoing the hanging mechanisms.
Step 1
Determine what components of the alarm system made be left in place. If the pieces are not in the way of other things and do not create visual problems, leaving them alone is preferable. Once the "main" parts are removed, there is no downside to leaving the remaining pieces in place if they are not in the way.
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Step 2
Notify the alarm monitoring company (if there is one) prior to disconnecting the alarm. Otherwise, it is likely that the police will respond to your home.
Step 3
Disable the alarm via the control panel. If there is a maintenance mode, put the alarm in maintenance mode.
Step 4
Disconnect power to the alarm and siren or horn at the circuit box. It is very important--in order to prevent electrical shock or even death--to use the multimeter or other testor to ensure that power is not flowing to alarm parts prior to attempting to handle or disconnect them.
Step 5
Disconnect the power to the siren or horn. Removing alarm system components may trigger the alarm due to tamper resistance measures. Disconnecting the siren or horn first will prevent false alarms.
Step 6
Examine the main alarm box. Generally, this is near one of the entrances. Determine if it is powered via battery or electrical wiring. Most electrically wired systems have a battery backup in case of power failure, so the presence of a battery does not mean that the system is battery-powered.
Step 7
If the main alarm box is powered via battery, disconnect the battery first if possible. Then, remove any screws or nails holding the alarm box on the wall. If the box is adhered via a type of glue, it will be necessary to pry the box from the wall.
Step 8
Repeat the steps above for all other alarm control panels.
Step 9
After all alarm control panels have been disconnected and removed, remove the remaining components such as opening detectors, motion detectors and glass break detectors via unscrewing or pulling nails. Many detectors will be attached with adhesive. They can be removed by prying.
Step 10
Only remove wiring if absolutely necessary.
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