How to Remove a Home Alarm System | Remove Any Wired Alarm

[@MarionBuckley-z2i]

Thanks, DIY Guy! Your video showed this 79-year-old female handy person how to remove an old ADT system that was out of service but still beeping inside the house every time the power went out.

[@andrewh2725]

Thank you for making this "How to". I canceled my security alarm provider years ago and never gave it a second thought of it still drawing power - DUH! After watching your video, I was confident in removing all the electronics and all of the wiring that I could reach. But the most satisfying fact is that I'm no longer paying for unused electricity 😊

[@LydieBaillie]

The previous owner had an adt alarm system installed over 20 years ago. No longer paid after the first year, but still displaying a nice collection of outdoor signs and window stickers for sure. Cameras and motion detectors in every bedroom, bath, window and door of my house ??? No thanks. Your video helped me finish the removal job started the day I took possession. If I thought I needed a self surveillance monitoring system, I would certainly not have purchased. Over 95% of alarms received by the police in this area are false alarms. In a letter I just received, they are now requiring registering the home alarm system and payment of an annual fee for the service provided by local law enforcement. One more good reason to remove it. Thanks for sharing.

[@neilmckie2768]

I'm an avid DIYer (fairly advanced due to practice and KZbin), and I have to say you never disappoint. I've used so many of your methods in various projects throughout my home(s) during the past few years. Just moved into a new home with an old defunct alarm system, and joy - when I did a google search and you popped up giving a full demo - you're a bloody legend, mate. Thanks for all of the tips, hints and tutorials - keep 'em coming!

[@rachaelcollie8637]

Thanks!

[@asims1988]

I was about to hire someone, but now I'm confident I can remove the system myself. Thank you!

[@TheDIYGuy1]

You can do it!

[@5mmFilms]

Thank you!! After years of a faulty system going off at all hours I finally got the courage and disconnected the mess after watching your tutorial!

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Glad it helped

[@gillianhughes7269]

Thanks

[@chrisclose7793]

great video ,i just installed a hard wired alarm on mine and my wifes house and absolutely easy to install but removed a wireless system as it was being temperamental by going off at silly times of the night but thanks to this video it gave me good idea on how to remove a alarm system without upsetting my neighbours even more

[@TheDIYGuy1]

👍

[@ghourizzz]

Thank you very much bud for this video, my alarm went off 12 o clock at night, it was a nightmare well luckily I found your video which really sorted the problem out cheers bud.

[@harrybroughton4999]

Great video. I think one thing common on many systems too is a backup battery located in the bellbox on the outside of the house. Once you remove the main control box and disconnect the mains and the big battery, there's a chance this bellbox battery will sound the siren infinitely until it dies out or until you go up to the outside bellbox and remove it.

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Your correct. I was lucky that mine was dead

[@harrybroughton4999]

@@TheDIYGuy1 yes. The bellbox battery can be a bit of a nightmare. This scenario is what's responsible for the chorus of alarms you here when there is a power cut in the neighborhood. The main panel battery will be dead, automatically triggering the tamper on the bellbox which will use it's own battery. Thus the homeowners have no way of disabling it until the power comes back. You're definitely lucky as these bellbox batteries tend to outlive the panel battery by a good 5-10 years or more!

[@MxWoody]

Depending on how old it is. The bellbox will only ring for 15-20 mins due to the noise pollution act.

[@geoffhardy3420]

Yo , i just subscribed for the intro! Lovely

[@jhanawa]

Thank you so much! I was afraid to remove. Previous owner installed and we had no idea how to use it and half the sensors are down already! Today’s project will be so much easier! Thank you.

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Glad it helped!

[@kaos1189]

Legend!!! Very helpful, will now tackle my old house security system, before installing a new smart one.

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Glad it helped!

[@DanRichter]

I accidentally tried ripping the corner sensor off my wall, not really sure what it was, only to find all these wires coming out of it going into the wall. This video made me aware of all this other crap I had no idea about, now I have to go find those before trying to rip these wires out

[@jridout83]

This is so helpful, i have been putting this job off for months but now feel as though i can get it done, thanks

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Go for it 😃

[@carlrobson5745]

In an ideal world the panel should be put in engineer mode this will enable you to remove any cover without causing the alarm to go off.Then disconnect the mains supply cutting the power to an old panel could set the panel off due to the battery not being replaced during the life of the system especially if the panel is located in the loft as lead acid batteries are not a fan of extreme heat and cold this is why during a power cut you will often here a alarm going off, In the past when i have replaced panels i put the panel in engineer mode then start with disconnecting the siren first as these also have a battery backup in them then remove the power from the panel,never the less a good guide. there are manuals on how to reset the panel back to default mode if codes have been changed from memory default on a sterling 10 is function button 09999 to enter engineer mode function 009999 to exit installed a few of these back in the day

[@VivekSingh-cq5rt]

This is what I was looking for .Thanks

[@lifeempowered392]

Thank you for the step by step of shutting down the alarm, battery first (very important) power wire second and it worked in a five story building.

[@TheDIYGuy1]

👍

[@TheCircus009]

Thanks very much for the video. I tackled this job today and all went without a hitch!

[@gavinsinclair1292]

Thanks for the great video, one question, do you follow the same steps for hard wired smoke alarms?

[@scott0518]

Good video. Just bought a house and I'm going to remove the system tomorrow.

[@TheDIYGuy1]

You can do it!

[@TheRCBiker]

What a shame.... cabling all in place for a secure and reliable home security system - much better than any wireless stuff you can get. Nicely put together video though.

[@collectiveworship866]

My thoughts too

[@twinturbo5212]

I think wired systema are old hat now with the ability to stream camera footage and get notified immediately by phone etc, all an alarm system does is notify and annoy my neighbours, while im blissfully ignorant about the situation.

[@alarmmuseum]

@@twinturbo5212wired systems are certainly not outdated. Sure they are more expensive and complicated. They’re more for the professional side and would be used in commercial and industrial settings however using them in a domestic setting is still a popular choice. Another option is a hybrid system. These combine wired and wireless devices. Nowadays, wired alarms can also be controlled and monitored through a phone.

[@kellyhall9762]

Thank you for doing this video!!! Easy solution to locate the problem in our system.

[@TheDIYGuy1]

👍

[@VBottasG]

Thanks! Bought a new apartment and previous owner had forgotten the passcode to disable it. The process doesnt really look that hard and I assume there's no outdoors speaker as its inside a building. Will post any advancements tho

[@gonzaaa_t]

very helpfull!, thanks a lot👍

[@robertjohnstone5869]

Excellent video again, thanks for taking the time. I've been wondering how to remove my old alarm system and had resigned myself to calling someone out. This helps tremendously and I now think I can tackle it myself. Also, that looks like a mains wired door bell in the video. Would love to see how to remove that, as I have one that needs to go.

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Thanks, give it a go 👍

[@maxxo5534]

depends on the circumstances, normally i just power it down and leave the components in place if they want it removed then i just push the cables back into the holes, but leave them in place running to the panel etc, incase another alarm gets installed in the future most the time when i've been asked to disable an alarm, and spoke to them they want it disabling due to not working, and a lot of the time they're happy for me to get it working as they're an essential home security device

[@meowoofamily]

Thanks for sharing the video! I have a KPS system and I couldn’t find any panels in the attic. Is this possible that there isn’t? If not, where do you think I’ll be able to find it. KPS isn’t really helpful…

[@clydegibson2850]

Excellent video

[@rackoking]

Brilliant video just what I needed as my alarm goes off in power cut and drives my neighbours mad

[@ken.emmerson]

If you remove the control box, key pad, door contacts and pirs can you leave the siren box alone as it is high up. Would it make any noise is that disconnected state?

[@anthonyclark2217]

Thanks for this. Very useful. Does the outdoor siren not have its own back up battery?

[@Seb512]

A lot of the newer ones do, but systems older than 20 years don't

[@samchow10]

is there any thing to consider with smoke/fire alarms that might be hooked to the security system?

[@kassifhussain6781]

What if you have no fuse spur what do I do with the live wire?

[@Trinity-wear]

Brilliant!

[@Eyezontheprize]

Great video but can I just remove the fuse and leave the alarm as is?

[@rooba63]

Thanks for this. Saved me £££s. Luckily the battery in external box is about 20 years old so no problem. One question, when I remove the fused spur, would it be ok to replace it with a normal 3 pin plug socket? It would be handy to power a security camera. Thanks

[@zakyael_jazouli3868]

Cheers 👍🏼

[@glennng7022]

Thanks for your video, I try to follow it btut after remove the spare battery in Control box, the alarm start BIBIBIBI, I cannot stop it till I recontact the spare battery in the conrol box. How can disable the Bi sound before remove the spare battery?

[@factoryfresh9141]

Surely the alarm will still sound even if the mains and battery are disconnected, because there is a battery inside the bell box that is mentioned for this very reason?

[@karmatingz5797]

My house alarm was already in when I moved in over 10 years ago, I have only just today realise it is wired into the Bell fuse on the fuse board; I was trying to make some changes to my bell. So when I flicked the fuse into the off position, the alarm sounded. How and why did it do that if the power is off? How will I remove the alarm from the bell fuse.....surely they should not have connected it to that fuse in the first place, there are free points available...I don't get it! Please help if you can. Thanks. Great vid by the way, cheers.

[@petertaylor7476]

Very clear explanation, easy to follow

[@TheDIYGuy1]

👍

[@MargyLong]

Your videos are so helpful and easy to follow. Thanks

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Thanks. Glad you find them helpful

[@kzlorenz]

Great stuff mate. Thanks

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Your welcome

[@Jess-wb4ux]

My flat is really old. The breakers have no directions anywhere and when I turn electric off the alarm sounds really loud till I put electric back on and put code in 😢help!

[@renavan5465]

Great video. What if I want to disconnect just 2 of the wall sensors?

[@karlbambury4789]

Great video and it has given me the confidence to carry this out myself. One question I have is regarding the siren; is it mains powered or is the cable you mention, the 8 core that leads back to the alarm panel?

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Thanks. The siren cable leads back to the main control box in the loft. That is how it is powered.

[@Elliotgh2]

Did you put the outdoor siren on ebay... because i want it... the outdoor siren is called a pyronix bell-E

[@DjGiluk]

Useful video thanks, it’s something I need to get round to doing so this helps a lot

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Your welcome!

[@neverthedestination]

Spot on great video

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Thanks

[@lesbattersby8287]

Cheers thanks for your video helped me a lot

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Glad of that

[@MrAnalogue1]

Hi, I have been trying to decomm my scantronic 9448 but too scared to do myself. Thank you for sharing. I have read somewhere that there is another battery backup but it's inside the external sounder?

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Hi. Yes there most likely will be. In my video the external battery was dead so did not sound.

[@MrAnalogue1]

@@TheDIYGuy1 Thank you for your reply, much appreciated. Looks like I will have to get up the ladder and bash the battery. 😁

[@bombaypj81]

Hoping the next video is not another boundary system. What are your views on the wireless alarm system vs old school wired in alarm system?

[@TheDIYGuy1]

That depends on your requirements. If your fitting an alarm in an existing property where access to hard wiring is ALMOST impossible then wireless all the way. New build or renovation then wired.

[@hayabusa27]

Thank you man this helped me a lot

[@TheDIYGuy1]

👍

[@KDrop84]

I called adt and they said they don’t remove it and they hung up. I hate the stuff in my home

[@patharper5721]

Why is our accenta g4 still showing blank across the keypad after getting a new battery do you know

[@JanacMeena]

Whats that power stick u used to check the power?

[@TheDIYGuy1]

A voltpen by fluke.

[@andreasweetman8067]

No need to cap off wires you stuff back in the wall? When powers turned back on there’s no live wires anywhere?

[@TheDIYGuy1]

No, there is no power to these wires.

[@kateroberts2869]

@@TheDIYGuy1 I am removing a system and there is one wire that is still live (though likely low voltage). Why doesn't it need to be capped before putting back into the wall?

[@jamess6070]

Great video. Daft question I'm sure, but is there no risk when snipping the wires (pushing them into the cavity/wall/ceiling) that when you turn the CU back on they'll spark/touch one another?

[@TheDIYGuy1]

No risk at all as long as you disconnect the power as shown in the video.

[@MrNsentra]

@@TheDIYGuy1his question is for when you turn the power back on eventually duh

[@blueeyedsoulman]

Me bleeding attic is a crawler with blown in insulation. Nightmare of discomfort but thanks for the information. Mask please!

[@geniegenie2453]

Very helpful but no advice on the bell box outside - I cannot believe that doesn't have a battery backup.

[@Gambizoid]

How do you remove window sensors that are glued to the window frame?

[@NicFredPresents]

Moved into a new house, they told us the alarm was disabled… turned out it wasn’t. Managed to stop it but now definitely want to remove the system, just got to find the control box now. Do we need to remove the wiring too? Or will that ruin the walls and such?

[@TheDIYGuy1]

No you don't need to remove the wiring 👍

[@vincenzegreisingel2429]

Problem is the bell box on the front of the house has its own little battery. This is not controlled by the control box battery.

[@JamesNorton-b9d]

Awesome video, it really helped, thanks. Just one probably silly question, but my control box has the normal power cable but also one additional love wire (brown) coming in that I also had to cut. What do I need to do with this spare live wire now? Can I just cover the end with electrical tape or something? Thanks

[@thomasc6127]

This guy really pushed live wires back into the wall without doing anything to them 😂

[@TheDIYGuy1]

They aren’t live wires. Have a re think.

[@audreyrice3967]

I was looking forward to seeing how to remove the wires from the walls ! Oh well…..

[@Stevejohnstu]

There is so much missing info or possible different outcomes in the video

[@drpiratedna]

You just push the wires back into the wall? You don't cap them?

[@TheDIYGuy1]

Correct

[@ammej768]

If the alarm has an SAB module alarm bell), it will sound for hours on its internal battery . Mosf have this battery!! Hope you have ear defenders!!!!!

[@xmsre]

Don’t just cut your battery leads. And also most of the systems in the UK have a battery in the siren. This means if the AC and Battery voltage drops then the dummy will go off for a solid 20 minutes even when not connected to the panel. Awful stuff. Not a good idea to design them this way in my opinion as the most important part of any alarm system is ARC connection or in other words - monitored alarms.

[@tinabarr1156]

My alarm is connected to my phone I can’t find any other box besides my alarm control panel

[@Jess-wb4ux]

It’s simple if your breakers are clearly marked. If they are not and you have to cut the power to everything the alarm goes off straight away. It’s stressful. Got cats and it upsets them and me. Not a realistic video unfortunately

[@oli12399a]

perfectly fine alarm being ripped out!!! I'm telling you all you need is to do some maintenance and it would be perfect. any diy system won't be as good

[@wildrice8199]

There were like a dozen different tools required for this project that I don't have. Will have to call a TaskRabbit, oh well.

[@Syhedghog]

I installed my own alarm system, and did you know that even external sirens have their own backup battery which requires a "hold off" circuit most at 12-13v, even if both batteries were working how would you dismantle that system, without that external siren letting all the neighbours know that the house is being burgled

[@MxWoody]

It’s not possible to make a completely silent removal of the alarm. However when doing the panel you can take the panel battery and put the bell + & - onto that battery. Then go up to the bellbox remembering when you open the lid to then push the tamper spring to stop it making a noise. Remove the 12v and battery in the siren. Job done Also the siren will only ring for 15-20 minutes before it stops. As it has to for noise pollution regulations. I’m a professional Security Engineer so any questions isn’t a problem.

[@oli12399a]

This would of been a better system than any cheap wireless alarm

[@lifeempowered392]

unfortunately most techs wont share with you the simplicity of the steps. All I ever got was I dont know.

[@nrg-5003]

It's not that simple I'm afraid, what good is an alarm system if the bad guys can just switch it off at the panel? What's going to happen is the bellbox outside will sound and you won't be able to stop it unless you have ladders, if you are lucky it will stop after 20 minutes but may go off again or worst case if its an older box it may sound indefinitely! It's much easier to just change the battery in the panel at least that will keep the system happy even if you don't intend on using it. The other complication is it may be under contract such as ADT.

[@davidhawkins1404]

I have been in the alarm industry for 30 years and to cut off good hard wiring is just vandalism. If anyone ever tells you that a wireless system is superior to a well fitted hard wired system they are lying to you. Having to regularly replace batteries in every single wireless item is a pain in itself let alone the potential issues with radio interference. Wireless systems can be a good solution in some cases, but if you have decent hard wiring you are far better off staying away from wireless. I have no doubt that the "replacement" system will be a wireless type and that the channel will be getting sponsored to promote it.

[@bigmoney4685]

Why would you want to remove an alarm system. Update it and use it.

[@stuartbrooks5734]

sorry mate but your information is inaccurate if your bell box/siren has battery back up it will sound until the battery in the bell box is exhausted

[@collectiveworship866]

Why remove?

[@alpachino468]

Why would someone opt to fully remove their house alarm and not replace it?