When’s the last time you replaced your commercial fire alarm batteries? Did you know that the average life of commercial fire alarm batteries is 5 years? After that, they’re pretty much useless.
Timeframe
Battery backups in fire alarm systems need to be replaced within 5 years from the date of manufacture. Keep in mind that batteries wear down over time, so if a battery in your alarm is nearing 5-years-old, it has reduced capacity. In other words, it’s not as strong as it once was.
Better to Be Proactive than Reactive
Rather than wait 5 years, it’s best to replace your commercial fire alarm batteries after 3 or 4 years. Why is this so? Well, batteries have a stamped date code, right? Service companies usually pay attention to the date of installation rather than the date of manufacture. Did you know that after they’re manufactured, batteries are usually installed a month or two later… Therefore, if you wait 5 years to replace the battery, you’re probably actually replacing it at 5 years and 2 months. Long story short, it’s just easier to replace batteries after 3 or 4 years instead of waiting until “the very last minute” of when they should “still be good.” This way, batteries get replaced before they “go bad.”
It’s a good idea to test batteries under load. When testing battery capacity, if a particular battery is only at 50%, it should be replaced. Even if it’s at 70% it’s still a good idea to replace it.
Life Safety Consultants has Simplex fire alarm replacement batteries for sale here. Life Safety also carries replacement batteries for other major fire alarm systems. If you know the manufacturer’s part number you’re seeking, email us at sales@lifesafetycom.com so we can help you find the battery you need. We also carry a variety of commercial fire alarm parts and sensors.
If you have any questions about fire alarm system batteries, please call Life Safety Consultants at 1-888-557-0558.
