I have a Honeywell 5800 pir set to 80lb pet immunity. I have a dog that is around 70lbs. He is not jumping on furniture. He walks in my bedroom and just lays down and sets off the alarm. This just started. He has not set off any other motion detector except my bedroom. I removed the battery and confirmed it is on the 80lb pet immune loop. Could this be a defective sensor?
Unexpected activity could always be a defective device, however it is very rarely so, and far more likely a product of other things.
Some considerations:
The weight limit is only a general estimate for dogs of that rough size. It is not a strict limit of weight. Lankier dogs will probably set off the sensor more readily than denser compact ones depending on the sensor model and the way the motion detector pulses are distributed. Even then, it is a matter of the heat signature of the animal.
The heat signature can be exaggerated by temperature changes. Lower surrounding ambient temps might make it a bit more sensitive to the animal.
It doesn’t look like this is related to a suretyDIY subscription so I cannot verify: When you say this just started, how long has the motion detector been installed? How high is it mounted? Is it mounted flat on the wall or angled?
I installed it about 6 months ago. It is mounted flat at 7.5 feet. For the first few months, this never happened. It has been very cold out recently but I keep the house at 68 degrees. He is a lankier dog, but at first he never set it off, then sometimes he set it off. Now it seems every time he walks in the door it goes off now.
Might be a good test to try mounting it 6 inches higher or so. That should spread out the detection pattern a little bit the higher it is mounted. Slightly angling the base upward off the wall will do the same.
Any change after a while of testing?
It is very difficult to say exactly what changed in order for the detector to go off more often, but it is unlikely the detector itself and more likely seasonal, etc.
I will try mounting it at 8 feet and let you know. What about the look down? is that also pet immune if I open it up and put the mirror in?
thanks,
No, the look down feature should not be used if you need pet immunity.
I moved it up 6inches. Slightly over 8 feet high. Used the flashlight to enroll walk test and I set off the light all over when I walked the room. Had my dog walk the room, get up, lay down, and never triggered the test light. So far so good.
Also I noticed, when I mounted, I used the bottom hole and the break away tab hole, but did not screw in top hole. Sensor was secure at bottom, but top of sensor was slightly off the wall, maybe an eighth of an inch. So it was probably angled down. This time I secured all mounting holes, and sensor is flush with wall.
Sensor was secure at bottom, but top of sensor was slightly off the wall, maybe an eighth of an inch. So it was probably angled down. This time I secured all mounting holes, and sensor is flush with wall
A little bit of angle can have a big effect on pet immunity, so this will probably help a lot.