The setup: my house has multiple wired contact sensors in the kitchen - one on each window and one on the door. I did not install them. I also don’t recall the device that is used to connect them wirelessly to my 2gig GC2 panel - maybe a takeover module - to a single zone. So when one of them is opened, the panel reports the zone is opened.
The problem: one of the wired sensors is starting to flake out. Sometimes when there is a lightning strike, the “zone” reports “opened” just briefly.
Any tips on troubleshooting this? Meaning identifying exactly which wired contact is incorrectly being reported as opened, or how to test a contact besides just opening/closing the window/door and checking the panel.
How hard would it be to remove the sensors? If you can remove them try removing just one and connect the wires going into it with an alligator clip or something. That bypasses the sensor and you can test just the other two. If they work perfectly then the one you removed is the bad one. If they don’t work then try removing another one and do the test again.
I have not tried. I will see if it can be removed.
I did notice with a couple of windows (and this is not consistent), sometimes when I open/close the window, it stays “open” on the panel. I don’t know if that’s just normal behavior that can happen randomly, or if it suggests something might be wrong with the sensor, or maybe even the magnet has slipped out of position. I’ll keep testing those.
I’m wondering: if the magnet has slipped out of position so the connection is “weaker”, would that make the sensor more likely to trip accidentally? Is the accidental tripping related to lightning, or is it more likely thunder shaking the window?
False triggers are unlikely related to lightening. If the magnetic gap between the sensor and the magnet is at its limit, vibrations could potentially cause the magnet and sensor to slip out of alignment and trigger.
Overtime its possible for sensors/magnets to become loose or misaligned which can cause false triggers.
If you think that’s the issue you can just look at how close the magnet is to the sensor when the window is closed. You can test it by holding another magnet right next to the sensor.
I’ve tested some of the windows and found one where you open it, and the panel reports open, but then close it, and the panel does not report closed. Then if I open/close the window several times, eventually it reports closed.
I will pursue the idea that the magnet has drifted and therefore is barely connecting with the sensor.
