Unpopular opinion: Battery backup units are way overrated for residential installs

Last month I put in a full alarm system for a house in Phoenix and skipped the battery backup because the client was on a budget. I figured it was fine since they had reliable power and a cell system. Three days later a transformer blew in their neighborhood, power was out for just four hours, and their panel went completely dead. No alarm, no monitoring, nothing. The homeowner called me furious and I had to go back and add a backup battery for free. I learned the hard way that a cheap battery is worth the cost even if you think the grid is stable. Has anyone else had a similar situation where not adding a backup caused a major headache?

3 comments

3 Comments

eva_adams6827d ago

Whoa, honestly that story is a total wake-up call, I never thought about it like that before.

jenkins.reese27d ago

Yeah I used to think battery backups were just extra cost too, but after reading this I see how one screwup can totally mess up a whole install. You changed my mind on that one for sure.

king.aaron15d ago

Ha, trust me I learned that the hard way and fried a board that cost more than my first car.