Lightning Damage and Prevention / How it affects your Security Devices

Hi All

I am often asked about methods to protect security devices from lightning. This is most usually after a customer has had to replace a lot of costly equipment due to lightning damage.

In Johannesburg lightning damage is very common for about 6 months of year but we end up dealing with the results all year round.

In summary, there are usually two ways that we can protect buildings from lightning:

1) Electrical Surge Protectors

2) Structural Lightning Grounding Network

The first - surge protection is the most common and affordable type we use in our houses. Often rated for smaller surges, they are effective at stopping smaller irregularities in the mains supply. They are however very rarely very effective at close lightning strikes. They are however, affordable and are all that is usually required to prove to insurance companies that we have done everything we can to protect our equipment.

The second, is more unusual and more expensive. Grounding is common in our homes. It is used to ground our electrical supplies and plumbing. However, lightning protection grounding is a network of conductive cables linked to strike termination rods and globes. They are more common in large installations but are not often seen in residences.

I will in some later posts discuss these options and how effective  they can be.

Cheers

Keeping your Home safe in South Africa - What to invest in first ? - 1

Hi All

A question I am often asked is "Whats security system should I invest in first?". The question is valid since many South Africans want their limited security budget to go as far as possible.

Although the answer is obviously slightly different for every person, there are a few pointers that can be followed in making a decision.

1) Even a cheaper alarm, installed properly with good cabling and conduits will give you an excellent result. An expensive alarm installed badly will still not be of much use. If you are limited by budget, choose a small but effective alarm system instead of a big complicated one. However, ensure good quality cabling (not alarm ripcord) is used.

2) A cheap electric fence WILL NOT last. Affordable is fine but cheap materials will result in a poor installation and the fence will likely be inoperable within a short space of time. My advice is to sometimes avoid installing a fence if you are going to do it badly.

3) Cheap CCTV is usually a waste of money and time. Simple DIY kits or cheap eastern vanilla products do not last and provide very poor resolution. The only benefit is showing that someone or something is there but it will not provide very useful data.

4) Consider the maintenance issues of the systems you are installing. Remember that every layer of complication adds to the potential failures and maintenance you will incur. Try think of simple elegant design and simplification to ensure the systems you choose will serve you well for many years.

I will discuss these issues further, I hope the above are useful!

Sean

How to Invest in Home or Business Security - New Construction 2

Following from my earlier post, here are some pretty reliable rules to follow when planning for the security installations in your new house.

1. Your electrician should not under any circumstances be solely responsible for planning or installing your security. While many electricians may have experience in these systems, they are almost universally under-equipped or trained. In some smaller towns this is unavoidable as your electrician is often a jack-of-all-trades. However, in bigger cities there is no reason to take this shortcut.                                                                                                                                                
2. Budget appropriately before-hand. Too often, security specialists are asked to perform wonders with what little (if any) budget remains. The cost of effective security should be a major line item in any new construction. Ensure that you have met, consulted with and appointed a contractor while still in the planning phase. It is vastly cheaper to pay for a consultation than to fix up the mess caused by poor planning afterwards.                                                                                 
3. Ensure that your plans include details such as the location of intercom handsets, alarm panels and other security devices and peripherals. It does not need to be drawn up in auto cad (or other architectural software) but a set of plans should be marked up by hand (at least) to show where all devices are going to be placed. You should personally perform this with your security specialist so he can advise what will be possible.                                                                              
4. Do not assume that your engineer, architect, electrician or building contractor necessarily knows enough to advise you fully on budgeting for or choosing security options.                        

In future posts, I will discuss these points in depth and illustrate some examples.

Keep Safe!         

How to Invest in Home or Business Security - New Construction 1

One of the most common issues we encounter when advising a new customer, is which security systems should take priority on a limited budget. Every customer is different and choosing which systems require priority can sometimes be a personal and individual decision. There are however some really important pointers that should always be considered.

In the next few posts, I will discuss some of the considerations for new homes or business premises which are being built from scratch. It is extremely common for security automation specialists to be called in during the final stages of construction and often when the entire structure is complete. Often consumers are not aware of the cabling, electrical and planning requirements that may be needed.

Unless the architect or contractor is extremely well briefed or experienced in these systems, they are likely to miss numerous opportunities to plan for the best possible systems and installation.

In the next post, I will list a couple of rules to follow when planning the security in your new house or business.

Welcome to Security Automation in South Africa - I hope you can learn something !

Staying safe in South Africa in no simple issue. The purpose of this blog is not to scare or promote afro-pessimism. It is a simple look at safety and security issues affecting everyday South Africans. The perspective of this blog is to look specifically at security technology, professional as well as DIY for homeowners, installers, advisers and people who are considering entering the industry. I am certainly not the best or the most qualified security automation professional out there. However, I am one of the very few with several degrees in people movement and management, ergonomics, consumer psychology, change management. I will try bring this perspective to the ideas I present here.