Shortly to have some new doors ,how do the professionals deal with alarm contacts and switches ?? The magnets are currently let into the doors and surrounds, fitter says that will not do with plastic, and to get an alarm company, any advice ?? Thanks E
There will be problems 'letting' the contacts into the UPVc (and fixing them there), as the stuff is predominantly hollow with metal reinforcing in parts of the frame - the contacts and switches will have to be surface mounted.
Now as one who found out the 'hard way' [1] - it is far better and easier to get the alarm company who fitted the system into disable and dismantle that part of the system before the work starts and then refit the sensors etc after.
[1] When I had my rear window, door and frame replaced with plastic, I did the alarm work myself - and cocked up the door sensors somehow. That little episode cost me over £60 to resolve, as the maintenance contract I have with the alarm company wouldn't cover my interference with the system (quite rightly to).Cash
The magnets and pick-ups on ours were already a retro-fit, so sat proud (aka "surface mounted) at the bottom corner of the doors and the adjacent frames. Sounds hideous, but you'd scarcely notice them.
When the rotten wooden stuff was replaced with Upvc, I expected to call the alarm people to disable, and again to enable, the alarm.
But the Upvc fitters advised against. They easily removed sensors etc, and then fitted to new doors and frames.
The other tip (which we've also used during other major works) was - don't disable the alarm. If you accidently cut a wire, you'll know exactly what and where. But if alarm doesn't work when it's enabled, you've got quite a search to track down source of problem.
HTH
I had all the doors and windows delivered a couple of days before they were fitted (not by me). This enabled me to fit concealed contacts into the frames and tape wires around where they are inaccessible after fitting.
I used standard surface mount contacts/magnets, but trimmed them where necessary to fit in the gaps in the frames, and adjusted them so they don't alarm until the window is opened past the trickle vent position.
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