An Alarming Affair!

[davidk65]

I am contemplating having double glazing installed. We have a burglar alarm system which has been here since we moved in 24 years ago. All the opening windows have reed switches and magnets which are all surface mounted. However the switches on the external doors the frames have been drilled and are flush fitting.
The potential installer has advised me that the new upvc frames cannot be drilled and everything must be surface mounted.
I think that I am capable of obtain new switches and fitting them and them sticking them to the appropriate frames. But, is this to simplistic an approach and is there something I should be aware of before commencing?
Incidentally, the old adage of not accepting the first quote is still true. The first company on their first visit went from £8500 to £7600 (for the order tonight Sir). I showed him the door. I am now looking at two quotes, different companies, for £4,200 and £4,800.

[dasherman]

Sorry I don't know much about alarms, but I too had double glazing fitted a few years ago(3 bed-semi). One dodgy bloke first quote me £7400 then slowly reduced it to £4400 with supposed offers. The firm I finally went with charged £2400 and did a great job.

[The Builder]

I guess this is all that's needed............

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TS012.html

The only problem I can see is that they would be fitted to the outside of the door (assuming door opens inward). I would imagine it would be only too easy for them to be tampered with.
I've had a quick Google, but I haven't yet come up with anything for the inside of uPVC doors.

You'd think the door manufacturers would have addressed this problem by now. Sorry that I have little experience of alarm systems.

As for the salesmen. They're in a little world of their own aren't they? Keep playing them off against each other.

[ChuckFickens]

You just need sticky surface mount magnet switches, they only have to be positioned so they are together when the door is shut and seperate when the doors open, you can normally get away with putting them on the hinge side to make it look neater.

http://www.security.honeywell.com/hsc/products/sensor/co/su/21750.html

[BRIGHT SPARK]

Could you not replace the reed switches in parts with P.I.R.detecters.This can only be done if you have 6 core cable installed and it may involve some simple re-working of the cables.

[davidk65]

This alarm situation is a puzzle. I have looked at the use of PIR's and thought that was the best idea. But then my wife (as they do) shot the idea down. Her point being, i) if the door and window contacts are removed, someone could break in (say via a bedroom window) and the alarm would not go off until the intruder went out of the door and passed a PIR. ii) With the current system, using door or window contacts, if we inadvertently left a window open when we came to set the alarm this "open window" would show up on the panel.
With regards to the above, it looks as if surface contacts are still the best way forward. The idea of using Honeywell self adhesive contacts is a good suggestion I will have to explore further.
Does anyone know, because of the small size of the connecting cables, the most effective way of making joints should I have to extend/renew some of the existing cables to the contacts?