Pulled a 12-year-old system out of a house in Phoenix and the date code shocked me

I was swapping out an old DSC panel last week for a client over near Glendale. When I pulled it off the wall the serial number had a manufacturing date of 2011. That thing was still working perfectly with zero false alarms. I had no idea these basic panels could last that long without a single hiccup. Has anyone else seen these old units just refuse to die?

3 comments

3 Comments

laura_chen415d ago

Honestly, I'm not surprised at all. I found a 2008 unit in a rental property that was still running like it was brand new, no issues at all. Those older DSC panels were built like tanks, they just don't make them that tough anymore.

sean_green445d ago

Yeah those old DSC panels are rock solid. If you ever need to replace a battery in one just be careful with the terminal screws, they strip out easy. I always use a tiny bit of dielectric grease on the contacts to keep corrosion away. Also check the backup battery date code, if it's more than 3 years old swap it out even if it still tests good. Saves you from a false alarm call later.

park.miles5d ago

Rock solid" is the perfect way to describe those DSC panels. Did you run into any issues with the keypads on the older ones, like the LCD screens getting dim over time? I've seen a few where the display gets hard to read in low light but the panel itself still works fine.