Help with window alarms

May 18, 2018
11
Austin/TX
So, just as I was done (or so I thought) and had my final city inspection, I failed. I had armed the sliding glass door, but we have two windows that are under 48". So they too apparently need to be armed. The city inspector said the sensors needed to be 54" from the ground. The issue I have is this puts the sensors above where the top of the window is when closed. When I asked, he said I needed a reverse magnetic sensor. I've not found one (nor seen one)... Has anybody else had to deal with this? If so, how did you solve this problem?

-Wayne
 
Are you sure he didn't say "remote" magnetic sensor? Some door alarms have a wired magnetic sensor that allows you to (remotely) mount the control device (with the button) higher than the sensor. It's the button that needs to be 54" from the ground, not the sensor.

Do you happen to have the guidelines used by your municipality? Most door alarms are designed to sound the alarm when the door is left open for x-amount of seconds. You would never be able to keep your windows open if that's the case.
 
I've asked my pool company for them... I have to say, getting the City of Austin to inspect anything is a nightmare. It took 4 trips for the electrical inspector to pass us, the electrician and the city had a standoff because they city wanted more than their code required, and the electrician had a fight with them on it. The inspector and I had a nice chat, I found out what they were concerned about, installed a GFI that wasn't required myself, took photos, and the city was happy and passed the inspection. Now it's this... It might be remote sensor. To be honest, I talked to him about having the windows open and he said, we needed the sensors. He also told me he doesn't care if I remove them later, he just needs to see them so he can sign off on it. So, that's exactly what I'm going to do. The top of my sill is 53 and quarter, I'm going to temporarily raise that via a shim and double-stick tape. Then take them off. Seems like a waste of money, but it's small in the scheme of things and I just want this ordeal done with. The landscapers didn't finish last week, and when they left for the weekend, they had a nice slope from the crushed granite into the pool. We got nearly 6" of rain over the weekend and now what was my crystal clear pool is now a nice muddy red. Sheesh... Can't seem to catch a break on this one.
 
Are there other measures you could take instead? My windows have little screw-in (with Allan wrench) locs that only allow the window to be opened a few inches, which is enough for us.

Assuming you have small children, I’d be sure to have at least one or more layers of protection/security for them to not find their way into the pool. This could include a mesh pool fence, safety cover, or door locks/alarms.
 
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