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Panel battery swap vs. full board replace, took the cheap route on a 70 year old house
Went to swap a dead backup battery on a DSC panel in a 1940s row home last Tuesday and the terminals were so corroded the board traces were peeling. I had maybe $30 worth of parts for the battery and a $140 board on the van, but the owner just wanted it working before their inspection Friday. I cleaned the terminals with baking soda paste, replaced the battery, and it held up through the weekend, but now I'm wondering if that fix is just a ticking clock. Any of you ever walk away from a patch job like that and actually feel good about it later?
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rose_young1mo ago
That battery will probably outlast the panel anyway, those old boards are tougher than people think.
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paul_morgan1mo ago
That baking soda paste trick reminds me of a 1985 Interlogix panel I swore was dead back in 2017, owner refused a swap and I walked away mad. Six years later I got called back for a different issue and that same board was still humming along, just with a new battery every couple years. I used to think any trace corrosion meant the board was a goner, but your post and that old panel really flipped my thinking. Those boards are built like tanks, the real weak spot is usually the battery and the contacts, not the silicon underneath. So long as you scrape down to clean copper and hit it with some dielectric grease, that patch will likely outlast the homeowner's patience with that house. I'll still recommend a board swap to clients, but I'm way less pushy about it now.
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