Sunday, August 2, 2009

CCTV Maintenance, Camera Systems Need Maintenance Too


By Cables that are not protected from the environmental conditions can become deteriorated. The insulation on the cables can crack and let in moisture. This moisture degrades the video signal produced by the camera. Multiplexers and recorders, especially video tape recorders must be cleaned and maintained. Should the heads on the video tape recorder become clogged with the iron oxide that is on the tape, there will be no images recorded on the tape to play back. Monitors must be cleaned and free from dirt and dust. The dirt and dust that accumulates on the monitor builds up heat inside of the monitor and reduces the lifespan of the monitor.

CCTV systems are like a machine. Each different part of the machine, cameras, housings, mounts, cables and connectors, multiplexer, recorder and monitor are all individual parts of a single machine. Should any one of the parts fail, the machine is broken and won't perform its intended job. The only way to insure that the machine will work correctly and perform the intended job is through CCTV maintenance.

Your car requires periodic preventative maintenance; you change the oil and filters. You follow the service recommendations in the owners' manual. This is periodic maintenance. The CCTV system needs periodic CCTV maintenance also. The mounts that the cameras and monitors are hung from need to be inspected to insure bolts are tight and the mount is safe. The camera housing needs to be inspected to insure that it is watertight. The fan for cooling the inside of the housing and the heater to heat the housing must be checked to make sure that they are working properly. A camera that becomes too hot or too cold will have a shorter lifespan than one that is kept in proper operating temperatures.

The video signal from cameras can be compromised if the cables that are exposed to the environment are not inspected periodically. The insulation on the cables can become cracked and broken allowing rain or moisture to enter the cable and change the characteristics of the cable. The head end equipment must be cleaned and the heads on the video tape recorders cleaned. Should the heads on the recorder become clogged there will be no video signal transferred to the tape and consequently the tape will be blank. Dust and dirt can cause vent holes to be clogged and cooling fans to overheat. This also leads to a shorter service life of the equipment.

The simplest way to have CCTV maintenance preformed is for the owner of the CCTV system sign a maintenance contract with the provider of the system. The existence of the maintenance contract will insure that if one of the components in the system fail (and like any machine CCTV systems do fail) the component will be replaced free of charge or with a nominal charge. The cost of replacing components is often far greater than the entire cost of the maintenance contract.

Choosing a CCTV maintenance contract is a valuable asset for the owner of the CCTV system. The cost of the maintenance contract is often far less than the cost of the replacement of the component that failed. With a CCTV maintenance contract in place the owner of the CCTV system can be certain that not only is his equipment being maintained but that the cost of replacement of a failed component is minimal.

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