How do I disconnect the wires for home alarm located in AC outlet?
My system is not monitored. I reside in a townhome, built 2018. I called the company and she instructed me to disconnect the backup battery. Done.
Then she stated to locate AC and disconnect wires. There is an AC plug next to the panel in my master closet. I've removed the AC cover, but not sure which wires to disconnect.
My alarm will go off, stating battery trouble, here in about 10 minutes.
Close your outlet box. You don't need to be in there. It's dangerous.
Disconnect "1". Fold the wire back and twist it over itself so the end remains far from the circuit board. This, and the disconnected battery, will shut the system up. This is not dangerous.
Then, trace "2". The other end will be at a power pack plugged in to a wall outlet, not inside the wall outlet. Find the other end and unplug it. It shouldn't be far from this alarm panel, but it may be in another room adjacent to, above or below it. To find it, start by just looking for a power pack plugged into a wall outlet with a red wire attached. You should be able to find it just by walking around. If not, try tugging on "2" and you may be able to hear or feel which way it goes.
The thing you're looking for might look like this (not for sure):
Typically the panel opens to reveal the alarm system motherboard, a bunch of wires running to sensors, and a backup battery. The power supply is usually a plug-in transformer at low voltage (16VAC is typical) and the battery is generally a black plastic rectangular item at 12 VDC. The battery can be disconnected by pulling the connectors off the terminals, in almost all cases.
You can either replace the battery or just disconnect it if you don't want any of the alarm functions. If the sensors include smoke detectors and/or carbon monoxide detectors, you may want to replace the battery so those will continue to work, even if you don't want or use the security (break in - window/door and/or motion sensors) functions.
If you can't find the transformer itself, normally plugged in nearby, sometimes secured to the outlet with a screw to prevent inadvertent disconnection, you can identify the power supply wires at the motherboard and disconnect one, isolating it with a wirenut. As it's only 16V or so and power-limited, it's not hazardous to disconnect it live if it's difficult to find the transformer powering it.
Since there's no sign of the alarm transformer at the outlet near the alarm panel, it's presumably elsewhere. They are almost always plugged in. But you can simply disconnect the red wire on the left and isolate it, at least until you find that.
"Alarm people" (like most "network people" and "phone people") only deal with low voltage. For liability and licensing reasons they are not going to wire up directly to an AC line like to the receptacles in your picture.
That leaves two likely possibilities:
A plug-in power supply which converts 120V AC to low-voltage AC or DC. That is by far the most common in my experience, because it allows the alarm company to replace the power supply very quickly if needed - unplug from receptacle, move two wires to the new power supply, plug it in.
A transformer similar to those used for thermostats and doorbells (and now for door cameras). This is a much more permanent style of installation. It is typically done by installing the transformer into a knockout on the side of a metal junction box in an area where access to the wires is easy.
Extremely common for thermostats because they are normally installed (initially at least) by HVAC people who have to deal with 120V anyway so an extra junction box with permanent wiring is no big deal.
Extremely common for doorbells because doorbells normally sit for many years, are often installed as part of the initial build (as with HVAC/thermostats) and cheap plug-in wall warts were not as common many, many years ago and not as reliable as a simple 120V -> 16V (or whatever) transformer.
Less common for alarms because the alarm people (a) are normally adding an entirely new system - most houses aren't built wired for alarms like they are for HVAC or doorbells, and (b) they are not normally trained/licensed to work with 120V AC, and installing a transformer on a junction box is technically outside their capabilities, and (c) they are often working entirely in finished areas where a plug-in power supply will look much better than a transformer on the front of a box and a transformer on the side of a box only works in unfinished areas because it has to be accessible.
So there is a small possibility that if you trace out the power wires you will find a transformer hidden away. More likely is that you will find a plug-in power supply in an unexpected place. Either way, disconnect it and you are done. But do not simply disconnect at the alarm panel because then you are leaving a power source running with nothing attached, which is a potential hazard.
