Burglar alarm problem

Our alarm has taken to sounding with a 'Panic' notification from time-to-time despite there being no panic button installed. It has also alarmed with both zones indicated without any apparent reason: the last time it did this it took a long time for it to settle once the exit door had been closed, but I waited and it did settle.

The panel is a Scantronic 9448 and the only change has been the recent replacement of the bell box with a Honeywell AG6 sounder and strobe (the panel wasn't originally wired with a strobe output so, as the instructions suggest, 'ST-' was linked to' SW-').

Anyone got any thoughts on what might be going on? I don't want to upset the neighbours with false alarms.

Reply to
F
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If you have any wireless sensors some alarms have a tendency to go off if the battery dies while the system is armed.

Richard

Reply to
Tricky Dicky

Anyone?

How can a panel go into panic mode when neither a panic circuit or button has been installed?

Could the 'ST-' to 'SW-' link be unsettling things?

Reply to
F

When was the battery in the panel last changed? They may only last a couple to three years before they cannot hold a charge properly. The battery is meant to instantly cut in when you get a power cut or a small glitch on the mains but when it cannot hold the charge a mains glitch will set off the alarm.

When you measure the 2/3 year old battery terminal voltage in an alarm panel it may still indicate a nominal 12V but this doesn't mean that it can supply enough current the instant the panel switches from mains to battery supply.

Try testing by removing the mains supply to your alarm box (turn off the whole house supply) and see if the alarm triggers - it shouldn't if the battery is OK.

A replacement battery will probably have push on spade terminals and cost £10/15.

Reply to
alan_m

Thanks, but it's all hard wired.

Reply to
F

Thanks, I'll give it a try: it looks as though the battery is coming up to eight years old. The panel is on it's own spur so I can isolate it by flicking just that switch.

Reply to
F

You are living on borrowed time. :) At 8 years you should be on the second or third battery.

Don't forget that when you take off the cover from the panel you will trigger the anti tamper spring loaded switch and the alarm will sound. Even if you turn off the mains and remove the battery in the panel the bell box will/may then sense a total loss of power and sound off. If the bell box doesn't sound off perhaps its own rechargeable battery has failed - that it usually a soldered in battery (a battery with solder tags).

Reply to
alan_m

That connection will not unsettle things.

However I do believe the bell tamper circuit on a 9448 causes a panic mode alarm.

Link the TR to 0V in the control panel and see if that cures the problem.

Reply to
ARW

Don't be silly. A decent quality SLA in float mode will last much more than 3 years. Unless the charger is very poor indeed.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I'll do that, thanks.

Reply to
F

I finally got a round tuit, put a link in, and it panicked five minutes later. Does it need to be left for voltages and whatever to settle? Or do I remove the link?

Reply to
F

What lights light up on your keypad when the alarm sounds?

Reply to
ARW

Day and Panic.

Reply to
F

OK. How old is the alarm panel. It might be older than the manuals I have access to. Is it a separate keypad or is the keypad part of the main panel?

Leave the link in that you have already installed (for now) and fit a new link between the A/T terminals.

If you were to upload a photo of the inside of your panel as you do this then I can at least work what mark your panel is.

Cheers

Reply to
ARW

Thanks Adam.

The panel is probably turn of the century or older: the manual's part number is dated January 1992 and I was emailing Scantronic about it in

2003! Images at
formatting link

And around 15 minutes after I had closed the panel after taking the images the external sounder went off (nothing internally) with the Day and Panic LEDs lit on the panel. This matches what happened after I installed the link you suggested: close the panel and it will panic shortly after.

Reply to
F

I am going to ask an alarm installer in the morning.

Reply to
ARW

Thanks: appreciated!

Reply to
F

To add to this: the panel has panicked for a seemingly random reason just now. The panel had not been opened and nothing else linked to the alarm system had happened.

Odd, and a little worrying if it's going to sound while we're out for the day, or longer!

Reply to
F

:)

Reply to
www.GymRatZ.co.uk

I spoke to him today. He said that alarm will be between 20 years old or older than him:-).

The only suggestion he can make is a factory reset. If that fails replace it. He says a new 9448+ (7 zones) is about £30 (plus the VAT) covers the same surface area and uses the same mounting holes.

Sorry that is the best he could offer. He is a bloody good alarm engineer, an ex neighbour and sometimes, like today, someone I work with (our firm uses his firm sometimes for alarm installations).

Best of luck with it.

Reply to
ARW

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