Odyssey Bell Box

[iandiy]

Hello, this is my first post.

I have almost reached the final stage of installing my system based on a Scantronic 9853 wired to 12 zones (FSL) and a pair of Texecom bell boxes. Most detectors are magnetic contacts (5) but I have five shock detectors on vulnerable door frames and two break glass detectors. (No PIR's due to pets)

This installation has taken over three years (!) whilst the house was heavily rebuilt and rewired and the panel and bell boxes have sat packed in boxes until now. Wiring has been run for ages and only now tested and terminated as I go round fitting my detectors and panel now that final decorating is done.

Whilst getting ready with the ladders today I was looking at the bell boxes, it strikes me that the ni-cad battery packs have sat discharged/partially charged all this time and I wonder if they can be trusted or should they be replaced out of hand to avoid causing problematical faults.

Thanks

Ian

[MrHappy]

no idea TBH, I'd replace the whole box rather then chance it

[9651]

Fit them, have them powered for a week or so, then remove power to them, they should sound. Be worth noting however if installing two, one should be SAB and one SCB ...........

The unit which uses the battery for sound might not work properly until fully charged.

Study the manual carefully regarding the tampers on them, not as straightforward as it may seem

[iandiy]

Thank you. i'll fit them and test after a week or so. I imagine that we are looking to see if they hold sufficient charge to run the piezo sounder for the set time (20 mins) without going flat

Do these Ni Cad packs generally get treated as service replacement parts after a certain amount of time or do you simply work on the idea that if they are constantly fully charged, they remain ok as long as they hold a charge whenever the power supply is taken away as a functional test every year?

I imagine that if they do fail, you probably wouldn't know until the SAB failed to activate, but the SCB would still run off the panel.

[DaveDesign]

I don't know your particular bell box but i would assume they would be fine. If they are new there will be battery link which will not be connected, so really not much different sitting in your house to sitting in a warehouse. As for three years, im sure they don't have a shelf life.

Dave.