Paulnthms Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Dear All, I have a Scantronic 9800 hardwired alarm system that functions perfectly. In the past 6 weeks or so it has developed a Strange beep/chirp coming from the Control Panel about every 40 seconds whether the alarm is set or not !! There are no warning codes showing on the keypad (the Control panel doesn't have a display) I have tested the Control Panel battery and it is in excellent condition (only 18 months old) Strangely when Mains power is removed and the battery is disconnected the chirping continues even though the two main sources of power have been removed. I thought that maybe the bell box might have a battery and that it might be the cause of the chirping ?? I have opened the bell box and there is no obvious make or model or easily accessible batteries - but there is a loose black wire !! (It may have come adrift when I opened it ? but all the others are intact). There are no obvious loose wires in the Control panel or any traces of blown bits etc. 1. Can anyone please explain to me where the chirping is coming from ? 2. Where the black wire goes ? I am attaching pictures of the bell box - I'd be very grateful for your opinions. Many thanks Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al-yeti Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 1 minute ago, Paulnthms said: Dear All, I have a Scantronic 9800 hardwired alarm system that functions perfectly. In the past 6 weeks or so it has developed a Strange beep/chirp coming from the Control Panel about every 40 seconds whether the alarm is set or not !! There are no warning codes showing on the keypad (the Control panel doesn't have a display) I have tested the Control Panel battery and it is in excellent condition (only 18 months old) Strangely when Mains power is removed and the battery is disconnected the chirping continues even though the two main sources of power have been removed. I thought that maybe the bell box might have a battery and that it might be the cause of the chirping ?? I have opened the bell box and there is no obvious make or model or easily accessible batteries - but there is a loose black wire !! (It may have come adrift when I opened it ? but all the others are intact). There are no obvious loose wires in the Control panel or any traces of blown bits etc. 1. Can anyone please explain to me where the chirping is coming from ? 2. Where the black wire goes ? I am attaching pictures of the bell box - I'd be very grateful for your opinions. Many thanks Paul Smoke alarm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 1 minute ago, al-yeti said: Smoke alarm? qfa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aissecur Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Birds nesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulnthms Posted May 8, 2021 Author Share Posted May 8, 2021 Dear Al Yeti - thank you for your response - I'm afraid there is no smoke alarm connected to the system, only two PIRs and 9 shock sensors - all of which work on the walk through test. Many thanks Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al-yeti Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 10 minutes ago, Paulnthms said: Dear Al Yeti - thank you for your response - I'm afraid there is no smoke alarm connected to the system, only two PIRs and 9 shock sensors - all of which work on the walk through test. Many thanks Paul I mean standalone smoke alarm You disconnect mains and batter yet something still chriping، Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulnthms Posted May 8, 2021 Author Share Posted May 8, 2021 Aha !! No the smoke alarm is battery operated and is not the origin of the noise. The panel is in a cupboard and the noise is definitely coming from the panel !! All I could think of was that if the bell box had it's own power cell then it would still have a live circuit with the control panel hence me removing the bell box cover. I'm not sure what's in the white plastic cover in the photo as it seems a sealed unit but wondered whether it was an old style square battery (rechargeable?). I'm keeping the power off in case this is correct to see if the chirping stops later. Do you think the exposed black wire has anything to do with it and where it should be terminated ? Many thanks Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Check your drawers for an old smoke detector 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHappy Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 38 minutes ago, Paulnthms said: The panel is in a cupboard and the noise is definitely coming from the panel !! If I was a betting man- I'd wager you've more chance of getting a hand job off her majesty the queen than your powered down alarm making the "chirp" You've probably got a brand new in box, carbon monoxide or smoke alarm in the cupboard.... 2 Quote Mr Veritas God Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulnthms Posted May 8, 2021 Author Share Posted May 8, 2021 Okay thanks everyone - does anyone have a comment relating to the black wire from the bell box ? Is it redundant or does it need to be terminated ? Thank you Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 10 minutes ago, Paulnthms said: does it need to be terminated No it doesnt look like it, whoever installed it linked out the tamper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHappy Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 6 minutes ago, Paulnthms said: does anyone have a comment relating to the black wire from the bell box ? If you had picture taken in the same postcode or with something the grainy tat from mobile of the same vintage as the sounder (1990's) I'd guess at in being the remain of the fly lead for tamper switch ? 6 minutes ago, Paulnthms said: Is it redundant or does it need to be terminated ? Its all redundant, just buy a new external sounder the one you have is tat once sold in wickes... Quote Mr Veritas God Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulnthms Posted May 8, 2021 Author Share Posted May 8, 2021 33 minutes ago, PeterJames said: No it doesnt look like it, whoever installed it linked out the tamper 25 minutes ago, PeterJames said: Hi Peter, Thank you for your assistance. The bell box has an active tamper - as I removed the lid the siren went off - the tamper was a little spring loaded stick attached internally to the blue plastic in the picture. That being the case, does the loose black need go into one of the terminals please and if so which one ? Many thanks, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 No it doesn't need any more wires adding the sounder should self activate when you take the lid off Wires dont remove themselves, I cant think why you would think they do ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james.wilson Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 I'd suggest you power it all down then find out it's a battery operated bit of junk, nest smoke, other smoke detector then I'd look for alarm clocks birthday cards etc. A powered down alarm is just that. 2 Quote securitywarehouse Security Supplies from Security Warehouse Trade Members please contact us for your TSI vetted trade discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 We get so many of these and always the op is convinced that its the alarm, I remember as an engineer telling a customer over the phone it was a low battery on their smoke, they insisted I come out. £70.00 plus VAT (it was the early 90's) callout later, I found an old smoke detector in a kitchen drawer with the battery still in it. Its like we tell them what it is and the dont believe us 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whistle Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Had exactly the same thing many times. Once a customer was convinced it’s was the alarm and insisted we attend site to fix. I advised that we would charge for the visit. On arrival I found an old carbon monoxide detector down the back of a sideboard in the lounge, I was on site less than a minute. they kicked off big time when they got the bill and canceled there contract, they did pay though. good riddance nob heads. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaunb1905 Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Remember a few years ago, customer called us out because their alarms bleeping. Was someone’s hair straighteners, which were left switched on!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC3D Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 Don't be so dismissive - my Mother's alarm is doing the exact same thing. I too disconnected the power and the battery and the chirping still continues. Maybe it's the caps discharging but this is ridiculous. It is NOT a smoke alarm - give the guy SOME credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHappy Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 1 hour ago, NC3D said: Don't be so dismissive - my Mother's alarm is doing the exact same thing. I too disconnected the power and the battery and the chirping still continues. Maybe it's the caps discharging but this is ridiculous. It is NOT a smoke alarm - give the guy SOME credit. Thank you taking the effort of joining our forum.... It assumes me & probably a few other members that you've powered down an intruder alarm as you've a battery powered smoke detector or similar with a low battery chirp :) Quote Mr Veritas God Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 4 hours ago, MrHappy said: Thank you taking the effort of joining our forum.... It assumes me & probably a few other members that you've powered down an intruder alarm as you've a battery powered smoke detector or similar with a low battery chirp QFA If its down powered it cant make a noise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC3D Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 15 hours ago, PeterJames said: QFA If its down powered it cant make a noise Yeah you'd think - though I didn't wait long enough to see if it was the caps. I reset the box to factory settings and it stayed quiet for about 12 hours and now it's back with a vengeance. You would expect it to be a low battery signal, but tried 2 different batteries (though don't know how much charge they have). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC3D Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Just disconnected the power, but kept the battery connected. Stopped for now - turned power back on and timing how long it is before it returns. I think we can safely say it's not a smoke alarm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 12 minutes ago, NC3D said: Yeah you'd think - though I didn't wait long enough to see if it was the caps. I reset the box to factory settings and it stayed quiet for about 12 hours and now it's back with a vengeance. You would expect it to be a low battery signal, but tried 2 different batteries (though don't know how much charge they have). Caps would have to be pretty big in order to hold enough charge to make any sort of audible beep. Even the biggest caps would discharge pretty quickly after a powerdown. You may be charging a battery operated smoke from the same spur, or maybe a 12vdc smoke with its own battery backup somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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