False alarm on Texecom Premier Elite

[Jupiter01]

Around a year ago, following some false alarms and advice on this forum I replaced the standard Pyronix KX15DQ Quad PIR with an Optex mx40dt. This was the case for the garage and loft. For over a year, I have had no issues.

Last night however, I had the alarm blaring in the middle of the night (downstairs zone armed overnight) as the garage PIR had been activated. This caused us and specifically my children considerable distress. I want to avoid a repeat of last night please and would greatly appreciate your advice.

Upon investigation, there was no human intrusion and I couldn't see any other plausible explanations. Do you have any suggestions on how I go about troubleshooting this and ultimately resolving it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Handymanjo]

Clean around detector with vacuum cleaner.
Check inside detector
Dt should be ok,but can still get false alarms

 

[Jupiter01]

Thanks for the prompt response.
This is an absolute coincidence but I dusted all of my PIR’s and the surrounding areas yesterday night! That’s the honest truth

I will get the vacuum out today and hoover up.

Is there anything else I can/should do? It’s a very unpleasant experience to wake up to sirens going off in the middle of the night...

 

[secureiam]

Certainly sounds like you may have disturbed something.

 

[Jupiter01]

I've checked the wiring tonight (can't see any issues) and given it a hoover around the nearby areas. Hoping for a more peaceful night...
It still concerns me that I don't understand what may have caused this which means that I can't take any specific measures to avoid a repeat in the future. I don't want to sound like a nervous wretch but its a truly traumatic experience to wake up to sirens blurting in the middle of the night

 

[scott1980]

Causes for false alarms from movement detectors including but not limited to:

Environmental (ie draughts, sunlight, central heating/open fires, flora and fauna)

Poor fixing of device/mounted to unstable surface

Faulty device

Cable damage

Poor termination of wiring

Faulty zone on control panel/expander

RFI/mains induction/spikes

Faulty panel battery

Seen all of the above cause false alarms in the past.

 

[sparkymarka]

You forgot ....animals ...eg ...mice

 

[scott1980]

You forgot ....animals ...eg ...mice

Comes under flora and fauna, but yeah, rats and mice definitely cause issues, especially on commercial sites. Had one last week customer moaning about false alarms, couldn't see why it was going off etc until I pointed to the rat footprints in the dust on the filing cabinet right under the detector... he soon went quiet!

 

[Jupiter01]

Draught is a possibility here as the back of the sensor is facing the garage door and there are definite air gaps in the garage door. Doesn't the sealed unit and DT mitigate against this risk though?

 

[sparkymarka]

Post a picture of the location of the detector ....is there shelves/ units below or near the detector as vermin close to the detector can set it off

 

[sparkymarka]

Plus the two posts don’t help ....with the 15v reading its too high for my liking

 

[Jupiter01]

Picture of detector and the room. Whilst I would never say never but there are no signs of infestation.

On voltage, I did notice the following: when red probe is on + and black on -, I got 15v.
If red probe is on + and the black is on one of the tamper terminals, I got less. Around 13.

 

[scott1980]

Taking a voltage reading between the + and tamper/alarm terminals won't tell you anything useful. 15 volts definitely sounds a bit on the high side, 13.6 volts would be a more acceptable reading. How sturdy is that timber frame that the detector is mounted on? You'd be surprised at how much structures like that can actually move (especially in the recent hot weather we've had) Not saying that's definitely it but I'd be happier with it mounted on the wall.

 

[Jupiter01]

The wooden frame is absolutely solid. Opted for this as the wall doesn’t give the PIR the right angle across the entire garage.

I’m happy to measure the voltage again tomorrow. Assuming it’s 15 again. Where do we go next?