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Hi guys
This is an existing system that my P-i-L's inherited when buying a house in 2002.
When they moved in, I replaced the back-up battery. The light fittings in the kitchen/ diner were replaced with circular flu's and a new downstairs loo was installed, with a miniature flu strip over the sink.
Over the years, things were fine, but the panel battery got forgotten.
Eventually, well-overdue, it was replaced by me in October 2019, with a 7Ah Yuasa.
There were no issues leading up to this replacement, except a power cut that led to the external siren sounding off and the suspicion that the panel battery was goosed.
Since then, things have been fine once more.
But over the last few days, there have been numerous tamper faults going off at seemingly random times when the system is in DAY mode.
I have asked if they have had any decorating work done (no).
Initially, I suspected maybe a tamper fault with a detector lid or panic button cover, or the panel front cover or external siren, or maybe even a fault or damage to the tamper loop. I have in the past had problems with older external sirens in Summer, where temperature fluctuations cause expansion and contraction and tamper switches can get triggered.
Then I considered the panel battery. Oftentimes, a dodgy battery can cause all sorts of weird faults with an otherwise healthy panel/ system. But because I swapped out the battery just over a year ago, I'm not sure, although changing it would be a good start and not expensive.
Tonight, while I was snoozing, Mrs Secure took a call from her parents to say that they have linked the switching on of the dining room light and downstairs loo light (but not the kitchen light) to the tamper fault occurring. They also say this tamper fault has never occurred at night.
As far as I recall, these are the only fluorescent light fittings in the house (although there are two anti-corrosives in a detached garage, but these are rarely used, so a link between them and a tamper fault will not yet have been established).
As a SE spark, I have come across this twice before and have resolved the issue by fitting a suppressor on the mains supply in the panel and this has resolved the issue.
I understand there can be pulses of RFI or EMI between LV and ELV wiring in the house that can cause an issue like this, but nothing has altered wiring-wise (either alarm or household wiring) in all these years when the system has been behaving itself, so can't see it being that.
But obviously, whatever the cause, the panel is seeing some changes that it is deciding to interpret as tamper faults.
We have not been to the property since March and I cannot get there now, but may be able to get there in December as an emergency (if they can live with this for that length of time!).
Would the best course of action be:
1. Change the battery and see if the tamper fault can be triggered by operating those light switches?
2. If this has no effect, fit an ACT2323 suppressor to stop induced AC & check again?
3. Consider a disc ceramic cap of 0.1ish microfarad across the tamper loop terminals?
But I guess number 3 would be covered by the 2323 anyway?
Cheers people!
This is an existing system that my P-i-L's inherited when buying a house in 2002.
When they moved in, I replaced the back-up battery. The light fittings in the kitchen/ diner were replaced with circular flu's and a new downstairs loo was installed, with a miniature flu strip over the sink.
Over the years, things were fine, but the panel battery got forgotten.
Eventually, well-overdue, it was replaced by me in October 2019, with a 7Ah Yuasa.
There were no issues leading up to this replacement, except a power cut that led to the external siren sounding off and the suspicion that the panel battery was goosed.
Since then, things have been fine once more.
But over the last few days, there have been numerous tamper faults going off at seemingly random times when the system is in DAY mode.
I have asked if they have had any decorating work done (no).
Initially, I suspected maybe a tamper fault with a detector lid or panic button cover, or the panel front cover or external siren, or maybe even a fault or damage to the tamper loop. I have in the past had problems with older external sirens in Summer, where temperature fluctuations cause expansion and contraction and tamper switches can get triggered.
Then I considered the panel battery. Oftentimes, a dodgy battery can cause all sorts of weird faults with an otherwise healthy panel/ system. But because I swapped out the battery just over a year ago, I'm not sure, although changing it would be a good start and not expensive.
Tonight, while I was snoozing, Mrs Secure took a call from her parents to say that they have linked the switching on of the dining room light and downstairs loo light (but not the kitchen light) to the tamper fault occurring. They also say this tamper fault has never occurred at night.
As far as I recall, these are the only fluorescent light fittings in the house (although there are two anti-corrosives in a detached garage, but these are rarely used, so a link between them and a tamper fault will not yet have been established).
As a SE spark, I have come across this twice before and have resolved the issue by fitting a suppressor on the mains supply in the panel and this has resolved the issue.
I understand there can be pulses of RFI or EMI between LV and ELV wiring in the house that can cause an issue like this, but nothing has altered wiring-wise (either alarm or household wiring) in all these years when the system has been behaving itself, so can't see it being that.
But obviously, whatever the cause, the panel is seeing some changes that it is deciding to interpret as tamper faults.
We have not been to the property since March and I cannot get there now, but may be able to get there in December as an emergency (if they can live with this for that length of time!).
Would the best course of action be:
1. Change the battery and see if the tamper fault can be triggered by operating those light switches?
2. If this has no effect, fit an ACT2323 suppressor to stop induced AC & check again?
3. Consider a disc ceramic cap of 0.1ish microfarad across the tamper loop terminals?
But I guess number 3 would be covered by the 2323 anyway?
Cheers people!
