Will my alarm still work if the bellbox battery is removed?

[simion_levi]

This relates to a 9448 scantronic alarm - installed in 2007 by the looks of it. Following a failed main battery recently, which also took out one of the PCB fuses, I'm getting more familiar with the panel internals. However, the pathway to my enlightenment did involve waking up the neighbours a little earlier than I am comfortable with. The bellbox is inaccessible with normal ladders, so I was pretty much stuck for options at the time.

With a little extra knowledge (and a supply of the correct fuses on hand) I'm much better prepared for any faults in future - but I'd still be more comfortable if I had complete control from the ground. If the panel ever goes properly haywire at some ungodly hour, I want to be able to switch off the mains circuit, pull the panel battery and not have the external siren start up under it's own steam.

So to my question; if I can get hold of a suitable ladder and remove the bellbox battery at my leisure, would the alarm still function correctly? (I understand and accept the explicit conditions - provided the cable from panel to bellbox is not tampered with and the panel has mains or battery power itself).

 

[motorbiking]

Yes, but the burglar would just have to bust your control panel to switch the alarm off. Have you thought of extending the wire from the bell box in to your loft and installing the battery there? In which case you can nip in to the loft to shut it off.

A bit of wire a few holes and some mastic/silicon etc.

Or better still, putting a hidden switch in your loft to switch the bell off.

 

[EightyTwo]

The answer is "probably". There are two ways to run a bell - SAB where the panel powers the bell when it is sounding and SCB where the bell runs off its own battery (charged from the panel).

The chances are that you have a SAB so it should work. Hopefully, the bell won't object to having its battery removed and refuse to sound. You may need to link out the tamper return...

Obviously, none of this is recommended or approved! Most bells have a <20 minute timer so, if you power the panel down, they will only sound for a short time and only once.

 

[simion_levi]

Many thanks for the advice - actually a switch in the loft would be ideal. I've not had a chance to do anything with it yet, but may well install one when I do.