House Alarm Battery

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306 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1824033 17-Jul-2017 20:02

Might try that on my Paradox.

Alarm companies don't tend to give out master codes because they usually have the same one for all their alarms plus it means the homeowner will have to use them for servicing and a callout isn't cheap.

networkn

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#1825794 20-Jul-2017 11:54

So apparently my alarm is a rebadged Paradox with a Espirit Keypad. Security Xpress were a security company that OEM'd alarms and rebranded them as their own.

I found an installers manual which gave me the master code, but in the process of setting the time, I have accidentially set the sensor in zone 2, to go off, whether the alarm is armed or not, and I am unsure how to get that fixed.

MikeB4

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#1825808 20-Jul-2017 12:05

I have replaced (wife replaced) batteries in our system, it is an easy job, if you have a monitored alarm remember to tell your security company and they can put it in service mode for a period of time, also when you have changed the batteries do a walk around test. One thing I have noticed the replacement batteries, same type and brand selected never last as long at the originals did.

And they also start chirping at night, one would think they could be made with jackets to make them les prone to feeling cold

networkn

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#1825921 20-Jul-2017 14:43

I think your alarm just wants to mate with Crickets and Cicada's. It will calm down when they aren't in rutting season.

On another note, anyone know the feature is called when a sensor is programmed to set off an alarm even when the alarm isn't armed?

neb

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#1825997 20-Jul-2017 16:33

Bung: 3 years seems a short life. Is the charge circuit working? Our alarm must have a battery at least 10 years old and it hasn't clapped out touch wood. The neighbour's went at 7 or 8 years. The enclosure had an anti tamper alarm on it and the battery wiring was screwed on so be prepared for some noise during changeover.

The effective lifetime can be quite different from the perceived lifetime. If you've got decent power and your alarm isn't too picky about testing the battery then you can get ten years from a mostly-dead battery, as long as the power doesn't go out or the battery doesn't get too hot/cold at some point or whatever it would take to find out that it's been on its last legs for years. OTOH the rated life is typically three years or so.

neb

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#1825999 20-Jul-2017 16:35

networkn:
Do I just replace the battery?

Yeah, they're almost always 12V 7AH SLAs that you can get all over the place, e.g. Super Cheap Auto. Only thing is you may need to massage the alarm so it doesn't get upset about having the battery pulled, which it may report as an intrusion/tamper.

MadEngineer

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#1826003 20-Jul-2017 16:41

networkn:
I think your alarm just wants to mate with Crickets and Cicada's. It will calm down when they aren't in rutting season.

On another note, anyone know the feature is called when a sensor is programmed to set off an alarm even when the alarm isn't armed?

Set to trigger in "Day/stay mode" usually

Used for smoke detectors for example and is a common thing that rookie installers tragically miss-configure with potentially deadly consequences.

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neb

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#3107020 22-Jul-2023 17:56

Another battery-replacement problem, I was asked to look at a FOAF's Paradox (just because I know which end of the mains flex you put in your mouth to test whether it's live people think I know about electronics), just a straight battery swap for one that's been in there since they bought the place. I could feel a microswitch about to trigger as I slid the door open slightly, and sure enough opening it set off the alarm. My suggestion to drill into the case and squirt PU foam onto the switch (standard way to defeat these tamper circuits) didn't go down well. They don't know much about the alarm since it came with the house when they bought it and don't have a master code for it, and various online instructions I can find are all just "open the case, unplug old battery, plug in new battery". Does anyone know how you disable the tamper detection in order to change the battery, and does the act of changing it trigger any other alarms? Not sure of the exact model, maybe an SP4000 or similar.

HelloThere

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Master Geek

#3107023 22-Jul-2023 18:24

networkn: On another note, anyone know the feature is called when a sensor is programmed to set off an alarm even when the alarm isn't armed?

Did you change the zone definition?

HelloThere

169 posts

Master Geek

#3107024 22-Jul-2023 18:26

neb: Another battery-replacement problem, I was asked to look at a FOAF's Paradox (just because I know which end of the mains flex you put in your mouth to test whether it's live people think I know about electronics), just a straight battery swap for one that's been in there since they bought the place. I could feel a microswitch about to trigger as I slid the door open slightly, and sure enough opening it set off the alarm. My suggestion to drill into the case and squirt PU foam onto the switch (standard way to defeat these tamper circuits) didn't go down well. They don't know much about the alarm since it came with the house when they bought it and don't have a master code for it, and various online instructions I can find are all just "open the case, unplug old battery, plug in new battery". Does anyone know how you disable the tamper detection in order to change the battery, and does the act of changing it trigger any other alarms? Not sure of the exact model, maybe an SP4000 or similar.

When you remove the cover and trigger the tamper, I'm sure you just enter the code and it will turn the alarm off?

neb

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#3107027 22-Jul-2023 18:37

HelloThere: When you remove the cover and trigger the tamper, I'm sure you just enter the code and it will turn the alarm off?

Yup, that's how they got it to shut up, but is that enough to continue with the battery swap or will it get even more upset after the battery is swapped out, for example requiring the entry of the not-known master code to reset it?

HelloThere

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Master Geek

#3107028 22-Jul-2023 18:46

neb: Yup, that's how they got it to shut up, but is that enough to continue with the battery swap or will it get even more upset after the battery is swapped out, for example requiring the entry of the not-known master code to reset it?

Last battery I replaced on my SP4000 I just unplugged the old battery and plugged in the new battery. Don't see why you would need the master code as it will still have mains power to it.

neb

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#3107032 22-Jul-2023 18:50

HelloThere: Last battery I replaced on my SP4000 I just unplugged the old battery and plugged in the new battery. Don't see why you would need the master code as it will still have mains power to it.

So you just open the case, silence the tamper alarm, swap out the battery, and close the case again, and it's happy with that? Just want to make sure no other issues crop up once I get started, which will then be my fault.

HelloThere

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Master Geek

#3107040 22-Jul-2023 19:10

neb: So you just open the case, silence the tamper alarm, swap out the battery, and close the case again, and it's happy with that? Just want to make sure no other issues crop up once I get started, which will then be my fault.

I can't 100% confirm there will be no issues but that's what I did and when you close the case again, it resets the tamper switch.

neb

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#3107091 22-Jul-2023 19:56

HelloThere:
neb: So you just open the case, silence the tamper alarm, swap out the battery, and close the case again, and it's happy with that? Just want to make sure no other issues crop up once I get started, which will then be my fault.

I can't 100% confirm there will be no issues but that's what I did and when you close the case again, it resets the tamper switch.

Thanks, will swap it over next time I'm there.

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