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Napco Magnum 900 False Alarms - Fire

R

Roveer

Jan 1, 1970
0
I've got a house that's 25 years old and has a Napco Magnum 900 alarm
Probably 15-20 years old or newer. Recently It's been false alarming
in the middle of the night between 2-4am for fire. The fire is made up
of A/C wired smokes and heat sensors (basic melt away type).

Any ideas on why I'm getting the false alarms? Does seem to happen on
the colder nights. Don't want the house to be unprotected, but man
does that siren make a heck of a wake-up call when it goes off. Also,
the battery went bad a while back and has not yet been replaced, so to
silence the alarm I have to go and unplug the transformer. We do not
use the berg side and have no centeral station so most of the time we
don't even have a password set which is another reason I have to pull
the transformer to shut it up.

Any ideas?

Roveer
 
J

Jim Rojas

Jan 1, 1970
0
Smoke detectors are not designed to last forever. You will need to replace
all the smoke detectors. Though heat detectors can last much longer, it
would be a good idea just to replace them all.

Jim Rojas
 
S

shady

Jan 1, 1970
0
Smoke detectors are not designed to last forever. You will need to replace
all the smoke detectors. Though heat detectors can last much longer, it
would be a good idea just to replace them all.

I believe the instructions with most smoke detectors is to replace after 10
years. So now would be the time to do it.
 
C

Crash Gordon

Jan 1, 1970
0
25 year old AC wired smokes attached to a 25 year old 900 with a dead
battery and no code...sounds like the service calls I get on Sunday nights
at 3am.

Time for a total remodel IMO.


| Smoke detectors are not designed to last forever. You will need to replace
| all the smoke detectors. Though heat detectors can last much longer, it
| would be a good idea just to replace them all.
|
| Jim Rojas
|
|
| | > I've got a house that's 25 years old and has a Napco Magnum 900 alarm
| > Probably 15-20 years old or newer. Recently It's been false alarming
| > in the middle of the night between 2-4am for fire. The fire is made up
| > of A/C wired smokes and heat sensors (basic melt away type).
| >
| > Any ideas on why I'm getting the false alarms? Does seem to happen on
| > the colder nights. Don't want the house to be unprotected, but man
| > does that siren make a heck of a wake-up call when it goes off. Also,
| > the battery went bad a while back and has not yet been replaced, so to
| > silence the alarm I have to go and unplug the transformer. We do not
| > use the berg side and have no centeral station so most of the time we
| > don't even have a password set which is another reason I have to pull
| > the transformer to shut it up.
| >
| > Any ideas?
| >
| > Roveer
| >
|
|
 
25 year old AC wired smokes attached to a 25 year old 900 with a dead
battery and no code...sounds like the service calls I get on Sunday
nights
at 3am.

They're probably not 110VAC smokes. Sometimes clients think the smokes
are 110 when they're actually 12/24VDC models powered from the alarm.
One clue is that the gentleman mentioned "heats". You won't find too
many of those wired to 110VAC.

Regards,
Robert L Bass
www.BassBurglarAlarms.com
 
C

Crash Gordon

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have run into that kind of configuration though...wonky at best.


|> 25 year old AC wired smokes attached to a 25 year old 900 with a dead
| battery and no code...sounds like the service calls I get on Sunday
| nights
| at 3am.
|
| They're probably not 110VAC smokes. Sometimes clients think the smokes
| are 110 when they're actually 12/24VDC models powered from the alarm.
| One clue is that the gentleman mentioned "heats". You won't find too
| many of those wired to 110VAC.
|
| Regards,
| Robert L Bass
| www.BassBurglarAlarms.com
|
 
F

Frank Olson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Crash said:
I have run into that kind of configuration though...wonky at best.

Same here. Lot's of "AC" systems in Edmonton (Alberta). Some got
pretty creative.
 
C

Crash Gordon

Jan 1, 1970
0
I just walked on two prewired by others jobs because the prime contractor
wanted me to connect to the AC smokes, told him it was stupid and dangerous,
he insisted that it was ok...I told him then he should do it on HIS
license. He didnt even run firewire to them just plain old quad. There's
still a buncho idiots out there I tell ya!



| Sometimes it gets scary out there.............
|
| | >I have run into that kind of configuration though...wonky at best.
| >
| >
| > | > |> 25 year old AC wired smokes attached to a 25 year old 900 with a dead
| > | battery and no code...sounds like the service calls I get on Sunday
| > | nights
| > | at 3am.
| > |
| > | They're probably not 110VAC smokes. Sometimes clients think the
smokes
| > | are 110 when they're actually 12/24VDC models powered from the alarm.
| > | One clue is that the gentleman mentioned "heats". You won't find too
| > | many of those wired to 110VAC.
| > |
| > | Regards,
| > | Robert L Bass
| > | www.BassBurglarAlarms.com
| > |
| >
| >
|
|
 
R

Roveer

Jan 1, 1970
0
Looks like my smokes are not AC but rather being fed off the 24v alarm.
Now, based on what I've read here, it looks like I should just replace
the whole lot since it's been quite a few years. I did notice that I
had a heat detector in the attic, round disk about 4" with a smaller
round thing in the center. Same one that I have in the kitchen. The
other heats are all over the house (including bedrooms) and maybe 1" in
diameter with a smaller disk in the center. I never felt comfortable
with these since it would take a pretty big fire to actually set one
off. I had put free standing smoke detectors in all of the bedrooms,
but would like to add smokes in place of these heats. Since all of
this stuff would be powered from the alarm are there calculations
needed to not overload the 24v that the alarm produces. What I'm
meaning to say is that if I just swapped the heats to smokes would that
overload the alarm?

Also, is it possible that the heat in the attic is toast and when the
nightly cold air gets to it, could that be setting off the alarm? Or
possibly the one in the garage? Every where else is pretty much heated
space.

Roveer.
 
C

Crash Gordon

Jan 1, 1970
0
I've never had a heat go bad on it's own...usually someone tries to take it
down and breaks the little center thing. In the attic (if I can be convinced
to install one there) I put 200 degree fixed, same in garages, in the house
I put 135 degree rate of rise.

I believe the 900 was 12v like most residential alarms, not 24v. If you
replace the smokes use all the same type, and you'll have to look up the
current draw in alarm for all devices and check the Napco 900 specs and see
where you're at with battery calcs and if the panel can handle all your
devices. If it can't you can add a secondary aux power supply AND battery
for other devices (not the smokes). Heats don't draw anything so they dont
come into play when making your calculations. But, if you replace the heats
with smokes..do the calcs.

Heats are property saving devices, smokes are life safety...oranges and
tangerines.

It doesn't take as much as you would imagine to set off a heat.
I'd never put a smoke (not a normal one anyway) in an attic.

If the attic heat is a rate of rise...maybe you'd get a false out of
it...kinda doubt it though.

FIRST replace the system battery...my guess is that is part of your problem.
Then clean the smokes for now,,,but they should be replaced, imo.

good luck!

hth


| Looks like my smokes are not AC but rather being fed off the 24v alarm.
| Now, based on what I've read here, it looks like I should just replace
| the whole lot since it's been quite a few years. I did notice that I
| had a heat detector in the attic, round disk about 4" with a smaller
| round thing in the center. Same one that I have in the kitchen. The
| other heats are all over the house (including bedrooms) and maybe 1" in
| diameter with a smaller disk in the center. I never felt comfortable
| with these since it would take a pretty big fire to actually set one
| off. I had put free standing smoke detectors in all of the bedrooms,
| but would like to add smokes in place of these heats. Since all of
| this stuff would be powered from the alarm are there calculations
| needed to not overload the 24v that the alarm produces. What I'm
| meaning to say is that if I just swapped the heats to smokes would that
| overload the alarm?
|
| Also, is it possible that the heat in the attic is toast and when the
| nightly cold air gets to it, could that be setting off the alarm? Or
| possibly the one in the garage? Every where else is pretty much heated
| space.
|
| Roveer.
|
|
|
|
| Crash Gordon wrote:
| > I just walked on two prewired by others jobs because the prime
contractor
| > wanted me to connect to the AC smokes, told him it was stupid and
dangerous,
| > he insisted that it was ok...I told him then he should do it on HIS
| > license. He didnt even run firewire to them just plain old quad. There's
| > still a buncho idiots out there I tell ya!
| >
| >
| >
| > | > | Sometimes it gets scary out there.............
| > |
| > | | > | >I have run into that kind of configuration though...wonky at best.
| > | >
| > | >
| > | > | > | > |> 25 year old AC wired smokes attached to a 25 year old 900 with a
dead
| > | > | battery and no code...sounds like the service calls I get on
Sunday
| > | > | nights
| > | > | at 3am.
| > | > |
| > | > | They're probably not 110VAC smokes. Sometimes clients think the
| > smokes
| > | > | are 110 when they're actually 12/24VDC models powered from the
alarm.
| > | > | One clue is that the gentleman mentioned "heats". You won't find
too
| > | > | many of those wired to 110VAC.
| > | > |
| > | > | Regards,
| > | > | Robert L Bass
| > | > | www.BassBurglarAlarms.com
| > | > |
| > | >
| > | >
| > |
| > |
|
 
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