Optima Xl6 - Disable Power Loss Alarm

[jeromewilson]

We've got an Optima XL 6 which I imagine has been here since the house was built, back in 1996, long before we arrived. We haven't got any instructions and, to be honest, we don't tend to use it much.

However, it makes its presence felt whenever there's a power out (either tripped or a powercut) and there doesn't seem to be much that can be done about it. When the power went off for the first time today the panel stayed lit for a while but was totally inoperational and I was only able to disable the alarm when the power came back on. The second time the power went off (a short while later) the panel looked pretty dead but it did take the disarm code - it didn't have any effect, though.

When the panel came back up the second time the alarm stopped of its own accord but all the lights are lit on the panel and all the keys (including reset) are unresponsive.

So I guess we've got a couple of problems - how do we make the panel operational again and is there a way to stop it from triggering every time there's a power out...?

We've just got back from a week's holiday and I hope, for our neighbour's sake, there weren't any power failures while we were away.

Anyway, any help would be much appreciated.

Jerome

[amateurandy]

So I guess we've got a couple of problems - how do we make the panel operational again and is there a way to stop it from triggering every time there's a power out...?

Hello Jerome,

What's behind the problems is that you haven't had the system serviced regularly and as a result the internal backup battery has almost certainly failed. It almost certainly needs a new battery and possibly other work too.

Without the user AND installation manuals you really won't be able to sort it out yourself, so you'll need to contact a professional alarm installer to do it for you. Most people here would say contact 3 or so firms to get quotes first.

They may suggest replacing the system anyway, given its age.

Good luck.

PS If you check the site rules you'll see that engineering manuals cannot be supplied here, though someone may be able to point you to a user manual.

[jeromewilson]

Thanks very much for the reply Andy. I'm sure you're absolutely right about it being a problem with the battery, shame it killed the panel and not the alarm (er, in a way, though I guess that would be really undesirable behaviour).

Do many alarms trip when the power fails, do you know? I didn't notice anyone else's going off. If I worked for MI5 or owned a large stash of gemstones I guess it would be desirable behaviour but as it is, it's bleedin' annoying...

Anyway, I'm going to do exactly as you suggest and shop around for some experts to take a look. Thanks for helping a hopeless n00b

Jerome