Strobe Lights

[Guest Rocky]

From time to time, I come across an alarm system with a faulty strobe light, usually caused by rain water entering the strobe housing and fusing the strobe bulb.

The rest of the alarm system works fine, external sounder is audible and other than the strobe light not flashing everything is OK.

We don't stock replacement parts for all the bell boxes so more often than not the remedy to the problem is to replace the whole bell box (old for new).

Obviously this involves a charge (materials and labour) of which the customer is not too keen to pay, especially as the alarm works and all we're talking about is the flashing light on the bell box.

My question is, does the regulatory bodies (inparticular NACOSS) make it mandatory for an approved alarm system to have a fully functional bell-box, strobe light and all?

[Service Engineer]

To put it simply NO.

ADT have monitored systems with NO external Audible warning at all, just an internal siren.

[morph]

As far as getting the customers agreement goes, this would be covered by the specification and contract that they sign and if the strobe failed and was discovered during a routine service/fault this should be noted and if the customer didn't want to proceed a simple note to this effect would suffice.

Might be worth thinking about the fact that it could though be viewed differently if an existing strobe is still visible but not working. In other words a box with no strobe would not necessarily be discounted as being in alarm, but a box with a non-working strobe (after bell cut-off) could wrongly be eliminated from being in alarm

As Dave said //.National Installer.// fit boxes all the time, that are dummies and who other than the customer and the alarm company would no if its a real sounder or not.

So to say it might not be discounted as being in alarm wouldn't come in to it, as the people investigating might not have the neccessary knowledge to be able to distinguish the difference.

My question is, does the regulatory bodies (inparticular NACOSS) make it mandatory for an approved alarm system to have a fully functional bell-box, strobe light and all?

My view would be if its in the spec, then it needs to be working and if the system is under maintenance then surely the customer isn't going to complain about the cost. Most companies would want to see lots of their nice new boxes up in there area and the battery will need to changed eventually to, so a lot will depend on the engineers sales skills and company policy.

Bottom line though is if the customer says no make sure you have a signature saying so, on a call form or variation order.

Colin.

[Service Engineer]

All you can do is advise the customer off the faulty unit and strongly advise a remedy. At the end of the day they either take your advise or they dont, and if they dont you write that down on your sheet to cover yourself from any future repurcusions.

I have the same problem trying to explain to customers why they should pay for a new battery when their old one is still ok (just old).

I mean why call for a service when they dont want to be told of any possible failings of the system....? All we can do is Advise.

[morph]

I agree with Dave, you can't force them to do it you can only advise and if you have it in writing that they didn't want it fixed, then's there no issue.

Colin.

[Service Engineer]

I think the main idea of a Strobe light is to inform the homeowner/keyholder that there alarm has gone off before they enter the premises, this gives them chance to grab a neighbour before entering the property just incase the worst has happened or incase someone is still around inside the property.

Strobes do have there uses ENG, but your right, if theyve been flashing away for hours then every passer by will know the alarm has gone off and not been reset.

[Guest Peter James]

You guys are funny

[Guest Adrian]

B) Hi all

Did you know that the newer menvier panels no longer have the strobe going once the bells have stopped, they said its because the bad guys can tell if the system has had somone in attendance since it activated and reset the system.

Just thought you might like to know, as we had a customer call us out to tell us that the strobe was faulty. as he got to site after the bells had stopped and nothing was flashing. I spent an hour trying to figure it out as it worked every time I tryed it out.

In the end I phoned menvier and they told me about it, Would have helped if they put it in the manuel.

Adrian B)

[Guest granleyss]

I hate master blaster they scare me won,t ever install one of them again went to a customers premist when I first started out and the thing nearly took me finger off it slice an inch of me finger off never again

[black knight]

granleyss -Well i feel i have to ask - wha the hell were you doing putting your finger in the end of one without making sure it was electrically dead first?

Adrian - thanks for the info, i don,t have many menviers but i,ll remember it if i get a similar call. i can,t remeber does that panel give you the option to make bells continious so as you can utilise the sounders own 20min cut off and then put the strobe on to a continious output so to speak?

paul