Are you experiencing an Alarm Panel Fault? Is your home or business panel down or not functioning as it should?

You’re probably at least a little bit panicked. You just want the alarm fault fixed so you can go back to the more important tasks of the day without worrying about security, we get it.

Well, there are a few tests you can do with a simple multimeter that will narrow down the issue and hopefully give you something to tell the electrician or service company when they get there and potentially cut down service time or diagnostic charges.

Step 1.1

MAINS VOLTAGE ACROSS LIVE AND NEUTRAL

1. Switch multimeter to highest AC range
2. Connect test probes across live and neutral
3. Reading should be between 220 and 250VAC and reasonably
   stable

Step 1.2

MAINS VOLTAGE ACROSS LIVE AND EARTH

1. Connect test probes across live and Earth
2. Reading obtained should be almost identical to previous reading
3. A difference of more than 1.2VAC means an Earth fault may exist

Step 1.3

MAINS VOLTAGE ACROSS NEUTRAL AND EARTH

1. Switch the multimeter to 20VAC range
2. Connect test probes across neutral and Earth
3. Reading should not exceed 1.2VAC (example shows 0.019V)

Step 2

POWER SUPPLY CURRENT NORMAL (UNSET)

1. Switch meter to highest AC current range
2. Disconnect either AC output lead to panel
3. Connect test probes in series with removed lead and power supply terminal
4. Record AC mA reading obtained

Step 3

POWER SUPPLY CURRENT IN ALARM

1. Generate a full alarm condition
2. Record AC mA reading obtained
3. Excessive current in this or previous test indicates a system fault
4. Disconnect 12VDC supply to PIRs, bells, battery etc in turn to identify fault

Step 4

INDUCED AC VOLTAGE

1. Switch multimeter to 20VAC range
2. Connect probes across any DC+ and Earth
3. Induced AC reading should not exceed 1.2V
4. To eliminate induced AC, fit an ACT 1313 12V spike suppressor

Step 5

BATTERY CHARGING VOLTAGE

1. Switch multimeter to 20VDC range
2. Connect test probes across battery
3. Reading should be between 13.5 - 14VDC (Below 13V the battery will not charge, above 14.5V the battery will overcharge)

Step 6

AUXILIARY DC VOLTAGE

1. Connect probes across auxiliary DC supply
2. Reading obtained should be within 0.5VDC of battery charging voltage
3. Any variation >±1VDC may cause false alarms

Step 7

BATTERY FLOAT CHARGE

1. Switch multimeter to DC mA range
2. Remove red charge lead from battery
3. Connect test probes in series with removed charge lead & positive battery terminal
4. A double mA reading, falling to a single mA reading should occur within 30 seconds
5. If a constant high or no mA reading, replace battery

Step 8

BATTERY CURRENT NORMAL (UNSET)

1. Switch multimeter to 20A DC range
2. Disconnect mains supply by removing panel or 'spur' fuse
3. Reading ideally should not exceed 5% of battery capacity (7Ah = 350mA)

Step 9

BATTERY CURRENT IN ALARM

1. Generate a full alarm condition
2. Reading ideally should not exceed 10% of battery capacity (7Ah = 700mA)

Step 10

BATTERY CAPACITY TEST

1. Disconnect battery from control panel
2. Check battery terminals are clean
3. Connect battery tester leads red+ black-
4. Record ambient temperature, DC voltage and Ah capacity available
5. Replace battery when capacity falls below 65% (e.g. 7Ah replace below 4.55Ah)

Now you’ve been through this easy checklist you should be comfortable knowing what the issue is, turning a big diagnostic issue into a simple repair for your electrician or serviceman.