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Security & Fire Protection Systems/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Model AC8W | 2/8/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: Dave. I am replacing 2 model AC8W alarms the black & white wires are live and neutral What is the ... A: and thanks for your question. Yes, that third wire is the so-called "interconnect." It allows all ... | ||
| GEM -P800 Security System | 2/8/2012 | Steven Burman |
| Q: Why does our Zone 6 motion detector number light up and continuously FLASH on our monitor? Usually, ... A: Bob, 2 possibilities - First one is low battery, if this is a wireless PIR. You mentioned a battery ... | ||
| FBII XL-31 battery replacement | 2/7/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: Dave, I saw your detailed response on battery replacement for above home alarm system....once I get ... A: and thanks for your question. On really older model systems, manufacturers used the battery as part ... | ||
| Pc1550 unknown problem | 2/2/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: I oft up yhis morning and the keypad was blank. Could not set or disarm alarm. Got home this evening ... A: and thanks for writing. That's an unusual set of symptoms. It sounds to me like the system is ... | ||
| Radionics alarm system | 2/1/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: Had the system for 20yrs; a few months ago (didn't set the alarm), when I entered the house there ... A: and thanks for writing. Yes, I'd have suspected the battery too, because what you're describing ... | ||
| Security System | 1/30/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: I have a DSC 1500/50 alarm system that is giving me a trouble light and the code indicates #5 which ... A: First... the fuses. The manual you have (I think) is for the PC 1500... and the board you have is ... | ||
| Security System | 1/30/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: I have a DSC 1500/50 alarm system that is giving me a trouble light and the code indicates #5 which ... A: .. just to be sure we're on the same page... is that zone 5 trouble you mentioned in response to ... | ||
| Security Command XR20 | 1/29/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: Normally, the exterior door zones each have an individual tone when someone enters/exits. Last ... A: and thanks for writing. Here's a link to the user's manual for your system: ... | ||
| Security System | 1/29/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: I have a DSC 1500/50 alarm system that is giving me a trouble light and the code indicates #5 which ... A: and thanks for writing. Zone types are determined by system programming. This means that when your ... | ||
| security and fire protection | 1/28/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: I have a DSC 1500 system. I had unplugged my system about 2 years ago. I recently sold my house. ... A: it's probably too late to give you a timely answer.. but the reason the alarm kept going off when ... | ||
| DSC PC3000 | 1/27/2012 | Frank Kurz |
| Q: A lightning strike, that did not hit the home, but hit close enough and hard enough to trip the ... A: You don't. There is no way to recover the system after a lightning event. You'll have to replace ... | ||
| security monitoring for lakehouse | 1/26/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: Here’s what I have— Lakehouse, undergoing expansion and remodel. About to rough-in electrical work ... A: Let's talk about your wish list and see if there's a reasonable approach that you could use with ... | ||
| security monitoring for lakehouse | 1/26/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: Here’s what I have— Lakehouse, undergoing expansion and remodel. About to rough-in electrical work ... A: and thanks for writing. I don't know what your level of expertise is in electronics, hardware ... | ||
| Underground Fire Main | 1/26/2012 | Dominick G Kasmauskas |
| Q: We have a 3000sf commercial building that we are converting into a resturant and want to install ... A: Simon~ Excellent question. Without getting too technical, in my opinion when the fire sprinkler ... | ||
| 87' Radionics System, Model 6112? | 1/24/2012 | Frank Kurz |
| Q: My system still works great, wanted to ask if there was any way to convert to a wireless ... A: If you're using ADT, chances are they can provide you with a suitable solution along the lines of ... | ||
| 87' Radionics System, Model 6112? | 1/24/2012 | Frank Kurz |
| Q: My system still works great, wanted to ask if there was any way to convert to a wireless ... A: There are a number of cellular communicators that are available. Depending on the central station ... | ||
| Caddx Ranger 8600 smoke detector | 1/23/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: I have 2 System Sensor Heat/Smoke detectors Model # 211/24R hard wired to my Caddx Ranger 8600 ... A: and thanks for your question. The smoke/heat detectors, when tripped, should cause the siren to ... | ||
| Fire alarm | 1/22/2012 | John E. Pecore Power Quality Engineer |
| Q: Every time we have a power outage, all of our fire alarms go off, and the only way we can stop them ... A: I can tell you an electrician should be-able to help you rig something up with a UPS. I understand ... | ||
| Erroneous Alarms | 1/15/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: We have five FireX 102-1072B smoke detectors throughout our house and more than once, most recently ... A: and thanks for writing. Most unwanted alarms are caused by uncleaned detectors. Also, most ... | ||
| wireless alarm systems | 1/15/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: Dave, I am in the process of selecting an alarm system and a monitoring company and have not had ... A: and thanks for your question. Wireless alarm systems operate around 433 MHz, which is miles away ... | ||
| ADT SMOKE DETECTOR BATTERY | 1/15/2012 | Steven Burman |
| Q: I have the ADEMCO ADT panel and the smoke alarm on the ceiling has been beeping for two weeks now. I ... A: Diane, Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine what the problem could be. The beeping might ... | ||
| Morse MDC16 | 1/9/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: We are monitoring this system for fire. I can not seem to get the panel to send a test timer ... A: As memory serves, the panel uses a 555 IC chip, which is just a timer... so the system doesn't have ... | ||
| Morse MDC16 | 1/9/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: We are monitoring this system for fire. I can not seem to get the panel to send a test timer ... A: and thanks for reminding me how old I am to even remember this panel (just kidding). The panel does ... | ||
| FireX Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detector | 1/6/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: My smoke/carbon monoxide detector has been beeping for the past two days, 2 beeps every minute or ... A: and thanks for writing. If this is a combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, it's mounted on ... | ||
| FBII xl 31 alarm | 1/4/2012 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: Background I recently purchased a house that has FBI XL-31 alarm system and XK-7LC key pads(LCD ... A: and thanks for your question. The simple answer is to find and correct the reason that the zone is ... | ||
| apex advantage problems | 1/2/2012 | Steven Burman |
| Q: Our system is prior 1997 & had always functioned well. In 2010 we had to change the motion detector, ... A: Genevieve, Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine what the problem is with your system. My ... | ||
| GE Concord Express 60-806 question | 12/29/2011 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: I have a Concord Express 60-806 that I installed many years ago and the battery needs to be ... A: and thanks for writing. I checked the manual, and it came up lacking in silencing troubles for more ... | ||
| DSC POWER 632 Alarm System | 12/28/2011 | Frank Kurz |
| Q: I have a DSC POWER 632 Security System with an LED 5508 key pad. My problem is on my alarm system I ... A: Zone 8 troulbe display indicates that you've had a total power failure on the system (at one point). ... | ||
| Fire alarm | 12/26/2011 | John E. Pecore Power Quality Engineer |
| Q: Every time we have a power outage, all of our fire alarms go off, and the only way we can stop them ... A: I am answering this from my cell phone. The only way you can do this is use a battery backup with ... | ||
| Ademco N5100V3 - Keypad LCD Display | 12/19/2011 | Frank Kurz |
| Q: My service provider has recently modified (added) the zones on my Ademco N5100V3 security system. ... A: This particular keypad is fairly easy to program but you will still need the installers code with ... | ||
| PC1555RKZ Keypad | 12/18/2011 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: The yellow system light stays on. The chime feature still works. However, I can't set the system to ... A: I'm glad to hear that the "re-boot" of your system cleared the trouble. I've re-evaluated my ... | ||
| PC1555RKZ Keypad | 12/17/2011 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: The yellow system light stays on. The chime feature still works. However, I can't set the system to ... A: and thanks for writing. This is an unusual problem, since the *2 diagnostic function doesn't show ... | ||
| Ademco N5100V3 - Keypad LCD Display | 12/16/2011 | Frank Kurz |
| Q: My service provider has recently modified (added) the zones on my Ademco N5100V3 security system. ... A: Your service provider should have done this when he modified (added) the zones. You will need ... | ||
| Replacing a kep pad | 12/15/2011 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: I was wondering if you could help me find a key pad that I could replace ours with. We had an adt ... A: and thanks for your question. Although the keypad is labeled with ADT, it's made by a different ... | ||
| DSC PC1500 keypad beeping in the middle of the night | 12/15/2011 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: My house and the DSC PC1500 is 19 years old. Every night, around 4:00 am the DSC PC1500 keypad keep ... A: Depending on how your system was initially set up by the installer, you may not be able to turn off ... | ||
| DSC PC1500 keypad beeping in the middle of the night | 12/14/2011 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: My house and the DSC PC1500 is 19 years old. Every night, around 4:00 am the DSC PC1500 keypad keep ... A: and thanks for writing. "Failure to communicate" means that your control has attempted to pass ... | ||
| motion sensor | 12/13/2011 | Dave Neuweiler |
| Q: Yesterday we had a power outage in our neighborhood and power has been restored. This morning I ... A: and thanks for writing. Sounds like you're talking about a motion-activated outdoor light. Two ... | ||
| motion sensor | 12/13/2011 | John E. Pecore Power Quality Engineer |
| Q: Yesterday we had a power outage in our neighborhood and power has been restored. This morning I ... A: I need you too ask this question to someone else in this group because I am a Power Quality Engineer ... | ||
| Perimeter system | 12/12/2011 | Frank Kurz |
| Q: Whats a good perimeter system i cant seem to find any as i have a yard and i like the idea about ... A: I would recommend DSC's Alexor for any rental unit because you can move it easily to your new ... | ||
| Perimeter system | 12/12/2011 | Frank Kurz |
| Q: Whats a good perimeter system i cant seem to find any as i have a yard and i like the idea about ... A: The best "perimeter system" employs glass breakage detectors and contacts on all the doors. If it's ... | ||
Security & Fire Protection Systems
Answers by Expert:
Dave Neuweiler
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
The design and application of burglary and fire systems for homes and businesses. Helping alarm owners understand how their system works. Helping to troubleshoot false alarm problems. Questions about monitoring issues.
Experience
Over a quarter century in the industry. Experience in installation, service, and monitoring centers. Training manager for a national protective services company; director of education and training for a national trade organization for for alarm dealers.
Education/Credentials
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