I have searched this site for an answer and apologise if I upset anyone by asking a stupid question! This happened once before and engineer told me to cut power to house and remove battery and then power up again? However, it ended with my having to call out engineer who changed the panel batery. As someone has said, the battery is rechargeable - found battery had no acid and had two coroded cells- filled and tried to recharge but two cells blew out acid. When ordering a new battery was advised by expert (?) that panels do not have to have a battery, only the bell box. Whilst waiting for replacement battery, is there anything else I can try? Since fitting in 1996, I have only had one problem which was a battery!

James, January 2011

and i did say may,not for sure,so,nah,nah,na na nah,:-)

gts, January 2011

should.not always me little nut,:-)any way,i just like to type programme,wots wrong wif that ????:-)

gts, January 2011

Excuse gts, he has a thing about reprogramming panels after loss of power, you've got an NVM chip (Non-volatile memory chip) it will / should hold all the programming and not be a problem

acorn, January 2011

one more thing james,you cant test a battery with a bulb,you need a p.a.c tester,expensive to buy,nor can you test it with a volt meter,

gts, January 2011

i believe i just said that,acorn,:-)

gts, January 2011

ps.

If you're going to replace a battery yourself, Maplin will be the place to go, a Yuasa battery is one of the better makes.

acorn, January 2011

Well, you are on your 3rd battery, aren't you?
The 4th is due in 2011, 5yrs max. for panel batts. unless of course something is found to be wrong with one then it should be replaced earlier.

Alarm batts. are sealed batts. there are NO user (or Engineer) serviceable parts.

Alarm control panels DO have batteries. The one recommended for your panel is a 2.6 or 6Ah, don't think the 6Ah is available now so a 7Ah would be its replacement. In the case of an alarm the largest size that will fit in the panel will give the best standby time in the event of a power cut, it's supposed to be a minimum of 8hrs.

The above should be of help to you.

I'm not going to say anything much about your engineer, BUT words fail me, "When ordering a new battery was advised by expert (?) that panels do not have to have a battery, only the bell box." Get a NEW expert!!

Get back here with or for further information/help.

acorn, January 2011

Thank you for your info - much appreciated. I did switch off all the electrics to the house before removing the battery.......but since switching off all supply points, the main panel still lit up so I took out the panel fuse before disconnecting the battery...The battery was cold to touch and when I tested with car bulb, it was as dead as a dodo, plus no liquid in cells and two cells all furred up. Are new batteries sealed with acid or are they dry type? The old battery was not a sealed type and once cover was removed each cell had a rubber stopper, supposedly to fill when new with acid? The company I first rang for a battery was ABC Batteries and it was them who told me about the battery in the bell box etc. I have ordered a Yuasa at the correct amperage and If I have any problems will immediately contact you - thank you again

James, January 2011

and stay clear of so called experts who tell you that alarm panels dont have stand-by batteries,their talk is on the level of their intellect,:-)

gts, January 2011

and buy a good battery,not cheap muck,yuasa,thats what to look out for,and make sure you fit the right ampage battery,

gts, January 2011

your panel has a rechargeable battery,its not ment to be taken apart,your lucky it did not blow up in your face,
get yourself a new battery,you where given the wrong advice,and not by any of the regulars here,the battery is marked sealed for a reason,when you ask for advice,you must give all relevant information,then we can work out what your prob may be,after you fit the new battery,you may need to reprogramme the panel,if so,come back here.

gts, January 2011