Hello, I have the veritas 8 alarm installed when my house was built in 2003. I need to replace any batteries in control unit and outside sounder. Any help with procedure and battery type would be very much appreciated as it looks like the unset light is blinking and i am not looking forward to having the alarm sounding for too long. Cheers

Phil.M, October 2013

sic biscuitus disentegratum !

gts, October 2013

and I made my feelings VERY clear to gardiners,or should I say now adi global ,you know me mate,am not shy about coming forward with the truth,i tell it like it is

gts, October 2013

oh they will e manno,i spent two hours doing a survey for cctv,gave client list of the kit he needed,he went to gardiners in Glasgow,he not in trade,they sold him everything,and to top it all he got some one else to do the job,!!!!!insult to injury what it means,if you in from the street with a big wad of sweaty dosh,your in

gts, October 2013

True words and sound advice gts :)

As you say mate most suppliers are trade only but it's worth a try.

I've known some trade counters that will sell to the public.

Well if you are a pretty lassy that is :D

e manno, October 2013

tell you what users out there,do not buy a battery from maplins,a 7 amp costs £37.00 a 2.1 £25.00
go to an alarm supplier you get it very much cheaper they are not supposed to sell to the public,but they will do ,all I can say is £12.75 for a 7 amp and £8.75 for a 2.1 amp

gts, October 2013

never e manno,cant get enough of your craic,least your smart guy and make much sence :-)

gts, October 2013

Yeh sound mate.
I always say if panel can take a 7ah then slap one in.

The guide is only for folk on a budget really mate, as the 7ah's tend to be over priced these days.

"Novel" pmsl....that's nowt wait until I get the big red book out:)

Perish the thought even I wouldn't subject you guys to that :D,

And yes you guessed it!,I talk to much :).

e manno, October 2013

a lot of guys I know have no clue what size batt to fit e manno,if a 7 amp fit in panel then in it goes even if just a very small system,and I know you know exactly what am on about :-)

gts, October 2013

hi e manno,thats not an answer ,thats a novel !!!!
:-)

gts, October 2013

Don't worry about the battery inside the sounder at this stage,remember to fully test the system when you have replaced the control panels battery.

All professional quality alarm systems must have a back-up battery in order to maintain the system in the event of a mains power failure. The battery is usually fitted within the control panel. The most common type of backup battery is the rechargeable (12v nominal) lead/acid type. These are usually valve-regulated sealed units, and can thus fitted in any physical orientation, although it is safer to fit them upright where possible. The battery is recharged from a fuse-protected charging circuit in the control panel.

Battery life is approximately 5 years, but the battery should be tested annually. The simplest way to test the battery without test equipment is to disconnect the mains supply and ensure that the battery maintains the alarm system in unset mode. NB: If the Battery in the system is known to be more than about 4 years old be wary using the above method especially on alarm systems over 10 years old or on low end systems sold by DIY stores as these may not be fitted with a Non-volatile Memory (NVM) or in some cases the NVM may be corrupted. Some Control Panels indicate when the battery voltage falls below a certain value and thus needs replacing.

Battery Capacity
Battery capacity is measured in Ampere hours (Ah), where 1Ah will supply 1 Amp for 1 hour. For example a battery rated at 2.1Ah will maintain a system using 1 Amp for 2.1 hours. In general the largest capacity battery that can be used should be fitted - this is usually determined by the physical size of the control panel. Control panels described as compact will only accept 2.1Ah batteries whereas large-cased panels will accept any battery up to 7.0Ah and in some cases up to 2 x 7.0Ah batteries can be fitted.

European standards recommend that the battery should maintain the system in standby (unset) mode for 12 hours. To determine the battery size required for the system, the power used by the system in standby mode should be calculated and then multiplied by 12 to give the size of battery required. For example, consider the following system with typical standby currents.

Control Panel 50mA
External Sounder 50mA
4 x PIRs (15mA ea) 60mA

Total Power (standby) 160nA

Battery required for 12 hours standby = 12 x 160 = 1920mAh = 1.92Ah

Hence a 2.1Ah battery will suffice, and as such any size control panel could be used.

Obviouly, the addition of extra powered detectors or external sounders would then require a larger battery and hence a larger panel.

Battery Replacement
WARNING

THE MAINS SUPPLY TO THE CONTROL PANEL MUST BE ISOLATED BEFORE OPENING THE ALARM CONTROL PANEL

NB: On older control panels (not fitted with a Non-volatile Memory [NVM] Chip), removing all the power (mains and battery) may result in the control panel reverting to its factory-set defaults, and it will thus require re-programming. If this is a possibility then it may be beneficial to use a qualified electrician to replace the battery. The installation manual will be required to re-program the system.

Disconnect the mains supply to the control panel - confirm that the power light extinguishes.
Remove the control panel cover - alarm will sound - enter the user code to silence the alarm.
Disconnect the leads from the battery.
Connect the new battery - observe polarity. Silence the alarm by entering the user code.
Refit the control panel cover.
Reset the control panel.
Restore the mains supply.
 

Note: the new battery may take several hours charging to reach its full capacity.

So in short the veritas will except up to a 7Ah (excluding the compact),battery to big for the compact :).

e manno, October 2013