Re: troubleshooting old alarm, worked perfectly till this am....

[Wednesday Rowan <wednesdaytgw@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Monday, July 20, 2015 at 7:27:45 PM UTC-7, JoeRaisin wrote:
> Open each door and window, one at a time (make sure you have a clear=20
> panel besides zone 1) and note the lights on your alarm panel.  It is=20
> possible that you may have several opening on one zone so write down=20
> which openings correspond to which red lights.
>=20
> If there is no change when you've opened a contacted opening, note that=
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> also but go through the entire system before stopping (this will also=20
> give you references for future troubleshooting.
>=20
> Once you've identified the doors and/or windows that do not cause a red=
=20
> light on any other zones you have identified the location or locations=20
> where the trouble exists.
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> Next step is to pull the contact and detach the wires.  Ensure all other=
=20
> openings (assuming there is more than one) on the zone are secured and=20
> twist the wires together - this will "trick" the panel into thinking the=
=20
> contact is closed.  If there is a resistor connected to the wires,=20
> ensure that it is included in your circuit.  for multiple openings,=20
> leave the wires twisted as you move on to the next opening.
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> If your zone clears, you have a defective contact, if not, it is=20
> possibly the wire or the zone on the panel itself.
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> Go to your panel and detach the wires from zone 1.  If there is a=20
> resistor in the panel, or if you found one connected to the contact,=20
> place the resistor across the terminals for zone 1.  If you haven't=20
> found any resistors, use a multimeter to check resistance on a zone that=
=20
> is functioning properly - place that same resistance across the=20
> terminals.  Also check the door of the panel enclosure, it will often=20
> have a diagram of the terminals and may indicate what resistance, if=20
> any, the panel requires.
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> Zone 1 MAY have a different resistance required than that of the other=20
> zones - it is rare, but I've seen it and I am not familiar with the=20
> product you mentioned.
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> The zone should clear indicating you have a broken wire somewhere.  If=20
> it does not clear, then your panel is faulty.  If you cannot replace the=
=20
> panel immediately, you can place the wires from zone 1 in series with=20
> another zone.
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> In case it's the wire - that can get tricky.  Moisture in the walls can=
=20
> cause corrosion at the connections and is not uncommon, as is mice, rats=
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> or chipmunks (yeah, yeah, they're cute, but they're also destructive=20
> little bastards) chewing through the cabling.
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> If there are several devices, you may find the wire twist clears the=20
> zones at some point - that indicates that the break is 'after' that devic=
e.
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> If that is the case, come back here and report your findings, how many=20
> devices are connected to the zone, where it cleared (if it did), how=20
> many conductors are present in the cabling that was attached to the=20
> contacts and also find out where (if anywhere) you have access to the=20
> alarm wiring.
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> May also be helpful to put pictures of your panel on a site such as=20
> ImageShack and post the link here.
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> Happy hunting
********************************************************=20
I spoke too soon... now red again.... I've taken the window out and repeate=
d what worked this afternoon... not working now
the "zones".... are 1 and 2... not sure if that is upstairs and down (when =
I had the window out downstairs both zones were red... not very sophisticat=
ed...
there are three double wires that seem to come from upstairs (trouble windo=
w, I think, the light went green when I reset the magnet in that window)...=
 one of the wires is probably the siren, since two wires are the same size =
and one is thicker... I thought to start with the two that look alike...  p=
robably the two upstairs windows?
looks like your plan is the way to go...=20

but, I'm not sure what you mean by twisting the wires together... when the =
system is "off" will it set off the alarm if I remove a wire?
I was thinking, if the one that is not showing a connection is removed, it =
should allow me then to set the alarm, yes?
[URL=3Dhttp://s254.photobucket.com/user/wendynailart/media/Projects/DSCN961=
9.jpg.html][IMG]http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh114/wendynailart/Proje=
cts/DSCN9619.jpg[/IMG][/URL]


thanks for your help!