Speaker vs Interior Siren and 3-wire sirens

[SteveS]

First, general advice.  My 20-year-old DSC system didn't have speakers at all.  There is a siren in the HVAC return duct in the basement.  It can be heard very easily all over the house and once when we were away a false alarm was even heard by the neighbors.
 
With ELK I have planned on installing several speakers but with a teenage daughter who can sleep through just about anything I'm wondering if speakers will be loud enough.
 
So I'm just looking for suggestions on what would be the best setup.
 
 
Second, and more specifically, I'm confused what to do with sirens with three wires -- the ELK-SS36 for example. I've only seen mention of connecting self-contained sirens to OUT2 but where would the third wire go?
 
thanks,
Steve

 

[RAL]

First, general advice.  My 20-year-old DSC system didn't have speakers at all.  There is a siren in the HVAC return duct in the basement.  It can be heard very easily all over the house and once when we were away a false alarm was even heard by the neighbors.
 
With ELK I have planned on installing several speakers but with a teenage daughter who can sleep through just about anything I'm wondering if speakers will be loud enough.
 
So I'm just looking for suggestions on what would be the best setup.
 
 
Second, and more specifically, I'm confused what to do with sirens with three wires -- the ELK-SS36 for example. I've only seen mention of connecting self-contained sirens to OUT2 but where would the third wire go?
 
thanks,
Steve

 
You're going to want an interior speaker if you want to hear the voice announcements from the M1.  During alarm conditions, the speakers will also produce siren sounds.  The volume is pretty loud, though I can't say whether or not it would be enough to wake your daughter.  It will depend partly on where you locate the speakers relative to where she sleeps.  You could always add an extra speaker in her room.
 
The problem with an interior siren is that the sound will not be in sync with the sound from the speakers, which can be annoying.
 
Sirens like the SS36 can sound as either a steady tone siren, or as a yelp siren.  That's the reason for the 3 wires.  You activate one wire or the other depending on which sound you want.  If you wanted to take advantage of both sounds for different alarm conditions, you could use rule to operate a relay (e.g. Out3) to select the desired sound.
 
I would probably install speakers initially, and if you decide that isn't loud enough, add a screamer in your daughter's room.

 

[Del91574]

First, remove the speaker from within the ductwork......poor practice and also against code. Think about what plastic gives off during a fire and decide whether or not it's a good idea to be there, ESPECIALLY A RETURN, which is going to pump the fumes throughout the house. They're not listed for installation within spaces used for air handling....I've heard a lot of guys in Canada believe it to be the best location, but it's scary in my head.
 
I'm not a fan of the overkill on alarm condition. Adding multiple forms of sound and trying to discern which is which at 2AM isn't what I'd call fun....and in 20+ years in the field, I can count the number of times on one hand I've actually seen someone use both connections on a multi-tone siren.
 
I'd suggest speakers, and if you need more volume, plan the style accordingly. A SP12F is going to be quieter than say, an Ademco 746F. Different sized voice cones, coils and impedance.Same holds true if you compared that to something like an Elk SP40. The only difference you're running into is the overall wattage the M1 can put out vs. through something like the TWA attached to it or via another means, like a 25V or 70V speaker/amp setup.