Caddx NX-8 False Alarms

[rffuzz]

I have a friend who has a Caddx NX-8 panel with an expansion board for additional zones. There is a RF keypad, which is only being used for fobs. All the contacts are magnetic. He has randamly been having false alarms at different zones. He has watched the keypad and the faulted zones will secure themselves without any further intervention after a few minutes. They appear to be occuring about once a month. Has anyone seen this before? I'm close to just blanking the whole board and starting over.


Thanks,
Mark

 

[Del91574]

Wouldn't put defaulting the panel into consideration, it's only doing what it's programmed to do. Either it's bad/failing panel, a power issue (if there's powered devices affected, or the zones are on the expander) or something as simple as a staple being driven too tight causing a short/cold flow wiring.

Further information regarding the power questions (battery, output, AC, etc.) then moving on to eliminate wiring or devices.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I would consider taking a resistance reading of each zone in a faulted condition (you would have to take the wiring out of the panel to do this).

 

[k2zs]

I would have to agree with BraveSirRobin,

I doubt that there is any issue with the NX-8 programming so defaulting the panel won't help you. Having spent many years in the security industry, and working with GE panels, I would like to offer some tips.

Testing Contacts:

When testing contacts it is best to test right at the panel. Remove the loop from the panel and put your meter on the wires using clip leads, never "hold" the leads on the wires as your body resistance will affect the readings. Note your initial reading, it should range from a few ohms to no more than 20-30 ohms.

Next, open and close a door or window on the loop. Go back and check to see that the loop resistance has returned to the same value as when you started. It's also good to check that the loop shows a totally "open" circuit when the contact is open. If your meter doesn't "auto range" make sure that you sweep through the available ranges on your meter.

Contacts do fail over time and using this method you can easily track down an offending device by through the process of elimination. Any contact that doesn't return the loop to normal should be replaced. Also, seeing any resistance on a supposedly "open" loop may mean that there is a junction or connection point that may have been damaged by moisture and is pulling "ground" potential. Recessed contacts are usually the culprit.


Is the zone on the main board (zones 1 - 8) or the zone expander?

Over the years I have found that the terminals on the GE zone expanders come loose over time. Not sure why, it may be due to the the contact pad inside the terminal loosing its spring strength, but I have had many systems that require re-tightening on a regular basis. That has become standard practice with any GE system now during annual inspections.

That's about all I can suggest without further information. I would have to say that 99.9% of false alarms that I deal with are due to things external to the main system...