We have an Elk M1 Gold wIth 4-wire GE smokes (541NCSXT) throughout the house and a heat detector in the kitchen. The smokes are wired to different zones. We have had multiple false alarms over the past 4 months. Each false alarm has been from a different smoke detector. The smoke detectors have all be reset and cleaned, but we continue to have false alarms. Our system has been serviced after each false alarm, but no cause has been found. The fire department is automatically called after each false, so we are anxious to get this fixed. Any suggestions are appreciated. Please help. Thank you.
Elk M1 Gold False Alarms
- Thread starter rfortuna
- Start date
rfortuna said:
Did you verify the age of the smokes by the label on them or by when they were purchased? Sometimes those dates can vary wildly.
Are they pulling power from the panel itself? How many smokes do you have? What other sensors are installed that might be pulling power directly from the panel?
Anything else like motions, glassbreaks? Do the same one or two smokes keep going off or is it random?
Only time Ive had some funkiness in regards to smokes/CO detectors was when the power supply powering them (not the panel, in my case) ended up with a bad battery. The Elk panel should be doing a battery test so yours is probably OK, but could be a temp. glitch that causes an issue (I think Ive read that the Elk runs off the battery even in normal state)
Does any of the wiring go to unconditioned spaces like a crawlspace or attic? Maybe humidity or moisture is getting to them.
Only time Ive had some funkiness in regards to smokes/CO detectors was when the power supply powering them (not the panel, in my case) ended up with a bad battery. The Elk panel should be doing a battery test so yours is probably OK, but could be a temp. glitch that causes an issue (I think Ive read that the Elk runs off the battery even in normal state)
Does any of the wiring go to unconditioned spaces like a crawlspace or attic? Maybe humidity or moisture is getting to them.
Check a few things:
1. Is there proper EOL power supervision?
2. Have you counted the blinks on the detectors?
3. Have you verified wiring as intact? This sounds like a school we did where the wiring was stapled too tight and with non-crown staples for a gun....
4. What sort of loading is on the panel's aux power?
5. Is this a DIY or pro install?
1. Is there proper EOL power supervision?
2. Have you counted the blinks on the detectors?
3. Have you verified wiring as intact? This sounds like a school we did where the wiring was stapled too tight and with non-crown staples for a gun....
4. What sort of loading is on the panel's aux power?
5. Is this a DIY or pro install?
Thanks for everyone's thoughts. For the time being we have turned the system off and put temporary smoke detectors in the house, but we are still home to resurrect the ELK. To respond to the comments:
1) This was a professional installation and all of the wiring was meticulous. The installer/company has been back to work on the system numerous times, but we have not been able to find the problem.
2) There are no smokes or detectors in any crawl spaces. All smokes are in the air conditioned house
3) The installer cleaned all of the smokes and found no dirt or spiders. The installer tested the sensitivity on all of the smoke detectors and they are all functioning properly.
4) The battery is new
5) The installer / security company has even contacted ELK on multiple occasions but ELK has not been able to help provide a resolution.
I am worried about moving forward with an unreliable system. I am just a bit lost. Should we replace the entire system (2yr/old) and get away from ELK? Thanks again for the input.
1) This was a professional installation and all of the wiring was meticulous. The installer/company has been back to work on the system numerous times, but we have not been able to find the problem.
2) There are no smokes or detectors in any crawl spaces. All smokes are in the air conditioned house
3) The installer cleaned all of the smokes and found no dirt or spiders. The installer tested the sensitivity on all of the smoke detectors and they are all functioning properly.
4) The battery is new
5) The installer / security company has even contacted ELK on multiple occasions but ELK has not been able to help provide a resolution.
I am worried about moving forward with an unreliable system. I am just a bit lost. Should we replace the entire system (2yr/old) and get away from ELK? Thanks again for the input.
tmbrown97
Senior Member
If it were me at the point you're at, I'd replace the smokes with new ones and temporarily set them to not trigger a fire response until you've had a month to see that it's performing the way it's supposed to.
Any chance there's power fluctuation going on? You could put in a P212S and run the smokes just off that so it's got a clean and independant power source (DEL can confirm if this is all legal or not - more his area of expertise)... but if you've ruled out dirty smokes and the wiring is good, I'd see if anything else has changed - like power drops, increased resistance anywhere, etc.
Any chance there's power fluctuation going on? You could put in a P212S and run the smokes just off that so it's got a clean and independant power source (DEL can confirm if this is all legal or not - more his area of expertise)... but if you've ruled out dirty smokes and the wiring is good, I'd see if anything else has changed - like power drops, increased resistance anywhere, etc.
No foul in running the smokes off an aux supply, you're not modifying the operation of the system (assuming backup battery, supervisiory relay etc) and the reset action is considered (or then again, this is to just load the system for testing purposes).
Since no mention of the specific make/model smokes was made, besides a "me too" it could be a detector or board heading south on the smokes. I wouldn't assume the M1, but it may be possible for a cable or staple being slightly too tight or a draft going into a detector (box, etc).
Could also be a backup battery sucking the system down but not triggering the LB on the panel. Usually a bad battery will cause all sorts of strange items to occur.
Since no mention of the specific make/model smokes was made, besides a "me too" it could be a detector or board heading south on the smokes. I wouldn't assume the M1, but it may be possible for a cable or staple being slightly too tight or a draft going into a detector (box, etc).
Could also be a backup battery sucking the system down but not triggering the LB on the panel. Usually a bad battery will cause all sorts of strange items to occur.
