Hi everyone, we’ve had our Ademco Vista 20P alarm system for a long time without any problems, but tonight both keypads suddenly started making a loud continuous alarm sound, even though the siren wasn’t going off.
On the keypads (Honeywell 6150RF), the only indicators that were lit up were “CHIME” and “BAT.”
There were no zones or CA codes showing, and it didn’t seem like it tried to call the alarm company, so I don’t think it was an actual alarm trigger.
We pressed the asterisk key on the keypad, and the noise stopped, but about 2 hours later, it happened again.
I checked the backup battery in the panel (Solex 12v 7Ah), and it’s reading 13.73 volts when connected and 13.21 volts when disconnected, which seems okay, but I’m not totally sure.
I also checked the batteries in the glass break sensor (Honeywell 5853), and the CR123 batteries are around 2.98 volts, which seems a bit low.
For now, I’ve disconnected the backup battery and unplugged the main power to the panel to stop the alarm. I’ll be replacing the backup battery and the glass break batteries tomorrow, but I’m not certain if that will solve the issue.
Does anyone have any ideas or other things I should check?
Also, how can I figure out which zone the glass break sensor is on so I can try bypassing it?
When you see Batt on the screen with a zone number, it usually means the battery for that zone is low. If it shows Batt without a zone number, it’s likely the main panel battery. Sometimes, the system won’t call the central station for low battery alerts, depending on your setup. Even if a battery shows good voltage without a load, it might still drop when under load. The panel tests the battery every few hours by putting more load on it, and if the voltage drops too much, it’ll trigger a low battery warning. Batteries typically last around 5 years, even if you rarely use them. When they get old, they can’t hold a charge as well. You can find replacements at stores like Batteries Plus or many hardware and sporting goods stores. Look for a 12v, 4-8 Ah battery with an F1 terminal.
After putting in the new battery, you’ll probably need to reset the panel to get rid of the BAT alert. To reset, disconnect the red wire from the battery and the wire from terminal 1 on the left side of the bus bar. Wait for about a minute, then reconnect the wires. If the new battery has enough charge, it should clear the alert. If not, the new battery might just need a little time to charge up.
It’s best to check the battery under load, not just by voltage alone. Also, look for a date code on it. If it’s old, it probably needs replacing. You can get a replacement on Amazon or at a Batteries Plus store near you.