I recently bought a house with a Safewatch Pro 3000, with no instructions, codes, or users manual. I was able to use the forum to get the master code reset and am able to activate, de-activate, and program the system.
However, the system has recently begun to 'chirp' every 40 seconds for the last week. For a brief time, the 'BAT' display was shown on the user panel, but has not shown up for the last three days.

Can anyone help me disable the chirp and then correct the casue of the chirping?

Thank you in advance for your help

 

You can get a user manual directly from either the www.ADT.com website or from the Honeywell/Ademco site (Vista 20p), www.security.honeywell.com/sce/.

If I had to guess, if you have wireless devices, the battery in one of those may be failing. It could be the main system battery as well, because the system tests that every 4 hours or so. Also, if you have never disabled the dialer, your system may be trying to call the ADT monitoring center, and failing to connect. (that would be Comm. Fail or FC on the display).

If the system was left without power for an extended span of time before you moved in, I'd bet on the system battery (this type of battery can be damaged by deep discharges).

 

Thanks for the link to the manuals.

I've checked the devices. None are wireless. And no comm errors are reporting.

I shoud have mentioned that the 'chirping' was coming from the sounder, and not the input panel.

I'll go out and purchase a new main battery and see if that works.

In the meantime, is there any way to elliminate/disable the chirping warning. It's driving my wife nuts and she wants me to clip the wires to it. I'd like to find a more eligant solution.

Thank you

 

"I was denied, critical, need to know, information!"

If the sound is coming from the alarm sounder (siren or speaker), and not the keypad, then there is something else very different going on. Some models of 12v siren need a resistor across the terminals, or else a small leakage current will make them make a faint warble or humm come across when the system is idle.

If you are hearing this "chirp" and it's a sharp, very audible tone, then I think that you most likely need to look at your smoke and/or CO alarms instead. If there's a smoke near your wall mounted siren/sounder, you may be misinterpreting the source of the sound (the smoke low battery alert tends to echo).

 

Sorry about the missing information.

You are correct that there are three devices presesnt in this hallway....the remote sounder, the smoke detecor, and an RF motion detector.

The device I thought was chirping with a loud, single, distict 'chirp' every 40 seconds was what ADT calls their ADT indoor sounder. So I cut the wires from the circuit board to the small piezo-electric speaker...but I still heard the chirping every 40 seconds.

So I went to the wired smoke detctor and disconnected it from the system. I still hear the chirp.
The only thing left is the motion detector, which is wired, so I don't think it has a back-up battery in that small unit...but I may be wrong. I cant figure how to open it, or even how to get it off the wall. (It seems to be attached/screwed in somewhere on the right side of the back of the unit.)

Do you have any idea how to get the motion detector opened so I can see the mounting screws (and maybe a back-up 9v battery???)

Anyway, I now have the remote indoor sounder speaker wires cut, the smoke alarm disconnected and moved to another room, and I still get the chirp every 40 seconds.

Do you know if the circuit board in the remote sounder has a separate chirp-capable device mounted on the board itself?

I've tried to wrap every comonent in a bath towel, but the chirp is loud enought that I am unabel to detect any muffling...So, by removing the smoke detector, I guess it must either be the circuit board on the remote sender or the motion detector making the chirp.

Sorry to keep pestering, but any other ideas would be very welcome

 

There are no sounders in the motion detector, leave it alone.

The problem is very likely a smoke. Even disconnected from power, and with the battery removed, they store enough power to chirp for a while before it is depleted.

I don't think that your problem is coming from any of the alarm system components. I have seen such an issue resolved by the discovery of a long forgotten Carbon Monoxide detector plugged into a wall outlet behind a piece of furniture.

If this sound is happening every 40 seconds, rather than cut wires randomly, listen carefully and narrow your location down.

 

Thank you. You were right. I went to the attic and found an old co2 detector that had been buried in the isulation and was against the dry wall. The battery was low, and the chirping came thru the ceiling.

Thanks again for the patience and help. (I'll be resoldering the speaker wires now!)

Great site and very useful