A Power Fail signal is received when your security system registers a loss of mains power to the alarm system. During a power fail a standby battery takes over supplying power to the security system and should enable the alarm system to operate. The duration that a standby battery is able to maintain the alarm system is variable & dependent on many factors, such as condition of the battery and the power usage of the system. If the power to the alarm system is not restored, the system shall continue to operate on the standby battery until it is fully discharged (runs flat), at which time you will no longer be protected.
A large proportion of power fail situations are related to electrical black outs. These situations generally rectify themselves when grid power is returned. However on occasion a circuit breaker may have tripped or another cause may exist, that requires customer intervention to restore power to the alarm system.
Apart from an area power outage, this signal could also indicate that the alarm system has been unplugged from a normal power point, just as you would unplug any electrical appliance or that the mains supply to the premises has been turned off.
Should mains power not restore, the cause of the power loss should be investigated & rectified prior to the battery running low. When your standby system battery is running low you should be notified by ADVCOMM, however, the monitoring center will not receive signals from a security system where mains power is off and the standby battery is fully discharged.
What are some of the other reasons my alarm system has lost power?
The Power Fail signal may be caused by some of the following:
Mains supply failure in your area
Blown fuse on the premise
Cleaner removed the power pack
Power pack has come loose in the socket or has accidentally been removed
What can I check?
If you are experiencing a black out in your area there is nothing you can do until power has been restored. (If your power is off for several days, your alarm panel may need minor reprogramming after the power has been restored)
Check your keypad to see if your power light has restored, if it has then this indicates that the mains power has recovered.
Locate your power pack, (this looks like an oversized phone charger), and feel it, it should be warm to the touch if working OK.
If the power pack is cold, remove it and plug it back in, then check the keypad power light to confirm if the power has been restored.
If nothing has worked, test the power point by plugging in another electrical device. If this device works then try the power pack again, if it has failed use an extension lead to plug the power pack into another power point.
An electrician may be required if you cannot restore mains power to the premises. In the event that you cannot restore mains power to the alarm system but have mains power available at the security system’s power point, please call ADVCOMM Support at 1-866-442-5050 to troubleshoot your system, to discuss the alternatives and to assist with a service call.