FAQ

The power is on, but my system still indicates "Trouble", Why?

The answer depends upon the type of system- intrusion or fire- and the type of trouble.

For intrusion/security alarm systems, trouble can be caused by the loss of the system's clock time- see how to fix this. For Digital Security Controls systems, press the "star" key followed by "2" to view detailed information about the trouble condition

Other common causes for system trouble include:

  • The system tried to call/communicate with the monitoring station and failed- this could be because of a phone system problem or phone wiring problem
  • The system has a low battery, either the main system battery or if the system has wireless devices, one of the wireless devices has a low battery
  • For systems equipped with a cellular radio to send alarm signals to the monitoring station, the cellular signal strength may have dropped below the minimum required for a short time or the cellular network was experiencing an outage. Please contact us if this continues
  • There might be a wiring problem- the system continually checks the wiring. If a wire going to a door, window, motion detector or other sensor is broken, this will cause trouble to be indicated.

In addition to the causes above, for Fire Alarm systems or systems equipped with smoke and heat detectors, other causes for trouble may include:

  • Smoke detectors removed from the base that contains the wiring
  • A dirty or faulty smoke detector, as some systems have the capability to send their sensitivity to the main control panel
  • A smoke detector or zone that has been disabled, either with a front-panel switch or with a user programming command
  • A bell or horn circuit that has been disabled by a switch or programing command
  • The system silence switch left in the "Silence" postion after all other switches have been returned to normal
  • Low temperature, as some systems have the ability to have the smoke detectors report a temperature near freezing to the main control panel to prevent freezing of sprinkler pipes
  • A fire sprinkler system with a closed valve or low system air pressure that is monitored by the fire alarm system. Building Controls does not service fire sprinkler systems- if there is a problem with your sprinkler system, please contact your fire sprinkler company for assistance