Interconnected smoke alarm - troubleshooting

[Neptune]

Hi,

I have an aico alarm system which was mains powered and interconnected when installed 3 years ago. It's not been maintained and when I took a look recently, a couple of the detectors are missing. Only the ceiling plate is on the ceiling. Also, the interconnect isn't working. When I test any smoke detector, only that beeps and - none of the others.

I need to ensure that they are all still mains powered and restore the interconnection between them. They have a 3 core and earth cable for the interconnect.

I am pretty handy with electrics and own various tools including a fluke 2 pole tester.

I have 8 detectors. Can you please suggest a logical approach for this. Does the indicator on the detectors have any significance?

Look forward to receiving your advice. Thanks in advance.

 

[brianmoooore]

It's a very brief single flash at intervals of minutes. If you're not looking at the detector when it happens, or not in pitch darkness and looking in the general direction, then you won't notice it.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I think I would notice it in the bedroom with the lights out.

 

[Mikegh]

I'm writing about hard wired ones. I'm sitting under one right now, and it flashes red, briefly, at regular intervals. There's another outside my bedroom door, which I can see from in my bed, if the door is left open, as it is in weather like this. It also flashes red at regular intervals.

You just need to verify the supply and the interconnect

There's radio link bases and even battery only radiolink alarms but you said u don't have those

You have to be careful as.well as you can blow the whole lot if you mix up the supply and interconnect

We call aico EI here, high quality alarms

 

[brianmoooore]

https://www.aico.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ei140RC-Series-Instuctions-Rev2-1.pdf

Page 3. Every 40 seconds, apparently, but it seems a lot longer sitting here staring at it and waiting.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Thats where we differ, I have the 3000 series alarms and they do not flash the red LED as a self check:

• Indicator LED’S: Green – power. Red – pre-alarm (CO only)/ alarm/ silence mode/ memory or battery event. Yellow – fault event
• The Ei3028 self-tests its sensors, battery and internal circuitry every 48 seconds. Any fault condition found will be indicated by a combination of yellow LED flashes and/or audible beeps.

 

[Mikegh]

You can probably verify the interconnect with a wander lead with supply off

Check it's not connected to the alarms supply too

If you can't get any to interconnect test a couple of complete units on the ground

Not sure if the interconnects can give trouble

I came across an installation with a good few alarms and the same issue but wasn't fixing it at the time

I learnt my lesson once anyway that you can blow them all if you're sloppy with the wiring

 

[Neptune]

I found it odd that none of the detectors were going off together - when I tested. I had expected most to chime simultaneously and perhaps the odd one not too as there may be a loose cable.

 

[freddo]

Are you keeping the test button pressed long enough? The interconnected ones wont start sounding for 5 or so seconds after the first one. Hold the test button in for 10 seconds to check. Aico are good alarms..

 

[suffolkspark]

With the power off you need to pop the little connection cover off to check they've actually been wired with the right cable. May not even have an interconnect core.

 

[littlespark]

Have you lot been up all night staring at your alarms waiting for a red flash?

go round each one, press and hold test for 5 to 10 seconds….. you will be able to tell if any are interconnected, some are interconnected or none.

For the bases without detectors, take one from a base you know is working and swap it into the vacant base….

if the detectors are daisy chained, the first one will have a twin and earth for power, (brown and blue with sleeved earth wire) and a three core and earth going out to the next base. (brown, black, grey with sleeved earth)
The other bases will be 2 x 3 cores- one in, one out…. And the last one will be just one 3 core.

 

[brianmoooore]

The other bases will be 2 x 3 cores- one in, one out…. And the last one will be just one 3 core.

Hopefully it will be 3&E. Not unknown for T&E to supply power to the first one, and the cpc of more T&E to be used as the trigger wire for the rest.

 

[littlespark]

Hopefully it will be 3&E. Not unknown for T&E to supply power to the first one, and the cpc of more T&E to be used as the trigger wire for the rest.

True. I maybe should have mentioned “3 core and earth” throughout the post

 

[loz2754]

Hopefully it will be 3&E. Not unknown for T&E to supply power to the first one, and the cpc of more T&E to be used as the trigger wire for the rest.

From post number 1:

They have a 3 core and earth cable for the interconnect.

 

[nicebutdim]

Missing heads shouldn't have any impact on hardwired interconnection as remaining heads will still communicate with each other.

 

[Mike Johnson]

@Neptune. As we have found out different series of Aico alarms have different operational parameters, what alarms do you have? Product Range - Aico - https://www.aico.co.uk/product-range/