The panel says battery fault, or mains fault even though the power is on.
It seems like the system still works, so a battery or mains message can feel like housekeeping. It isn't quite: the batteries are what keeps the voice alarm talking when the building loses power, which is when it may be needed most.
What the messages mean
- Battery fault: the batteries are failing a test, are disconnected, or are past their life. Standby batteries in voice alarm racks typically need replacing every few years.
- Mains fault with the power on: often the power supply or charger inside the rack has failed, not the building supply. In the jobs behind this page, units reported mains failure with mains present at the connector.
- Charger fault: the batteries are not being kept charged, so they will run down even if they are new.
What you can safely check
- Photograph the message and note which rack or unit it names.
- Look for a date label on the batteries, if you can see them without opening equipment.
- Ask whether anyone has disconnected the batteries to stop a fault buzzer. It happens, and it leaves the system with no backup.
When to call a technician
Promptly. Ask for the batteries, the charger and the switch from mains to battery to be tested together; a charger that doesn't switch over is only found that way.
Questions for whoever comes
- How old are the batteries, and what did they measure?
- Did the system switch to battery when the mains was removed?
- How long will it run on battery as it stands?
Or call 01273 034 630.