Nothing is coming out of the loudspeakers in one area.
Whilst most of the building hears announcements, one area hears nothing. With the infrequent broadcasts, rooms and areas that are not in regular use may have been quiet for a while before anyone noticed.
What a silent area usually means
A group of loudspeakers is wired as one circuit back to one amplifier. When a whole area goes quiet, the usual causes are a loose or broken connection at one loudspeaker on that circuit, an amplifier or amplifier channel that has failed, or an output switched off in the system settings. In the jobs behind this page, one loose connection inside a single ceiling loudspeaker silenced five rooms.
What you can safely check
- Write down exactly which rooms are silent and which nearby rooms still work. The boundary tells the technician where the circuit runs.
- Check the panel for a loudspeaker line, amplifier or power fault at the same time.
- Ask whether anyone has worked in the ceiling in that area recently: decorators, IT cabling, lighting, fit-out.
- Don't open loudspeakers or junction boxes. The circuit carries up to 100 V.
When to call a technician
Straight away if the silent area is covered by the voice alarm. In an emergency, that area would not hear the evacuation message.
Questions for whoever comes
- Which circuit feeds this area, and did its load reading drop?
- Is the circuit monitored, and if so, why didn't the panel report it?
- Are other circuits on the same amplifier at risk?
Would you be against sending us the list of silent rooms first, so whoever comes brings the right drawings?
Or call 01273 034 630.