Bell box location

[rick85]

Hi,


I am currently installing a DIY intruder alarm in my new house (semi-detached).

Can anyone advise where a bell box can be located? is there restrictions to where it can be displayed?

I wanted to put it on the front wall, however this will involve chasing cables through the box room walls (that is freshly decorated) to reach the box.

The best location seems to be the gable (side wall) drilled directly from the loft space (i.e. no need for wrecking and decoration). Is there restrictions in putting the bell box on the side of a property?? See below sketch
View media item 17362 [/img]

thank you for your time

 

[Europlex]

Front wall, long drill, drill up at an angle into the loft, or depending on the eves straight through to the loft, job done.

 

[rick85]

Front wall, long drill, drill up at an angle into the loft, or depending on the eves straight through to the loft, job done.

That mght be tricky. I cant actualy get anywhere near the eves to pull the cable through (obstructed by rafters). Hence the fact I was mentioning that i would have to chase through box room wall and get to the fornt thatway.

Looks like the most straight forward way is to locate the bell box where i sketched on the side gable. Was just wondering if there is a good reason (or even a standard) not to put it there?

 

[Atilla]

of course its possible we do this every day of the week but ahem - thats why we get paid a lot of money - dont put it on the gable as your drawing, do it properly. If you have a drill long enough to put it on the gable (and of you must at least put it high up in the centre) you have a drill long enough for the front

£6.99 for a piece of really thin trunking and push that up 1st?

 

[John45]

There are many considerations about where to put a bell box and the easiest place to fit it should be your last consideration.

The best place to put a bell box in a general order of preference is as follows.

1 Where it can't be reached

2. Where it will be seen by someone who may wish to raid your home.

3. Where it can be seen by the most people when it goes off.

4. Where the sound delivered will be the most effective

5. Where it will operate without problems

6. Where it is easiest to fit

Ref point 2 and 3.
The best place to put a box to ward off theives may be the rear of your home but then your neighbours would not see/hear it go off.
In this case put a dummy box where the theives can see it. (Generally the rear of the home) and the working siren at the front of the home where the more potential witnesses or neighbours can see/hear it.
If your home faces onto open land then the side of your home may make it more visible to your nearest neighbours.
If you have neighbours accross the street then the front of the house would be better.

Ref point 4.

To be effective an alarm has to be loud. Allthough the alarm has a specific rating you can do things to help amplify the sound.

If you place high up on a wall with no overhanging eaves a lot of the sound just escapes upwards. By careful positioning using overhaning soffets and eaves or adjoining buildings or walls the sound can be reflected and intensified making the siren sound almost twice as loud as its nominal rating. Even ensuring the floor beneath is conctrete rather than grass will ensure less sound is absorbed.

Try not to place sirens directly above a porch for example as the sound wont reach the ground level as well and also it could be reached by someone aiming to disable it.

If your alarm has a solar panel for the bell box to recharge it MUST be on a south facing wall. (I have replaced too many dud boxes with hew systems due to the batteries failing to be kept charged in our dull climate.)

Don't put the bell box directly under a toilet overflow etc.

 

[Europlex]

"£6.99 for a piece of really thin trunking and push that up 1st?"

or fencing wire or a straightened coat hanger, quite often long enough

 

[Atilla]

"£6.99 for a piece of really thin trunking and push that up 1st?"

or fencing wire or a straightened coat hanger, quite often long enough

with the threats of litigation flying round (can you sue a library on behalf of all its users?) I though a piece of plastic safest.

 

[Europlex]

 

[rick85]

right then,

The front wall it is then. Unfortunately it will have to be positined directly above a porch lean to roof. there is no other place due to a bay window on the other side of the elevation. It will however be some 2.5m above the roof (triky for an intruder to access).

Need to get a longer drill bit as the longest i have is 250mm.

will buy the trunking first so i know what diameter bit to get.

Off topic question: does it really matter if my door magnets dont go no the tamp circuit? the ones supplied only have two conductor ports for the zone connection. what are the drawbacks of this?

 

[John45]

Reflected sound gives the 'impression' of being louder and it is actually physically louder too.

What's 'louder' a horn sounded in a tunnel or one sounded on a windy open moorland?

If you want to test my knowledge of sound then a sounder of say 104db would sound twice as loud at 114db its scale being logarithmic.

Once again you stalk my posts trying to cause trouble when I am giving good advice.
Your rubbishing of my explanation just proves that you haven't even given the subject any previous thought.

 

[Atilla]

if you get the thinest stuff the lid easily fits through the standard 8mm drillhole.

you dont have to worry about tamper, we would but that would include "off the frame" detection.

 

[John45]

The drawbacks of not having a tamper circuit for the door cantacts is that someone could cut the wires and disable the sensors without setting off the alarm depending on wether they are an always open or always closed circuit.


If your magnetic contacts are of an always closed type (The magnet makes the circuit when the door is shut) then not having a tamper will not matter as cutting the wires will have the same effect as cutting a tamper circuit.)

The fact you are only supplied two for that zone indicates the circuit is set up this way unless it is a very old alarm.

 

[Atilla]

The fact you are only supplied two for that zone indicates the circuit is set up this way unless it is a very old alarm.

have you ever seen inside a door contact?

 

[rick85]

John, FYI i am using an Accentra min G4 panel. The door magnets came with the kit.

Not sure what you mean by "open / closed" circuit though.

Thanks

 

[rick85]

Where can you get this trunking cant seem to find anything (looking at screwfix b&q online) under 8mm?