This evening my Veritas R8 decided to emit a loud 'beeping' noise on its external bell. The alarm was not set and no internal alarm sounded. I was unable to reset the external bell. The only way I managed this was to trip the tamper alarm and then perform a user reset.
I can't help but wonder whether it was some kind of warning indicator, e.g. battery.
I'm just a bit worried that this thing will go off again at 3am.
The alarm has smoke detectors and in the installation manual it states that the external bell makes a pulsing sound if one of these goes off along with an internal alarm. I didn't get the internal alarm.
I assume that when you say external "BELL" you mean Siren and not Bell as bells ring and sirens wail.
I assume this as a BELL cannot produce a "beeping noise"
From your description of the problem it is quite likely that the fault is not with your R8 control unit but with your external sounder.
Many sirens can make strange sounds especially if the voltage supplied from the panel drops, this unfortunately can be due to many problems.
The pulsing sound described in your manual for fire detectors is a definite on & off sounding of the sounder and not a "strange beeping"
It is possible that a low battery may have contributed to the sounds made (if mains power dipped slightly) but they are not a low battery warning. (However if the battery is over 5 years old it is due for a change anyway, most panel batteries will only have a life of 3-5 year life)
Quite a common fault with Sirens is the Tamper circuit failing, with many models the Negative feed to the siren comes via the tamper circuit. It is quite possible that this circuit is starting to fail - partial failure can (depending on siren & control unit type) trigger the SAB unit in the siren to operate (or even partially operate as it sounds in your case) before the control panel can register a tamper fault.
It is also possible that if the hold off voltages go too low then the siren can trigger on the SAB unit, this would normally be a full siren sound, BUT if the Battery in the SAB unit in the siren is low it can also give strange beeping sounds.
Unfortunately the problem you describe could have many causes. I dont suppose that you happen to know the model of the external sounder as someone may be able to offer more help if it is one that they are familiar with.
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