Alarm cable at cu

[andyd55]

Hi all,

Have recently moved into a new build house which has been wired for alarm system throughout. however there is one alarm cable (6core) which is by the consumer unit, can anybody think what this is for or shed any light on why you would want a alarm cable in cu?

 

[Spoon]

Not knowing the layout of the house or where the CU is... Is it for the keypad?

 

[camerabloke]

Probably for an internal sounder

 

[BlueToBits]

Telephone monitoring?

 

[Darkwood]

Is it by the CU or in the CU ? Your question is ambiguous.

 

[telectrix]

could be that they've used the alarm cable to supply mains to the alarm. seen that before now. a whole estate of new builds.

 

[Tridentsystems]

Feed to a 12 v contactor for flood lights ? Cut it off if you don't want it

 

[DPG]

If 's new build then I would be asking the company that built them to find out. Daz

 

[Darkwood]

Either way if this cable is Band I and is run along or in containment with Band II cables it contravenes BS7671 and should be addressed.

 

[DPG]

I wouldn't be cutting it off. If nothing else there may be 12V feed connected to it and you may pop the fuse. Have a look in the alarm panel and see where it is connected to. May be to a spare zone and they forgot to route it to a sensor. Daz

 

[andyd55]

Thanks for quick replies.... It's quite a high spec modern well built house. The alarm is to be sited in a walk in cupboard opposite the kitchen. It has a FSU straight from the CU. There is 10 cables in total around the house. For the life of me I couldn't find the last one. Then today I noticed just below the CU where the doorbell transformer is there was another cable in the wall, this just so happened to be the last alarm cable! I had spoken to the builder reference the last cable, however the spark that wired this place is no longer around to ask, hence why it's taken me so long to find the last cable.

 

[DPG]

Ah, doorbell linked to alarm? Daz

 

[andyd55]

Ah, doorbell linked to alarm? Daz

In what way would that be used Daz?

 

[DPG]

Not sure, but I'm sure some alarms have some sort of doorbell feature. Tazz will know. Daz

 

[Darkwood]

In what way would that be used Daz?

Sometimes the burglar might ring the doorbell first?

As DPG says most panels now have a chime feature available and doesn't answer why a Band1 cable is in the consumer unit.

 

[DPG]

I don't think the cable is in the consumer unit is it? OP - can you clarify? I thought it was just near it. Daz

 

[andyd55]

It is literally right below it, the transformer for the doorbell is directly below the CU and the alarm cable comes out just next to it.

 

[Darkwood]

Sounds like the doorbell is wired in 6core probably used 2s sts of 3core twisted for the Selv side.

Was your last sentence in your post 1 that suggests the cable was in the CU even though you had said runs next to.

 

[telectrix]

Sounds like the doorbell is wired in 6core probably used 2s sts of 3core twisted for the Selv side.

Was your last sentence in your post 1 that suggests the cable was in the CU even though you had said runs next to.

think that's the most likely answer. why buy bell wire when you have alarm cable to hand.

 

[UNG]

The last new build I worked on the phone line entered the property adjacent to the mains if this is the same it could be provision for external comms on the alarm