Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - Zone 3 Showing Open Even Though It Is Not

I have checked, rechecked, and double checked every window in our home. And the panel is still showing Zone 3 as open.

Each has magnet sensor that ever so slightly chirps if you listen very carefully. (not the normal chime that the system makes)
We accidently knocked one off and replaced it. All are making the little connection noise so I know they are working. Why on earth does the panel still show the zone open?

Any suggestions? :wall:

All the windows are on zone3? What type of panel is this?Did you knock off the magnet or the switch?

That sound is the mechanical sound of the reed switch moving in response to the magnet (and you have pretty good hearing to even notice it). However, it doesn't mean that the contact is actually closing, it just means that the switch is moving.

Simple test. At the alarm board in the box with the battery, jumper zone 3 closed (either with the appropriate sized resistor, or a wire jumper, depending on which configuration your system requires). If the zone closes, then your problem is either a bad contact or wiring damage between the panel and the contacts. I'm betting on one of the contacts being bad.

The system is a Safewatch 3000en

All windows are on zone 3. There are 17 and consequently 17 wires daisy chained together. Where do I start. I am not good with this kind of stuff. Not sure what a resistor is or if it is closed. Is there a dummy way to figure this out?

:confused:

The resistor is the little widgit with the colored stripes on it. Really, you need some form of continuity tester, and some basic electrical testing skills.

Since you are saying you have no tools or background:

If the wires all home run back to the motherboard, then you have the best options available. You can simply do the brute force test: Remove one pair from the loop at a time until your zone closes. Then turn the chime function on, and open and close the windows one by one. The one that doesn't chime is the bad contact.

Best thing to do is use a voltage/ohm meter. Close all windows in the house, Remove wires from zone 3. With your meter on an ohm setting 2k or higher meter across each pair. You should get a close reading (5ohms or less) on each wire. If there is an end of line resistor you will get a 2k reading on one of the pairs. If you find one that shows an open then remove it from the daisy chain and tie all the wires back in. With that wire removed and all the other wires tied back in, the keypad should read back to normal. Make sure your chime is on and open every window until you find the one that doesnt chime. That window is your problem one.:)

I have checked, rechecked, and double checked every window in our home. And the panel is still showing Zone 3 as open.

Each has magnet sensor that ever so slightly chirps if you listen very carefully. (not the normal chime that the system makes)
We accidently knocked one off and replaced it. All are making the little connection noise so I know they are working. Why on earth does the panel still show the zone open?

Any suggestions? :wall:

aaberger, you may have already solved your problem. If so, please post back and let us know.
If you have trouble understanding directions, you can post back and let us know that too--people who have been doing this for years have a habit of using jargon/shorthand that we may not realize is Greek to the novice.

If I may add my dummy approach to the advice already given:

My usual approach to troubleshooting is _first_ to go to anything that is known to have changed since the time the system was working properly. In this case, you changed a contact.
_Before_ getting into that mess of spaghetti wiring in your control box (_17_ wires series'd on _ONE_ zone!?!?) I'd take a close look at the contact you changed.

The usual reasons a new contact doesn't "close" the zone is that (1) it wasn't connected properly or (2) it isn't aligned with the magnet right.
It sounds like you've confirmed that the magnet is activating it, so I'd look at the connections. When you replaced it, you had to connect two wires to the contact somehow--either by screw terminals, or joining two wire leads to two wires of the system wiring.
Take those two wires of the system wiring, and twist them together. See if that closes up your zone. If it does, then you've located where your problem is,and then we can discuss whether it's the connections, or the new contact.

Post back and let us know your progress.