Bell box service?

[jayboyjayboy75]

Hi - thanks in advance for any advice.

We have a bell box outside with no current issues. However, we had an engineer come round to change the battery/service inside and he said we should get the bell box serviced otherwise it could get triggered and we'd not be able to turn it off.

Problem I have is the quote was around £180 and we paid that for him to change the battery/service which took him all of five minutes.

Wanted to get a view, how necessary is getting the bell box serviced and if it is recommended, what is a reasonable amount to pay?

thanks.

 

[DIYSOS2018]

Do you have all the engineering codes etc? What kind of system is it?

 

[jayboyjayboy75]

Thanks for getting back to me. No i've not got any engineering codes. Its an Accenta (have attached pics of the control panel and bell box).

Thanks

 

[Handymanjo]

£180 to change bell box is a bit steep!
He should check bell box at service visit.
Change the engineer.

 

[jayboyjayboy75]

I guess my question is do i need an engineer at all? There's no issue other than him saying it risks going off and me not being able to stop it.

 

[Handymanjo]

Most bell boxes have 20 minute cut off timer built-in to them which should stop any noise after that time if there is a problem. It has been known that these can fail.Post photo of your bell to see if it needs replacement.
Very old C,H,S type boxes did not have cut off timers.

 

[jayboyjayboy75]

Okay thanks. Here's a photo. So if it doesn't have a cut off timer it would continue ringing if there's a problem?

 

[Handymanjo]

That bell box should have been changed years ago.
The engineer should have checked a box of that age and told you it requires replacement.
Most engineers carry replacement bell boxes in their vehicle. If he took five minutes to service your alarm he would of had plenty of time to change that!!!!.
Out of interest what did he charge you for a 5 minute service.

 

[jayboyjayboy75]

Thought as much. Paid about £120 i think and quote to service the bell box was £180.

 

[Handymanjo]

If the £180 is ontop of the £120 ,I would suggest you get quote from another company. Once bitten twice shy.

 

[Bigsosij]

When you say bell box service does this mean he is going to replace the bell box with a new one ?

 

[secureiam]

extra £60 to service the bell box is steep, unless it includes battery replacements and depends on what the batteries are, to replace the bell box isn’t so bad, but depends on what it’s been replaced with, there can be a fair quid difference in price from a basic bell and cover to a grade three one with dual piezo, illuminated and a cover.

 

[Gibbies]

I presume the engineer was suggesting that due to the age of the existing bell-box it may develop a tamper issue which would activate the bell/siren and cannot be silenced from the keypad. External device tamper switches and pcb boards can be affected by the weather over time. Your bell-box looks approximately 25 years old to me.
I'd advise replacing the bell-box every 10-15 years as preventative maintenance and to also keep a fresh modern look. Any potential burglar would think you are taking home security seriously with an up to date system.
It the bell-box is replaced during the annual routine service I'd expect to pay no more that £85+vat unless high access equipment is required.