Kenbruce, my apologies for taking so long to respond. It's been a crazy week.
First of all, in spite of my 40+ years of experience working with most brands of professional-grade alarm systems, I've never had occasion to work with this brand; so I doubt I could give you the support you need over the internet. I am an alarm professional, and I would have no qualms working on your system in person with the Installation, Programming, and User Manuals at hand. But trying to troubleshoot & program an unfamiliar system over the 'Net is a different ball game. You DO need someone familiar with the brand and model.
I recommend you post your request on this forum
https://www.doityourself.com/forum/electronic-home-security-systems-alarms-devices-87/
which is specifically for alarm systems, and there will probably be someone there who is familiar with your Panel.
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Having said that, I can offer some insights that apply to virtually all alarm system Control Panels. (That's the
Control Panel, aka the "Panel", NOT the Keypad(s). And yes, some people refer to it as the "Box", i.e., the steel cabinet where the Panel usually lives.)
After a power failure, we had to reset the box.
If I understand you correctly, you mean you reset all the programming options to default values. If that's so, I seriously doubt that you
had to do that. It's a common rookie mistake to return programming to default values, and almost always makes fixing the original problem (which you never described) much harder. Whatever problem you were having after your power failure was highly unlikely to have been due to anything in programming---especially if the system has been working all this time.
No major brand/model of Panel will lose any of its Panel Programming from a power failure, even if the backup battery dies. These panels haven't have volatile memory since about 1990-ish, and a quick look at the manuals you linked makes me think your Panel is newer than that.
With some models, there is a clock display on the Keypad and after an extended power failure long enough to drain the backup battery, the clock has to be reset before the Panel will let you do anything else. A lot of people get in trouble thinking there's something "wrong" with their system, when all it needs is the clock reset. Not saying that's what happened in your case, but it's a possibility in the face of not knowing why you felt you needed to default the Panel. The point is, defaulting a Panel is a last-resort measure, a hail-Mary when
nothing else works and it
might.
Yes!! Those manuals are written for professionals and assume familiarity with alarm systems and how they work. And I and many techs also wish they were written more explicitly.
The monitoring company refuses to help. They said their "expert" retired years ago and our only alternative is to get a brand new system from them.
Sounds like a good reason to shop around for a company with techs that can work on Panels more than a few years old. Your alarm system isn't like your laptop or phone, or even your car: It shouldn't need to be replaced every few years. Incidentally, a lot of Alarm Installation and Service companies sub out their monitoring, so your monitoring company may not be the best place to find Service.
We are about to install a new system from a DIFFERENT company but wanted to try this as a last ditch effort to salvage what we have. It is a hard wired system and all the devices were working ok. It would be a shame to start from scratch.
From what you've told us so far, your system may only need re-programming---which a new system would need anyway. I'd recommend calling different Installation & Service companies and see if you can find a tech willing to do it. If you were in the Washington DC area, I'd be willing myself; but that's unlikely.
If you do go with a new system, you will need a new Panel & Keypad(s) at a minimum. I don't know what other modules you have, but the protection loops--the hardwired zones--are universally compatible with any professional-grade alarm system, with the caveat that the hardwired loops may have End-of-Line Resistors (EOLRs) that will probably need replacing. If you're lucky, those resistors were installed on the loops at the Panel itself and not at the actual end-of-line.
Sorry I couldn't be more help. Good luck, and please let us know how it turns out. Feedback helps.
