Alarm coming from Home Electrical Panel after Generac Install

[trekrok]

I wonder if someone accidently left a meter of some sort (Fluke etc) in the box when they were installing it?

 

[turkeyrun]

I can't hear the alarm, BUT, I would suspect a low voltage alarm, non-start alarm. Has the generator ever started since being installed?

Mainly, I would be contacting the installer for service / inspection/ correction.

 

[wawazat]

If your Generac controller is WiFi enabled, you can view the exercise history and error codes from the app which is pretty handy. Ours has a light on the right end of the unit. Green is all good and ready to run, red or red/green means there are issues that need to be tended to.

I also recommend getting a can of dielectric grease to spray on the battery terminals anytime a battery is being used outdoors. Corrosion can eat up a cable quicker than you would think.

 

[Parks 788]

I'll try to answer a lot of the questions here and thanks for the replies.

I've taken the boxes front covers off when this alarm noise first started and didn't notice anything that could look like a speaker or box that would make an alarm sound like it's making. I'll do it again and look closer but if you don't see me post for some time after today then I touched the "wrong" cable/wire and kilt myself or at best picking my sphincter up off the driveway. The sound does sound like a house burgler alarm but I know it's not a neighbors alarm bouncing off my walls as was mentioned a possibility. We do have an alarm but is a Simplysafe and not this sound. WHen i texted the video to the Generac guy he pretty much dismissed this being any relation to the transfer switchers and main panel.

I'm going to take all three panels off today and will take some pics and post here for you guys smarter than I to see if you notice anything that could be the culprit. THere is a soffit in the eaves above and will see if there is an opening near the panels to see if somethig is in there.

THe reason I'm confident the alarm sound is coming from the panels is that it's such a faint sound that if it were from another electronic device from another part of the wall or garage that I would hear it stronger/louder over in that area. Haven't been out there today but with this heavy wind i'm not sure I'll even hear it very well. Will search some more and post up later this evening.

 

[Big House]

What is the source for fuel? If it's diesel, it could be an overfill alarm from the tank.

 

[Chuckie]

Only thing I got to say about
the sounds coming from your walls -

 

[jakeman]

I'll try to answer a lot of the questions here and thanks for the replies.

I've taken the boxes front covers off when this alarm noise first started and didn't notice anything that could look like a speaker or box that would make an alarm sound like it's making. I'll do it again and look closer but if you don't see me post for some time after today then I touched the "wrong" cable/wire and kilt myself or at best picking my sphincter up off the driveway. The sound does sound like a house burgler alarm but I know it's not a neighbors alarm bouncing off my walls as was mentioned a possibility. We do have an alarm but is a Simplysafe and not this sound. WHen i texted the video to the Generac guy he pretty much dismissed this being any relation to the transfer switchers and main panel.

I'm going to take all three panels off today and will take some pics and post here for you guys smarter than I to see if you notice anything that could be the culprit. THere is a soffit in the eaves above and will see if there is an opening near the panels to see if somethig is in there.

THe reason I'm confident the alarm sound is coming from the panels is that it's such a faint sound that if it were from another electronic device from another part of the wall or garage that I would hear it stronger/louder over in that area. Haven't been out there today but with this heavy wind i'm not sure I'll even hear it very well. Will search some more and post up later this evening.

If I were you, and I’m not, I’d call an electrician that specializes in whole home generators.

Does the thing come on when it does its regularly scheduled test run?

The reason I’d call a specialist; if something is wrong and the transfer switch doesn’t work as intended, you could hurt a lineman. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for killing someone in the unlikely event there was a power outage and someone was working on the line close to my home.

Good Luck with it.

 

[Parks 788]

OK. Sorta feel dumb here but not entirely my fault. I pulled out the ladder and some tools this morning so i could check everything out including on top of the electrical panels.

I happen to notice a soffit vent right above the panels as you can see in the photos. With such a low alarm tone it was still difficult to tell if the noise was coming from the vent. decided to pry off the little aluminum vent jsut to verify. Low and behold, I see what looks like a small "mega phone" type of speaker. I was unable to pull it through the vent cutout and it was still difficult to tell if it was the culprit. The speaker had very small wires going to it and looked to be low voltage. Went inside the garage to the breaker panel and found the switch that said "garage outlets". I flipped it off and went outside. Noise was off. Flipped it on and noise back on. OK! Turned it off again cut the wires and turned on and sound is gone!

So, the more I do projects around the house the more I find out the prior owners did so much stuff half-@ssed. This must be part of it as i believe it must have been a burgler alarm they just went into the attic and threw in the soffit area near the vent as it wasn't even screwed in place jsut sitting there on top of the wood.

Thanks for all the help and replies.

 

[Snattlerake]

OK. Sorta feel dumb here but not entirely my fault. I pulled out the ladder and some tools this morning so i could check everything out including on top of the electrical panels.

I happen to notice a soffit vent right above the panels as you can see in the photos. With such a low alarm tone it was still difficult to tell if the noise was coming from the vent. decided to pry off the little aluminum vent jsut to verify. Low and behold, I see what looks like a small "mega phone" type of speaker. I was unable to pull it through the vent cutout and it was still difficult to tell if it was the culprit. The speaker had very small wires going to it and looked to be low voltage. Went inside the garage to the breaker panel and found the switch that said "garage outlets". I flipped it off and went outside. Noise was off. Flipped it on and noise back on. OK! Turned it off again cut the wires and turned on and sound is gone!

So, the more I do projects around the house the more I find out the prior owners did so much stuff half-@ssed. This must be part of it as i believe it must have been a burgler alarm they just went into the attic and threw in the soffit area near the vent as it wasn't even screwed in place jsut sitting there on top of the wood.

Thanks for all the help and replies. View attachment 329641View attachment 329642

THAT, is what I was getting at! The A/C power was close to the low voltage alarm wire energizing it by induction. This produced the faint alarm sound.

I had a similar problem at a pool house this guy built for his wife and his speaker wires were too close to my alarm wires so we had a radio station coming out of the alarm speaker.

 

[Parks 788]

THAT, is what I was getting at! The A/C power was close to the low voltage alarm wire energizing it by induction. This produced the faint alarm sound.

I had a similar problem at a pool house this guy built for his wife and his speaker wires were too close to my alarm wires so we had a radio station coming out of the alarm speaker.

I had no idea that was even a thing or possible to have happen. Because I dont understand much about electricity, is it even possible to much loud, high pitched sound out of an alarm speaker on low voltage wire?