Honeywell VISTA-20P - Manual (Page 75)

S E C T I O N 1 0
Limitations and Warranty
WARNING
THE LIMITATIONS OF THIS ALARM SYSTEM
While this System is an advanced design security system, it does not offer guaranteed protection against
burglary, fire or other emergency. Any alarm system, whether commercial or residential, is subject to
compromise or failure to warn for a variety of reasons. For example:
• Intruders may gain access through unprotected openings or have the technical sophistication to bypass an
alarm sensor or disconnect an alarm warning device.
• Intrusion detectors (e.g., passive infrared detectors), smoke detectors, and many other sensing devices will
not work without power. Battery-operated devices will not work without batteries, with dead batteries, or if
the batteries are not put in properly. Devices powered solely by AC will not work if their AC power supply
is cut off for any reason, however briefly.
• Signals sent by wireless transmitters may be blocked or reflected by metal before they reach the alarm
receiver. Even if the signal path has been recently checked during a weekly test, blockage can occur if a
metal object is moved into the path.
• A user may not be able to reach a panic or emergency button quickly enough.
• While smoke detectors have played a key role in reducing residential fire deaths in the United States, they
may not activate or provide early warning for a variety of reasons in as many as 35% of all fires, according
to data published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some of the reasons smoke detectors
used in conjunction with this System may not work are as follows. Smoke detectors may have been
improperly installed and positioned. Smoke detectors may not sense fires that start where smoke cannot
reach the detectors, such as in chimneys, in walls, or roofs, or on the other side of closed doors. Smoke
detectors also may not sense a fire on another level of a residence or building. A second floor detector, for
example, may not sense a first floor or basement fire. Finally, smoke detectors have sensing limitations. No
smoke detector can sense every kind of fire every time. In general, detectors may not always warn about
fires caused by carelessness and safety hazards like smoking in bed, violent explosions, escaping gas,
improper storage of flammable materials, overloaded electrical circuits, children playing with matches, or
arson. Depending on the nature of the fire and/or location of the smoke detectors, the detector, even if it
operates as anticipated, may not provide sufficient warning to allow all occupants to escape in time to
prevent injury or death.
• Passive Infrared Motion Detectors can only detect intrusion within the designed ranges as diagrammed in
their installation manual. Passive Infrared Detectors do not provide volumetric area protection. They do
create multiple beams of protection, and intrusion can only be detected in unobstructed areas covered by
those beams. They cannot detect motion or intrusion that takes place behind walls, ceilings, floors, closed
doors, glass partitions, glass doors, or windows. Mechanical tampering, masking, painting or spraying of
any material on the mirrors, windows or any part of the optical system can reduce their detection ability.
Passive Infrared Detectors sense changes in temperature; however, as the ambient temperature of the
protected area approaches the temperature range of 90° to 105°F (32° to 40°C), the detection performance
can decrease.
• Alarm warning devices such as sirens, bells or horns may not alert people or wake up sleepers if they are
located on the other side of closed or partly open doors. If warning devices are located on a different level of
the residence from the bedrooms, then they are less likely to waken or alert people inside the bedrooms.
Even persons who are awake may not hear the warning if the alarm is muffled by noise from a stereo,
radio, air conditioner or other appliance, or by passing traffic. Finally, alarm warning devices, however
loud, may not warn hearing-impaired people.
• Telephone lines needed to transmit alarm signals from a premises to a central monitoring station may be
out of service or temporarily out of service. Telephone lines are also subject to compromise by sophisticated
intruders.
• Even if the system responds to the emergency as intended, however, occupants may have insufficient time
to protect themselves from the emergency situation. In the case of a monitored alarm system, authorities
may not respond appropriately.
• This equipment, like other electrical devices, is subject to component failure. Even though this equipment
is designed to last as long as 10 years, the electronic components could fail at any time.
(Continued)
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