Are there any advantages to utilizing AC power as a primary means of power?
A. Absolutely not! On the contrary, today’s siren systems are primarily used as warning devices for severe weather and other emergency conditions. Due to the volatility of high wind and lightning, which is almost always associated with severe weather, it is no longer feasible to depend on commercial (AC) power as a single source of power for sirens for obvious reasons. To overcome this concern, manufacturers of older-style (electro-mechanical) sirens redesigned their systems to allow for 48 volt operation which can be backed up by a 48 volt battery supply (four 12 volt batteries in series). This system typical operates as a back up power source whereas the primary source of power is provided by commercial (AC) power. In the event of a loss of AC power, the siren would switch to battery operation. As long as the batteries are in good condition, the siren system will operate until the batteries loose their capacity. This capacity is the troubling part of this whole process whereas batter
