Fire alarm guides & technical resources
Find a guide, look up a manual or prepare an equipment enquiry. The resources below cover system design, testing, product selection and existing Gent installations.
Manuals & datasheets
Use the document library for product manuals and datasheets, or start with the Gent collection. The library includes hosted documents and links to official manufacturer sources. Check the equipment model and document revision before using a manual.
For a particular revision or software question, contact our engineering team with the panel details. The Vigilon EPROM extractor tool is a physical service tool.
Fire alarm battery calculator
Size a fire alarm panel's standby batteries to BS 5839-1:2025 Annex E. Enter the panel's currents and standby period; the tool returns the minimum capacity and the next stocked battery size. For the method, the worked example and the FAQs, see the full fire alarm battery calculator guide.
Enter the panel's figures and press Calculate.
Calculated per BS 5839-1:2025 Annex E: minimum capacity = 1.25 × [(I₁ × T₁) + D × (I₂ × T₂)], where 1.25 is the ageing factor and D is the alarm de-rating — D = 1 where the battery's 20-hour rate (Cmin/20) is at least the alarm current, otherwise D = 1.75 (or the battery manufacturer's figure). A 24 V panel needs two 12 V batteries of the resulting capacity, wired in series. Always confirm against the panel manufacturer's data and the system design.
Calculation method & templates
Use the full battery guide for the worked method, or download the cause-and-effect matrix to prepare the site schedule.
Practical guide topics
Follow the relevant guide for the equipment or task.
Engineering help
Tell us the panel model, the full part number if you have it, and what you need to do. A photograph of the panel or device label helps us identify the equipment. Include controller and loop-card versions if these are recorded in the service documentation.
- Prepare a Gent replacement enquiry
- Contact the engineering team
- Request an equipment quote
- Design, installation and commissioning services
Call 0844 997 0001 to discuss the enquiry.
Send us the equipment details.
Include the panel model, full part numbers and what you need to do. We'll review the enquiry and confirm availability when we quote.