Wish I'd ignored that wiring tip from a veteran installer in Phoenix

Last month I was on a residential job in Mesa and this old timer who's been doing alarms since the 90s told me to just twist and tape any connections that are tucked in the drywall. Said it's how they always did it and never had callbacks. Tried it on three zones of a DSC system last week and already got TWO false alarms from loose connections. Now I have to go back and redo all of them with proper crimp connectors. Anyone else get bad advice from the 'old school' guys that ended up costing you time?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_lewis3d ago

Oh man, that brings back memories of a guy who swore by using wire nuts on alarm panels because "they work fine in houses." I still have nightmares about crawling through an attic to redo his work.

michael8803d ago

Houses don't use attic spaces for structured cabling the same way we do in security work, that's for sure. That stuff gets baked in summer and frozen in winter, so wire nuts get brittle and fall off after a few seasons. Plus the vibration from HVAC ducts can shake them loose over time. At least he didn't use those little blue crimp connectors, I've seen those fail even faster when there's any moisture.