Old timer told me to stop using zip ties on sensor wires back in 2019

I was doing a panel swap at a house in Arlington, and this guy who'd been installing since the 80s walked up. He saw I was zipping all my sensor runs together neat and tidy. He said, 'You're gonna hate yourself in three years when you gotta trace a bad zone.' Every time I gotta cut a bundle apart now, I think about him. Anyone else deal with service calls where the last guy made things impossible to trace?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_morgan187d ago

That zip tie thing is a classic rookie move. I'd add that using the same color wire for every sensor is just as bad, makes a mess out of any troubleshooting.

charles7207d ago

Funny you mention that - I started tagging every sensor cable with a sharpie label right at the connector (like "T1" or "P3") and it saves me so much headache later. Really cuts down on the guesswork when you're staring at a bundle of identical wires trying to figure out which one feeds the thermostat. Not the most elegant fix, but beats tracing each line with a multimeter every single time.

colethomas7d ago

Are we really acting like a few zip ties are the end of the world? I get it if the guy wrapped them so tight you need bolt cutters, but just snipping some plastic ties takes maybe an extra minute. I've seen way worse, like someone burying a splice in a wall or stapling wires where they aren't supposed to be. Zip ties are the least of my problems when I'm trying to trace a short on a rainy Tuesday. Is it really that huge of a deal compared to something like mismatched resistors in a control box?