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That moment when a panel is missing a critical zone resistor
Had a call last week in Nashville where the homeowner kept getting false alarms on zone 3. I spent two hours checking the wiring, the sensor, everything... finally pulled the panel and realized the previous installer never put in the 2.2k end-of-line resistor. They just taped the wires together. It worked fine for a month until the resistance drifted. How often do you guys find this kind of shortcut in new installs?
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sean_barnes246mo ago
You said "they just taped the wires together" and honestly that hurts my soul a little. I've seen that exact same hack job more times than I can count, usually in houses that got flipped quick. The tape dries out or the connection gets a little corrosion and suddenly you're chasing phantom alarms on a Saturday afternoon. What really gets me is that a pack of resistors costs like three bucks and takes thirty seconds to install. But nah, let's just twist some wires and hope for the best, that always works out great.
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harperr826mo ago
Ngl, this kind of lazy wiring drives me nuts too, you're not alone there.
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samrodriguez6mo ago
I put a multimeter on a friend's system after he kept getting false alarms and it was literally just twisted wires under electrical tape in three different spots. Swapped them all out with proper resistors and a little shrink tube for two bucks and it's been solid for over a year now. Sometimes you just gotta spend the tiny bit extra to save yourself the headache later.
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