Alarm Installation Pet Peeves <rant>

Installers who change wire color sequences ("oh, i felt like making black positive today").

Installers who cram too much wire into a splice box, so that the cover springs off and hits me in the face (as the 75lbs of extra cable knocks me off the ladder).

So you can have the cut off labeled ends! Dummy of the Week Award !

| > Installers that put alarm panels 12' up the wall in a tiny pantry closet. | >

| > Installers that don't leave any service loop in the wall so if you have to | > change a switch out you have to work with a magnifying glass and a pair of | > locking forcepts...like you never ever have to change a switch? | | Or they do leave a service loop, but don't tape the beans back along the | wire so you can't pull out the switch. | | >

| > Running only 2 conductor wire...sheesh...like 4 conductor is like what...5 | > bucks more a box? Especially in a flat-top house with tile floors and block | > walls. | >

| | Or they run 4 conductor but cut the unused pair back so far they are | useless. | | > ....etc.. | >

| >

| | No wires labeled and the existing panel is dead and there is no zone | info anywhere. (2 months ago - new home owner, 15 zones, aside from | fire all run on identical 4 conductor. Toner got quite a work out as | did I, running up and down stairs all day.) | | Then there was the home owner who trimmed back our prewire bundle to | help the painter get it out of the way. Sure, he left enough wire.... | AND he even saved the part he cut off so we would have the labeled ends... |

Or they do leave a service loop, but don't tape the beans back along the wire so you can't pull out the switch.

Or they run 4 conductor but cut the unused pair back so far they are useless.

No wires labeled and the existing panel is dead and there is no zone info anywhere. (2 months ago - new home owner, 15 zones, aside from fire all run on identical 4 conductor. Toner got quite a work out as did I, running up and down stairs all day.)

Then there was the home owner who trimmed back our prewire bundle to help the painter get it out of the way. Sure, he left enough wire.... AND he even saved the part he cut off so we would have the labeled ends...

What??? Another "levitating ladder" story??? :-))

ROFL!!!

An AGT (Alberta Government Telephones) tech did that on one of my installs years ago only he terminated all 64 wires to a couple of BIX blocks figuring there were 70+ telephone outlets in a 3500 square foot house... GRRRRRR!!!

I Prewired a contemoporary style home (all vaulted/ceilings, no attic) The audio guy came back to finish up before me. He used the wires that I had run to mud rings for the two keypads on the second floor, for his audio system controls. The client had to choose between alarm kepads and audio controls. Fortunately there were two keypads on the second floor and he chose one of each. Additionally, the audio installer electrical taped all his wires in the basement to my wire runs.

Had another instance in a doctors office. I'd installed and wired the alarm system before the telephone interconnect company installed the phone system. I'd mounted a board and had my wired panel on it. When I returned to show them how to use the alarm system, I discovered that the telephone installers had unscrewed my panel, moved it to the edge of the (very small) board and mounted their KSU, on it. My cable ties all loosened. Wires all scrunched, twisted, pulled tight. Panel mounted crooked with two screws. I was going to pull down their unit but decided that my customer wouldn't see the situation from the same perspective as I. I was able to add additional back board and straighten the wires.

However, being the professional that I am, rather than pulling down their work and jepordizing my relationship with my client. I got a metal file from my van, filed a small handfull of metal filings and sprinkeld it on the printed circuit boards. I understand that they really had a lot of troubles with the telephone system and had to have the system replaced. Some people just never learn.

Nice!