I'm trying to prewire my new house for window contacts, and I've got a good supply of 20/4 thermostat wire. Will this cause any problems?
- posted
18 years ago
I'm trying to prewire my new house for window contacts, and I've got a good supply of 20/4 thermostat wire. Will this cause any problems?
20/4 is a little heavier than what is normally used for door/window contacts, but it will work ok. I'd buy burg wire (22/4) for the doors/windows, and use your 20/4 for the keypads, motions, sirens. js
It would be a real pita to work with.
Keep in mind, thermostat wire is made up of all kinds of metal, mostly scrap. It's designed for short low voltage AC runs. It will work, but down the road....
It's a little thick to work with and not very supple. Save it for the power runs. Siren, AC.
22/4 is the commonly preferred wire. It's the plain old telephone wire (POT's) that you've likely seen used for years for telephone hookups. Easy to use, flexible, jacketed, with a pair of spare wires to each location. Wire will be the least of your investment, so don't skimp on it because once it's installed you'll never have to consider it again.changed with little difficulty. Wire should be forever.
Thanks for the replies. I wanted to use 22/4 to start with, but I live in a small area and none of the electrical supply or hardware stores carry it. The only phone wire that I could find was 24/4 and I thought that I needed to use at least 22/4 for contacts.
Internet + UPS / FEDEX / DHL + credit card = 22/4. If you live in River City, try the Wells Fargo Wagon. js
Home Depot sells 22/4 station wire..at retail. Don't use 24/4.
As the others have said the 20 is a little stiff. If the runs aren't more than 50 ft or so you could use the 24 as would be the case in most diy home prewire if the panel was centrally located. good luck with your project.
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