brian_rivera59•16d agoProlific Poster

Had a chat with an old timer that made me rethink how I run wire

Was on a job last week in a crawlspace with this guy who's been doing alarms since the 80s. He saw me using wire ties every two feet like I was taught, and just laughed. Said I was overcomplicating it and making future service a nightmare. Told me he leaves a little slack near every sensor and uses velcro straps instead of zip ties so you don't have to cut everything out to swap a bad contact. At first I thought he was just old school and lazy, but then I realized how many times I've cursed at a bundle of zip ties on a service call. Has anyone else picked up a trick from someone older that actually saves time in the long run?

2 comments

2 Comments

henrycooper16d ago

Old timers definitely have their ways but sometimes they're just set in their habits. Velcro might be fine in a clean crawlspace with no moisture or critters, but around here that stuff gets nasty after a year or two and loses its grip. Zip ties are a pain to cut out, sure, but they hold solid no matter what. Id take a snip with dykes over a loose bundle any day of the week. Your mileage may vary depending on your local conditions.

margaret_gonzalez2516d ago

Wait, is it really that serious though? @henrycooper I get that you've had some bad luck with velcro getting nasty, but not every job is in a wet crawlspace. I've used the same strips in my dry attic for like four years and they still hold fine. Maybe it's just me but I feel like people get way too worked up about which tie wrap is better. A loose bundle is annoying but it ain't gonna burn your house down.