Hit 500 panel installs this Tuesday and it made me rethink my whole approach

I've been doing alarm installs for about 4 years now. Tuesday I finished my 500th panel and I counted back through my records. Turns out I used to spend an extra 20 minutes per job running wires neat just for looks. After 500 panels that's like 166 hours I could have saved. Now I just focus on making it secure and functional first then tidy it up if there's time. Has anyone else had a milestone like that make you change your habits?

2 comments

2 Comments

patriciareed29d ago

Right, because who needs neat wiring when you can just leave a rat's nest for the next guy to deal with. Must be nice to have that kind of time to count up, I'm still trying to figure out how to get out of a crawlspace before my knees give out. Maybe after 1,000 panels I'll just start leaving the wires hanging and call it "future service opportunities.

nancy47529d ago

My first 200 or so panels were a mess honestly, wires everywhere like spaghetti. What finally clicked for me was using those little stick-on cable tie mounts (you know, the ones with adhesive backing) on the inside of the panel before I even started pulling wires. I run them along the edges as I go, one zip tie per wire bundle, and it takes maybe an extra 2 minutes per panel but saves me 20 minutes of swearing later when I have to trace something. Plus it looks like I actually care about the work, even if my knees are screaming at me from the crawlspace.