Took 4 hours to wire a single door contact because of a hidden short

I was installing a new system in a remodeled house over in Maplewood. Ran my wires through the wall, got to the door contact, and the alarm panel kept showing an open loop. Spent 2 hours testing the wire with my meter, checking connections, and pulling my hair out. Finally found a staple pinched through the jacket from when they put up drywall, creating a tiny short. Has anyone else wasted a whole afternoon on something that simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_gibson4319d ago

Dude you had a bad staple? My buddy spent 6 hours troubleshooting a single zone. Turned out a screw went right through the wire behind the drywall. Felt like a goof when he finally found it.

amymiller19d ago

Oh man, I've done that EXACT thing. Spent a whole Saturday chasing a phantom short in the garage lights before I realized I'd stapled right through the wire when I was hanging insulation. Felt like a total idiot standing there with the staple puller.