Old-timer told me to label wires with a label maker, I thought tape was fine

Back in 2019, a guy named Mike at the Orlando shop told me I was making a mistake using colored tape on harnesses. He swore by a Dymo label maker and said tape gets greasy and falls off. I ignored him for 2 years until I had to trace a bundle on a King Air that had three tape strips all faded to white. Took me 6 hours to sort it out. Mike was right. Does anyone else here still use tape out of habit or have you switched to permanent labels?

2 comments

2 Comments

emery6032d ago

Drove myself crazy chasing a short in a Cessna 172 last year - every wire was wrapped in the same faded blue tape from the 90s. Ended up just replacing the whole harness instead of labeling anything, which cost more than a label maker would have. Funny how we learn the hard way that tape lies.

evan_anderson2d ago

Tape lies" - that's perfect. Buddy of mine spent three weekends tracing a wire in his Cherokee. Turned out the previous owner used red tape for grounds and black for power. Total opposite of standard.