Had a chat with a retired locksmith yesterday that made me rethink how I wire contacts

He said he's never used a resistor on any door contact in 40 years... just wired them straight and never had a false alarm call. Meanwhile I've been spending extra time soldering resistors on every single job because that's how I was trained. He asked me if I've ever actually seen a resistor prevent a false alarm and I honestly couldn't say yes. Any of you old timers skip resistors or is this guy just lucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisat601mo ago

The guy might just be lucky, or maybe his customers aren't the type to mess with stuff. I've seen plenty of false alarms from straight wiring when a contact gets slightly loose or corrodes over time. A resistor gives a defined state that helps the panel tell the difference between a real open and a broken wire, which seems worth the extra minute. You do you, but I'd rather have that little extra security than risk a false alarm call.

blake3021mo ago

Customers not the type to mess with stuff? That's just asking for trouble.