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Just realized I burned $600 on a zone expander I never needed because I never counted the doors first
Did a walkthrough at a 12,000 sq ft office in Reno back in March. Client kept adding doors to the scope, so I panicked and ordered a 16 zone expander plus a second keypad before I even wrote the final count down.
Got to install day. Total doors that actually needed contacts: 6. Six. The panel already had 8 onboard zones and I had 4 spare terminals sitting there the whole time. The expander is still in the box on my shelf.
Here is the thing nobody says out loud. Vendors love when you over-order. Nobody at the counter stops you. You just eat the cost or look dumb returning it.
I am not saying skip the buffer. I am saying count the openings on paper, room by room, before you quote anything. I now do the count twice, once on site and once from the floor plan.
What is your buffer rule? Do you pad zones by 20 percent or just buy when the wire is already run?
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tara70012d ago
Count the openings before you ever pick up the phone to order, period. Nobody at the counter is gonna save you from yourself, that part is dead on. I got burned the same way early on and now I do the walk and the paper count separate, and if the two numbers match I buy exactly what I need plus one spare zone. Padding by 20 percent sounds safe until you are staring at three dead expanders on a shelf. The buffer should be in the wire and the cans, not the gear.
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