Pro tip: A homeowner in Denver taught me to always check the furnace closet

I installed a system in a 1920s house last month and the owner, Mr. Jenkins, pointed out I'd placed a motion sensor right above the old radiator vent. He said, 'Son, that heat plume will set it off every morning when the furnace kicks on.' I moved it 8 feet to the left, onto a solid wall, and it's been flawless. Anyone else have a story about a customer catching a placement flaw you missed?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_coleman1mo ago

Honestly that sounds like a lucky guess from a homeowner. Most of those old radiators don't put out enough heat to trigger a modern sensor, especially from a vent. I've installed dozens over similar vents and never had a single false alarm. Maybe Mr. Jenkins just got spooked by an old story.

martinez.anna1mo ago

Charles makes a fair point about modern sensors, but older radiators can still produce surprising heat pockets right at the vent. I've seen it happen once in my own place with a drafty floor. It's less about the sensor being wrong and more about those old systems having weird hot spots.