Spent 11 hours on a single hardwired panel because of one stray staple

Just had a job last Wednesday at an old house in Brighton where the alarm kept shorting out on zone 4. I checked every sensor, replaced the wire, even swapped the panel. Turns out a previous installer had stapled the 22/4 right through the jacket by accident. The staple was buried behind drywall and took me forever to find. How do you guys track down hidden wire damage without tearing walls open?

2 comments

2 Comments

adams.vera23d ago

Guess that staple was in the witness protection program.

emerycarr23d ago

So you spent 11 hours hunting a problem that could have been solved in 20 minutes with a $20 toner and probe? I've been doing this 15 years and a staple through the jacket is obvious if you actually test the cable instead of guessing. Tone out each pair, check continuity, find the break in 5 minutes flat. Then patch the drywall and move on. Your method sounds like you're just guessing and hoping instead of doing the job right.