Update: My approach to testing a new panel before final wiring

I used to just power it up and hope for the best, but after a faulty DSC 1832 in a Miami condo fried three keypads last year, I bench-test everything with a meter first. Anyone else have a go-to pre-install checklist they swear by?

3 comments

3 Comments

john_cooper25d ago

Yeah, that's the ONLY way to do it now. I got burned once too, a bad power supply took out a whole comm board. My routine is meter check for voltage at the panel terminals first, then a quick continuity test on the keypad bus before I even plug one in. Saves SO much headache later when the walls are closed up. I keep a printed checklist in my tool bag now, won't start a job without it.

anderson.david25d ago

Totally feel that, @john_cooper. Got a buddy who fried a brand new zone module because he skipped the voltage check. Your checklist idea is solid, saves so much time.

jana_fox5017d ago

Isn't it funny how a simple checklist fixes so many problems? @john_cooper is right, it's just forcing yourself to slow down for a second. I see the same thing with people forgetting to charge their tools before a big job.