Had to pick between a wired panel in the basement or wireless in the hall closet

Got a call to install a system in a split level house in Denver last Thursday. Basement was a mess of exposed pipes and damp concrete, but the customer wanted the panel hidden. I told her wired down there would mean running conduit through the drop ceiling and fighting spider webs for 3 hours. She chose the hall closet, which was tight but dry. Now I'm wondering if anyone has ever had a panel fail from humidity in a basement setup.

2 comments

2 Comments

kaiharris2d ago

fighting spider webs for 3 hours" lol that sounds about right for a basement install. Not me personally but my buddy Jake had a wired panel go bad in a basement like six months after he put it in. The humidity was just too much even though the basement seemed dry at first. He said the circuit board started getting this weird corrosion on the contacts and the keypad would glitch out randomly. Ended up having to move it to a closet upstairs and run new wires. Customer was not happy about the extra charge but it was either that or keep replacing panels every year. Basements are just risky unless you seal everything perfectly and even then I wouldn't trust it.

elizabethhart2d ago

Well basements and electronics just don't mix... it's like putting a hairdryer in a shower and hoping for the best. I swear some customers think a little damp concrete is fine but that moisture creeps into every little crack and screw hole over time. Guess I'll be adding "check for invisible swamp" to my pre-install checklist now... right next to "bring extra zip ties" and "mentally prepare for spider apocalypse.