Forum > Alarm Installers Tips and Tricks
Lets start a beginners tool list sticky...
Magnum Alert:
personal tools:
a fox and hound toner set is a MUST. excellent for not just tracing wires but also basic continuity testing, as well as verifying a pair of wires is good, and remote troubleshooting of circuits (no tone = shorted pair, good for locating shorts and ground faults). the Fox 2 changes the cadence when the pair is shorted, so you know you actually found the right pair. normally its not a problem, but our older work uses 22/10 wire sometimes and you need to identify a pair of 2 wires out of 10. You can also use a toner as a talk battery to power two butt sets on a pair to talk back and forth to another tech.
A butt set. I have a nice Harris TS44 with speakerphone - excellent, just clip it to the telco side, turn on the speaker, and you can hear it transmit - particularly useful when central insists they didn't get a restoral signal ;) Also like the Lil Buttie, it's not as big and bulky, shows the polarity and voltage, and fits right in your pocket.
A battery load tester. critical. I test batteries on every service call and I probably sell a case of 7ah batteries a week. preventative maintenance. saves you a last minute service call, and lets the customer know you're looking out for them.
Fluke DVOM, Triplett 310 analog meter. works great for SLC loops where you need to see a quick change or a pulsating voltage. T-18 and T-25 staplers, punchdown tool, electricians snips are great for just about everything. fish tapes, glow rods, ball chain for fishing wires. the rest are basic electricians hand tools.
an assortment of gel-filled B-connectors (prefer them over the dry ones) and UR/UY Scotchlok connectors like the phone guys use (they have their uses occasionally), as well as the scotchlok pliers to press them closed.
manuals, manuals, manuals. company issued laptop with downloading cables, as well as a Compass modem for local telco connections to small Vista panels, Caddx, Moose/Sentrol. "custom" phone cords for connecting the modem to the panel and tricking it into thinking it's a telco connection. Always great to be able to upload an event log - event logs can be your best troubleshooting tool.
viper501:
Dboyle, that is some collection of keys you have, think I need to start building up a collection to rival that! :)
sheilaaellis44:
I enjoy nice install's, different line guages or a few awkward multi-jointed combine of pliers but always preserve any hand-held stainless steel detetor to examine the walls pertaining to wire connections plus pipe joints. Black Sharpe for you to tag just about everything,
mrgoe:
--- Quote from: Static on March 02, 2009, 12:41:08 PM ---
--- Quote ---but a specialty hook for pulling wires out? Coathangers are cheaper, and I find they are more effective.
--- End quote ---
I use a length of fishtape with a hook bent into one end. It can be bent to curve around studs and such but is still very rigid unlike a coat hanger.
Definitely a big part of the business is improvising your own tools.
--- End quote ---
OMG such a nice idea, thanks, I can`t wait to test it :) so fishtape with a hook bent into one end. I`ll go try it now :D
jhowse:
TOOLS TOOLS TOOLS, unless we start a fishing topics ill stay right here :D
I have had the same Klein 8" Diagonal-Cutting Pliers for close to 12 years now and just recently have i started considering getting a new set. Over the past 15 years i have went through close to 8-10 Cordless drills and the last one i bought was the Makita BHP454S and its on its 3rd year, sure its all beat up and rubber is falling off but its a great drill.
And lastly was a homemade cctv remote viewer i made from scratch, it is installed in a old fishing case and uses a 5" lcd color screen but the nifty thing was i am running it off a 4ah security battery with power supply so that recharges and with the battery i was able to make a attachment to run any 12vdc camera right off the viewer its self so i am able to set up the camera during the installation.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version