11
Got told my wire runs were 'too neat' and it actually made sense
A senior installer in my old company pulled me aside after a job about six months ago. He said, 'Sam, your panels look like art, but you're adding 45 minutes to every install for no real gain.' He pointed out that the extra zip ties and perfect 90-degree bends just made future service calls harder (you know, having to cut everything out). I switched to a 'service loop and label' method instead, leaving a bit of slack at each device. It cut my average panel time down by about a third. Has anyone else had a 'less is more' moment with their install habits?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
norag552mo ago
Service loop and label" is the real pro move. I was all about the tight bundles too, until a tech had to trace one fault. Never went back.
6
alice_harris352mo ago
Saw my buddy spend a whole weekend re-running a network cable he'd pulled too tight. He had to cut the zip ties and basically redo the whole drop because there was zero slack to work with at the jack. Honestly, it looked super clean before, but that extra foot of service loop he left on the next try saved him hours later when he needed to re-terminate. Tbh, that's the kind of lesson you only learn the hard way. Now he labels both ends like a maniac too.
8
susan_ward1mo ago
Service loop and label" is the way to go, absolutely. I started doing something similar where I leave a visible tag on the service loop itself with the date and the device ID. That way, if someone has to trace a fault years later, they know exactly when that drop was installed and which end is which without guessing. It adds maybe five minutes per panel to do the tagging, but it saves hours on a service call. I also stopped using so many zip ties entirely, just a few loose ones to keep bundles from sagging, and it makes a world of difference when you need to add or remove a cable.
6