Old-timer told me to use silicone spray on every contact and I laughed

Honestly, I thought this guy was just stuck in the past. He's been installing alarms since the 80s and swears by silicone spray on door and window contacts. I always used the fancy dielectric grease the supply house pushes. Well, I had a job last week in a dusty garage and three contacts started chattering within 2 days. The customer was pissed and I had to go back and swap them out. On a hunch, I cleaned the new ones and hit them with silicone spray like the old guy said. Not a single false alarm in 5 days now. Maybe he's not so outdated after all. Anyone else have an old trick that actually works better than the new stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

william4072d ago

Had a similar thing happen to me about 2 years ago with a big apartment complex. I was using that expensive dielectric grease on all the contacts and kept getting callbacks for false alarms, especially on the garage doors. A fellow installer told me to try CRC silicone spray, and honestly, I thought he was messing with me. But I was desperate, so I gave it a shot, and the difference was night and day. The contacts stopped chattering completely, and I haven't had a single issue since. Now I keep a can in my truck at all times, and I don't even bother with the grease anymore.

james9951d ago

Did you only spray the contacts or hit the whole sensor housing too?