A weird call in a big old house made me rethink my default sensor settings

I was working on a 1920s place in the historic district last Tuesday, and the motion sensor kept going off for no reason. Turns out the old steam radiator pipes were heating up and moving just enough to trip the pet-immune setting. Now I always ask about the heating system before I pick a sensor type. Anyone else run into something like that with old radiators?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex_wilson7923d ago

Ever have a sensor get fooled by those old cast iron radiators when they start banging? Same thing happened to me in a Victorian last winter. The client swore it was haunted until I watched the sensor pick up the heat waves shimmering off the thing. I don't even trust the pet immunity on those jobs anymore, I just switch to a different tech. Old houses fight you on every little setting.

dixon.iris23d ago

But what if the old settings just need more patience to get right? Honestly sometimes the basic tech works fine if you just take the time to place it better.

rubysingh23d ago

My 2005 car stereo has a CD player that skips on every third song unless you prop it up with a folded napkin. We get so used to fighting with old tech that we forget it's supposed to just WORK. It's not patience, it's just putting up with broken stuff.