Old timer told me to stop using zip ties on outdoor runs back in 2018

Guy named Frank who retired from ADT after 30 years gave me a talking to on a job in Bakersfield. He said zip ties get brittle in the sun and you'll be coming back to fix loose wiring within a year. I figured he was just being old school and kept using them because they're fast. Fast forward to last summer and I'm on a service call for a false alarm. Found like 6 cables hanging down where the zip ties had snapped clean off. Had to spend an extra 2 hours putting in stainless clamps on a 95 degree roof. Cost me time and the customer was watching me the whole time. Has anyone else had zip ties fail on them after a few years in the heat?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_hall21d agoMost Upvoted

They've held up fine on my own installs going back to 2017 and I'm in Arizona where the sun is brutal. Maybe the cheap ones snap but the good UV rated zip ties seem to last forever if you don't overtighten them.

jasonallen21d ago

Totally agree, the UV rated ones are night and day different, I've got some from 2018 still holding strong here in Phoenix.

skyler_jackson2721d ago

Wait, you're in Arizona too? That's wild, the sun out here is no joke. I've had zip ties turn into brittle little pieces after just one summer on my fence, but that was from the dollar store so I guess you get what you pay for. Seriously though, I gotta start getting those UV rated ones 'cause I keep replacing the cheap ones every few months and it's driving me nuts. You saying yours last since 2017 gives me some hope that I'm not just wasting my time with this whole zip tie thing.

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