Shoutout to the Honeywell Vista panel that just bricked itself mid-programming

I was finishing a job in a two-story house in Tacoma yesterday when the 20p just went blank and started beeping a steady tone. I swapped the main board with a spare from the truck, but the customer is still asking about the old unit. What's the fastest way you guys explain a total board failure to a homeowner without sounding like you messed up?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_harper2mo ago

Classic Vista move. Just tell them it's a factory defect, like a bad light bulb.

ruby_jones2mo ago

My third Vista board this month died from a "factory defect" too.

paigep852mo ago

Factory defect is the easy answer. But what were you doing right before it died? Changing zone wiring, adding a keypad, anything like that? Sometimes a tiny power spike from another trade working in the house can fry these old boards.

vera_lewis25d ago

Wait, did @ruby_jones say they've had three go down this month? I heard from a tech that sometimes the voltage regulators on these boards are just crap quality, so even a tiny surge can toast 'em. That would explain why they seem to die for no reason.