Wireless contact sensor failed during a thunderstorm last month

I had a wireless contact sensor on a basement window fail during a storm around 2 AM. The customer called me the next morning saying their panel showed a tamper alert but no actual break signal. When I got there, the sensor was reading fine on the tester but the magnet had shifted about a quarter inch from the frame swelling with humidity. The adhesive strip they used from the factory was just not strong enough for a damp basement environment. I ended up replacing it with a hardwired sensor and drilling a small channel for the wire. That took about 45 minutes but the customer felt better knowing it wouldn't happen again. Has anyone else seen these adhesive mounts fail on older foundations?

3 comments

3 Comments

rubyk2622d ago

Oh man, that exact thing happened to my buddy's detached garage last spring. He had a wireless sensor on the door and after a heavy rain the whole adhesive pad just let go, sensor dangling by the wires. He ended up epoxying a small block of wood to the frame and screwing the sensor into that, never had another problem.

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tara64221d ago

Tried the same thing with my workshop door sensor a couple years back. Adhesive pads just don't hold up to weather changes, especially with humidity. Drilled two small holes into the door frame, used some plastic anchors, and screwed the sensor bracket directly in. Hasn't budged since. The block of wood trick your buddy used sounds like a solid workaround too, especially if the frame material is iffy. Sometimes the simple old school hardware just works better than fancy adhesives.

margareto2622d agoTop Commenter

Nah, epoxy is overkill, just use a heavy-duty magnet and call it done.