Re: contact window

["Robert L Bass" <robertbass1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Ok I guess I've got to teach all
> you guys how to do this.
>
> There's obviously always enough
> room on the bottom sill to drill a 3/8
> inch hole for a recessed switch
> close to ( but not butt up against)
> the outside edge of the inside window
> sill.

The problem with this technique is it leaves your wires very close to the inside trim.  The finish carpenters and drywall hangers
will be shooting nails in that area.  You'll want to keep your wires as far from their nails as possible.

> Drill the hole straight down, not at
> an angle. Then use a counter sink
> to ream the edge of the hole so
> that even though the switch is sitting
> straight down in the angled sill the
> switch will sit flush and a little below
> the angle of the sill.....

There is no such thing as an "inside window sill".  The piece of wood that looks like a small shelf along the bottom is called a
stool plate.  The "window sill" is the sloping piece beneath the sash.  It is not the part inside the house.

> Also, if it's new construction, and the
> molding isn't on yet, you'll leave the switch
> and or the wires exposed to the trim guy.

If it's new construction, you want to be especially careful to avoid drilling close to the stool plate.

> Order your 3/8 contacts without magnets.

No need for that.  Order your contacts as complete sets (it'll save you a few dollars).  Place the bag of rare earth magnets inside
the can of the alarm control panel.  They'll be handy when you come back to finish the project.

Be sure to leave a service loop (12-18" of extra wire) beneath each contact.  That way if you ever need to replace a failed
contact -- say, after a lightning hit -- it's easy to pull the old one out and solder in a new one.

Speaking of soldering, do NOT use "B" connectors inside the walls.  They can snag the 3/8" hole, making it very difficult to pull
the wire out if you need to do a repair.  Instead, solder and tape or (better) shrink-wrap the connections.  Stagger your splices by
cutting one wire 2" shorter than the other.  That way, if you accidentally leave a soler point or if the insulation comes loose, the
wires are unlikely to short.

> Now you take a dowel center punch
> and set it in the 3/8 hole and bring
> the sash down so that the dowel
> punch leaves a mark in the bottom of
> the sash, directly opposite the
> center of the hole. This indent will
> usually wind up somewhere between
> the weather strip and the inside edge
> of the sash.

Correct.  The problem is that the wooden piece at that location is roughly 5/16" thick.  If the gentleman drills **very* carefully
up into the sash at the precise center of that point he will have 1/32" of wood on eithe side of the hole.  Note that he will heed
to do this on at an angle with the wood sincve the bottom of the that piece slopes to conform with the angle of the window sill.
Even if he is lucky and doesn't go through the front, destroying the window sash, he may still split the wood while inserting the
magnet.

That t4echnique is difficult even for an experienced pro.  I would not such an approach to a DIYer or even a young technician.

> I get Tane rare earth 1/4 inch magnets, only
> because they're convenient...

Tane are the cheapest made contacts on the planet.  The companyt was formed by a few people who were let go by Sentrol (now GE
Security) some years ago.  They used the same shapes and sizes as several popular magnetic contacts made by their former employer.
Unfortunately, they failed to copy anything else, such as the manufacturing techniques.

Tane has sent me samples of their contacts.  Upon examination and testing, I threw them out and opted not to buy from them.

> --- snip the rest ---

Consider using rare earth magnetic contacts on top as well.  The "button" shaped magnets that come with GE Security (Sentrol)
contacts will easily fit on top of the sash, near the middle, without making any holes in the sash.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

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Bass Home Electronics
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