PSA: A call at a big old house in Savannah changed how I test glass break sensors

I was doing a service call at this huge, old place downtown. The owner said the glass break sensor in the sunroom kept going off for no reason. Spent an hour checking the wiring and the unit itself, everything looked fine. I was about to tell them it was a bad sensor when I noticed the heavy velvet curtains were tied back with these thick tassels. When the central AC kicked on, the vent blew right on them, making them swing and tap against the window frame. It was just enough of a sharp 'tink' sound to set it off. I moved the sensor about six inches to the left, away from the direct line of that air flow, and it's been solid for three months now. Now I always check for anything that could make a sharp noise near the window, not just for broken glass. Anyone else run into something weird like that setting off a sensor?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathanbennett1mo ago

Seriously, that's just a fluke and moving the sensor was a lazy fix.

ninas701mo ago

Calling it a fluke seems generous, @nathanbennett. The sensor was clearly in the wrong spot, and moving it fixed the problem. Not sure how that qualifies as lazy.