ELK - Install - Pictures of mistakes

[personalt]

ELK install take one. In my defence I bought this alarm as a replacement for a GE concord system that I gave to my brother. I wanted to get something installed fast

Things done right
*Ran 2" conduit up to attic for future proofing
*Pulled and left strings in all the tubes
*Installed ample plywood to mount additional devices or cans
*Secured the wires exiting the box inside conduit so that you can just come over to the panel and cut everything.

Things I am redoing/did wrong
*Box way too small. I thought I could use the regular box but I already decided i needed a relay module to control my sprinklers and garage door. I have a 28" box now. I terminate all my audio and video in a differnt closet so I think this is big enough but if I were to have video termnations here too I would have gotten two giant boxes.
*Too small conduit from can to junction. I knew I was going to redo this so this was not a 'mistake'. I had extra 3/4" condut and wanted to play late one night. My plan now is to drill the box out for 2" conduit and take that to my junction box
*Didnt buy the the rails for the cards rails. I am not sure if I will use rails for the internet module but having the modules give me a choice. If you are using the smaller box the rails keep everything compact
*using 4 conduit wire for the keypads and the wireless module. Unless you get one of the expansion modules you only can run two home runs off the bus. When planning make sure you check this part of the manual out. they recommend using cat5 for many of those runs and using the extra pairs to double back. Other solutions would be to get the bus expanders, either the cat5 plug in style or the 'old work' stye. check this part of the manual out as other alarms I have installed allowed you to homerun everything to the bus
*Bring power into bottom of the box. much more secure and if you are going to expand the system you are likely to need additional power wall warts anyway.
*Extend bus line to the attic. I wired 4 wire to upstairs keypad. When I rewire with cat5 I will also extend that up into the attic in the event I want to put an expansion module up there. I was thinking of adding some upstairs sensors to turn HVAC when my wife opens the frigging windows.

 

[personalt]

holder to add pics

 

[personalt]

For pictures after I make it look nice

 

[Ximat]

holder to add pics

Any more pictures? Im really interested in following your progress!!! Please keep us informed!!

 

[personalt]

New pictures.. Bigger conduit - I ended up going with 1 1/2 inches as the 2" couldn't bend fast enough and hit that box

 

[personalt]

Shot of the box itself.. In upper right I have the ethernet module. Under the unit I have a battery on a elk battery tray, an output expander module, and a serial module controlling a Simply automated UPB controller. In the bottom I put the levton outlets.. What a rip for $30 but I really wanted two outlets there and wanted to keep it within their knockout.

I may yank the serial expander module and hook it up to my PC that runs CQC Mostly because of the way that elk handles the UPB links. I may also get the levton box extender, the cards that slide it are almost as deep as the box itself.. the extender will allow for a little room on that relay module etc..

Some bigger pictures here.
http://picasaweb.google.com/richard.zellme...feat=directlink

 

[apostolakisl]

Things done right
*Ran 2" conduit up to attic for future proofing
*Pulled and left strings in all the tubes
*Installed ample plywood to mount additional devices or cans
*Secured the wires exiting the box inside conduit so that you can just come over to the panel and cut everything.

A trick for the string that broke or was never put in. Tie a fishing line to an appropriately sized piece of styrofoam and use a vacuum to suck it through. Then tie regular string to the fishing line and pull it through. Now you have string in the conduit again. I did this on a 150 foot underground run in my front yard when the cable guy broke the string trying to pull unlubed wire. (always lube your wire, dish soap works great)

 

[nsisman]

Things done right
*Ran 2" conduit up to attic for future proofing
*Pulled and left strings in all the tubes
*Installed ample plywood to mount additional devices or cans
*Secured the wires exiting the box inside conduit so that you can just come over to the panel and cut everything.

A trick for the string that broke or was never put in. Tie a fishing line to an appropriately sized piece of styrofoam and use a vacuum to suck it through. Then tie regular string to the fishing line and pull it through. Now you have string in the conduit again. I did this on a 150 foot underground run in my front yard when the cable guy broke the string trying to pull unlubed wire. (always lube your wire, dish soap works great)

Another tip

Tie the string to the two handles of a grocery store bag and feed the bottom of the bag into the pipe after you turn on the shop vac.

When the tone of the shop vac motor (regular vacuum works too ) changes you know the bag and string are now in the shop vac.

Be sure to shut down the vac when the motor tone changes or you will have a shop vac full of string and an empty pipe again !

 

[42etus]

Be sure to shut down the vac when the motor tone changes or you will have a shop vac full of string and an empty pipe again !

Is that the voice of experience speaking?

 

[nsisman]

Be sure to shut down the vac when the motor tone changes or you will have a shop vac full of string and an empty pipe again !

Is that the voice of experience speaking?

Not to me but I do remember my electrician buddy destroying his wife's Kirby vacuum when it sucked up about a gallon of water from an underground pipe at his cottage (feeding a boathouse) and then just went poof !

We used to use the grocery bag trick on 4" pipe up to 600-700 feet with a shop vac. Anything longer you had to do in 2 sections.

 

[tmbrown97]

wow - that would've been a handy trick when I had to run some fiber through a 180ft 4" conduit 3 weeks ago... the fish tape just wasn't making the angles, so instead I sacrificed a piece of cat5 that was in there and re-pulled it once I had the string in place.

 

[apostolakisl]

I may have omitted this, but if you tie the loose end to something at the start end of things you don't have to worry about sucking the entire thing through. Although once the piece of styrofoam gets into the shop vac, it doesn't really draw anymore fishing line. Or have your buddy feed it from the other side.

Make sure you plan ahead to avoid it getting all twisted and knotted as it gets sucked in. Either feed it from a spool or stretch it out in a nice orderly fashion. The grocery bag sounds great too for the larger conduit. I have never had opportunity to go bigger than 1.5 in. and 150 feet. Let me tell you, the shop vac had that thing sucked through in seconds.

And if it is an outdoor conduit, the water thing should be considered and I would stick with only using a wet/dry shop vac.

 

[ulrick65]

Just a small tip: Dish soap is not really the best idea for wire pulls. Some dish soap (not all) can be corrosive long term on conduit, wire, etc. and also some can turn very stick when it dries (making later pulls or wire removal difficult). Using a wire pull lubricant (available at most hardware stores, home depot, lowes, etc.) is the best choice.

 

[KentDub]

Just a small tip: Dish soap is not really the best idea for wire pulls. Some dish soap (not all) can be corrosive long term on conduit, wire, etc. and also some can turn very stick when it dries (making later pulls or wire removal difficult). Using a wire pull lubricant (available at most hardware stores, home depot, lowes, etc.) is the best choice.

I really wish I knew about wire lube last week when I did all of my conduit runs.... what a pita....

 

[ulrick65]

Just a small tip: Dish soap is not really the best idea for wire pulls. Some dish soap (not all) can be corrosive long term on conduit, wire, etc. and also some can turn very stick when it dries (making later pulls or wire removal difficult). Using a wire pull lubricant (available at most hardware stores, home depot, lowes, etc.) is the best choice.

I really wish I knew about wire lube last week when I did all of my conduit runs.... what a pita....

I am by no means saying it's a disaster or anything...lots of people have done it without experiencing problems...it's just best to avoid it. Sorry I was a week late on my post!