Oops.. bought the wrong contacts

T

thatman

Member
So, I thought I was smart by getting a bunch of 956RPT and 5800MICRO's for my doors and windows for a new install on the house we just bought.

Turns out, my excitement for getting started with the ELK M1G got the best of me. The contacts arrived, but there's no way these are compatible with my window type.

The windows I have are very close to this: http://www.lowes.com/pd_319329-40446-748171612782_4294772369__?productId=3119705&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1

Can someone please recommend which wired and wireless (I need both for different areas) contacts you'd recommend? I prefer recessed contacts, instead of big, bulky eye sores.

Thanks!
 
I can't give a 100% because I can't see your windows firsthand, however:

The micras will work, you're just going to void any warranty you have on the window itself. You're going to need to take out a forstner bit or a hole saw to do it, proceeding slow.

The doors, I can't comment on either, however a micra might work, otherwise a standard recessed magnetic contact (or pushbutton on the butt side of the door) will work.
 
Why do you think the Micra's won't work? They're designed for modern vinyl windows. Can you get a picture of an open window and post it?
 
Oh wow - VERY narrow windows! Unless someone knows better, I think you're stuck with surface mount - especially since you need wireless.
 
I think the Tane Pill would probably work and allow you to hard wire them since you already have the wires pulled. Here is the spec sheet so you can measure the window tracks to make sure they will fit. There are several versions, but I think the side lead will probably work best considering the existing wiring. http://www.tanealarm.com/products/surface_mount_contacts/tane_pill_sl.asp

Personally I would always try to hardwire the contacts if possible. Not only are the wired contacts cheaper, they are more reliable as well.
 
I'm not sure he has wires pulled - he was trying to use wireless and said in his initial post he needs a mix.
 
I don't have wires pulled at this point. Was thinking (read: hoping) to be creative to fish wire to the appropriate places for some wired contacts where I have room to maneuver.
 
Good ol' condo style specials.

Looks like you'd be able to mount where the window slides into on the side using a Micra, although part of the contact is going to be visible while the window is closed. It'll be tight, but do-able for RF, you'd just need a different style magnet.

Othewise a 3/8" recessed with a "surface" mag installed in the extrusion/hollow would allow recessed and 100% concealed mounting. Contact would need to be mounted on the side of the sash, not the bottom.
 
thatman said:
I don't have wires pulled at this point. Was thinking (read: hoping) to be creative to fish wire to the appropriate places for some wired contacts where I have room to maneuver.
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Ah, I saw the red wire and thought it was a contact wire. Perhaps it is the antenna for the micra. Sorry for the mis-information.
 
Well, your windows are too thin for the micra series as you've noticed but you don't have wires to support thinner contacts... so most people would probably default to normal surface-mount wireless transmitters and be done with it.

BUT - if you're one of those people who's not satisfied with settling and doesn't mind a little extra work to get the result you really want - I know of one other option... Check out the 5816/5817 series wireless transmitters - they can be used with normal wired contacts to make them wireless. The concept is you use a normal 3/8" or so recessed contact in the frame but you route the wires up to a 5816 wireless transmitter making it now a wireless contact. The 5817 will handle 3 NC contacts, so if you have 2-3 windows/doors close together that you can wire between (but it's too much to wire all the way back to a panel), then this could work.

You also *might* be able to get a 5818 to work - it will require drilling through all layers of the window frame - which you'd have to do for wired anyway - so check dimensions to see if that'd work.
 
A good hole saw and you could get the micras in there, barely seeing part of the plastic housing when the window's closed, otherwise it's going to be running to an external transmitter and traditional contacts.

If you can't get a micra to fit, a 5818 is going to compound the issues exponentially.
 
DELInstallations said:
A good hole saw and you could get the micras in there, barely seeing part of the plastic housing when the window's closed, otherwise it's going to be running to an external transmitter and traditional contacts.

If you can't get a micra to fit, a 5818 is going to compound the issues exponentially.
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Thanks for the reply.... not sure I totally understand -- are you saying that I should effectively notch out the interior-side of the bottom track and drill into the bottom of the window to make the 5800MICRA fit? Could either paint the top of the micra white to make it blend better...
 
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