Rant: Did a service call at a 1980s bank building in St. Louis and found a total mess

I was out in St. Louis last week fixing a motion sensor at an old bank they're turning into lofts, and when I opened the main panel I found a rat's nest of about 50 unlabeled, spliced wires from three different old systems. The new owner wants to keep the original fire alarm horn for looks, but it's wired into this mess. How do you guys handle a retrofit when the client wants to save a historic piece but the existing wiring is a safety hazard?

2 comments

2 Comments

miller.paul2d ago

Forget the wiring for a second. That old horn is a giant metal bell, right? Moisture from the concrete over 40 years probably wrecked the internal coil. You can mount it for show, but the actual sound will be weak and raspy. Tell the owner you'll test it in front of them. When it croaks, they'll agree to a new speaker hidden behind the original bell face.

lee_barnes702d ago

That old bell coil is definitely toast after 40 years in the wall. @miller.paul has the right idea to demo it so the client hears the sad rasp. It's the only way they'll okay the new speaker behind the old face.