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Hello all.  I have an Elk M1 systems that I'm just getting around to wiring up.  We built the house 4 years ago and I did all the wiring.  Life got in the way and I didn't get around to wiring it until now.  Anyway... I'm taking it slow and doing one thing at a time.  All is working well until...

Well, the title says it all. I'm starting to convert some of my regular toggle switches with Simply Automated UPB switches. Our foyer chandelier is extremely bright, so I want dimming control. It's on a 3 way with two switches about 15 feet away from each other. We only ever use one of the...

I'm finally getting around to doing some lighting automation and I've decided to go with Simply Automated UPB. I'm a little confused about phase couplers and thought everyone here could help me out. Their website states the following: "To ensure both phases communicate with each other...

Just wondering if anyone is using the new HTD Lync system for whole house audio yet? I recently built a new house and wired for whole house audio and heard good DIY things about HTD. I worked with Mike from HTD a good bit on how I should design it. He even looked at my plans and suggested...

I'm finally getting around to punching down some wires, and I'm finding that I left a few of them a foot or so short. The RG6 doesn't concern me too much. It's the cat6 I'm worried about. Are there any good solutions out there that would help me? Thanks

I pre-wired my house a couple months ago and it's almost time for trim out. I'm wiring the windows exactly like beelzerob. On some of my windows, the sensors that are in the window frame are a bit off the location I wanted them. When I go to install the magnets on the window sashes, I'm...

We are going to have a dual-fuel HVAC system in our new home - electric heat pump with gas furnace backup. We are going with Lennox and are looking at the G71 furnace. This has a variable speed blower and isn't really a true 1 or 2 stage unit. Does anyone know if the Aprilaire 8870s will work...

I guess this topic title is a little misleading, but I didn't know how else to start it. I'll be pre-wiring soon and some of the things I'm wiring for won't be in electrical boxes or low voltage rings that the drywallers will cut around. I'm talking about wiring for things like motions...

We just started framing today, so I'm trying to finalize everything for the pre-wire. I'm going to have about 70 RG6 drops totalling around 4000 feet. I want to get a solid copper core cable (per the consensus here), but this stuff is expensive! I'm looking at Belden cable 7916A and 1694A...

Are natural gas detectors important? Is anyone using them? Our new house will have the following natural gas appliances connected: Furnace Boiler Hot Water Heater 3 Fireplaces Wall Heater in Garage Cooktop In our previous house we bought a new gas range/oven, and it wasn't hooked up properly...

I'm looking for some advice on what types of sensors to put in my basement areas. Here's a proposed layout of the basement along with a description of what will be in each area and what I think should go there. Room descriptions: Shop- This will contain many small and large tools (table saw...

I've done some searching, but can't quite find exactly what I'm looking for. We will most likely have one sliding glass patio door in the house. What is the best type of sensor to use for this? I'm thinking a plunge type sensor, but I know these types of doors usually have a little play in...

Our front entry door will have sidelights on both sides. What is the best way to run the wires for a contact sensor? I was planning to use plunger types on my doors. I guess I could wire for a magnetic contact on top of this door because there will be no sidelight on top. However, I would...

Our new home will have a two story family room with 18' high ceilings. The kitchen, nook, and family room are all open to each other along the back of the house. I would like to have them all one zone with subzone volume control for each one. I'm struggling to figure out how to do the...

I'm planning my install and have a question about mounting indoor motions. Should I mount them on exterior walls facing inward so they won't pick up outdoor motion through doors/windows? I wasn't sure if they could detect that motion through the windows and doors. I don't want them triggering...

Hi all. I've been reading several topics on here about everyone installing ELO touchscreens in walls. I see some on eBay and was thinking of picking some up. My question though is how is everyone supplying power to the screens? I see where serial/usb/vga extenders are being used, but nobody...

We will be building soon and our plan is to also have a detached pool cabana that may or may not be completed at the same time as the house. Can I run a Cat6 cable from the main M1 location to the cabana and set a subpanel that houses a XIN for all the window/door contacts in the cabana and...

I'm going to be going with the Elk and some sort of whole house audio. I think I really only need 1 Cat6 to each of the keypad locations for each of these. But, should I run a second to each for backup/future proofing? My grand plan was to do 2 at each, but now I'm trying to firm up my plans...

I've seen some posts here about pool automation and I'll be putting in a pool myself this spring. The company I'm using deals with Hayward products so I started digging to find a way to automate everything. Hayward now has a product called Aqua Connect HA. It uses RS232 back to the home...

If there is very limited access to the upper level of your home (i.e. only accessible with a ladder), do you put contacts on all the upper level windows? My home will have no access to any second story windows other than with a ladder. Should I hardwire for window contacts? Thanks, Shane