A customer in Phoenix made me rethink my whole panel placement strategy

Had a homeowner tell me last week that their 8 year old kept hitting the panic button by accident because it's mounted too low near the playroom door, and I never considered kid height when I do installs. Now I'm second guessing every panel I've put under 4 feet in the last 5 years, has anyone else adjusted their mounting rules for families with small kids?

2 comments

2 Comments

grantp2818d ago

Man, have you ever had a kid lock themselves in a bathroom with one of those? My buddy's daughter did that at his place and it took like 20 minutes to talk her through unlocking it from the inside. But honestly, the height thing is wild. I never even thought about little kids reaching stuff until my nephew figured out the deadbolt on my slider door. Now I put everything higher than I probably should, like way over their heads. But then you got adults who are shorter and they complain they can't reach, so it's a whole tradeoff. Maybe just put a little sticker or cover on it for now, kids grow fast.

joel_butler17d agoTop Commenter

I get what you're saying about the sticker thing, but I see it kind of backwards. If they can reach it now, they're gonna mess with it no matter what you put on it. My kid figured out those plastic covers in like a day, they just pull harder. Putting stuff higher is annoying for short adults, true, but that's a way smaller problem than a two year old getting out the front door. If you locksmith the deadbolt low, you're basically teaching them it's a toy. I'd rather deal with a grumpy aunt who can't reach than a missing kid. Kids do grow fast, but so does their determination. That's the tradeoff I'll take every time.