A simple change to my sensor testing routine cut my callbacks by half in three months.

I used to just check the sensor light and call it good, but I was getting a lot of false alarms on motion detectors. About three months ago, I started using a small space heater on a low setting to create a gentle heat source. I'd walk it slowly past the sensor from different angles during the walk test. This caught a few units that would trip from sun glare or HVAC drafts that my old method missed. My callback rate for false trips on those jobs dropped from about 10% to under 5%. Has anyone else found a better way to really stress-test a PIR during install?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel4741d ago

That heater trick is smart. Could even use a hairdryer on low for a more focused heat spot to really test the detection pattern.

hunt.nora1d ago

Wouldn't a hairdryer's airflow mess with the sensor, though? Seems like it might trigger it for the wrong reason.