Hot take: zip ties are not permanent wiring solutions

Tried using zip ties to hold a live wire out of the way while I painted a ceiling. 30 seconds later it snapped, wire hit me in the face, and the breaker tripped. Learned that electrical tape and a hook is a way better temporary fix.

2 comments

2 Comments

maxhart13d ago

Wait, were you using the standard cheap clear ones from Harbor Freight or the actual outdoor UV rated black zip ties? Because the difference between those two is night and day I learned that the hard way trying to strap down a battery pack in my buddy's truck last summer. Those clear ones get brittle as hell after like a week in the sun and snap if you even look at them wrong.

jones.grace11d ago

Black ones are the only ones I buy now after the same exact lesson. Used to think a zip tie was a zip tie and grabbed whatever was closest at the register. Then spent an afternoon re-securing a trailer light harness three times because the clear ones kept crumbling in my hands. You're right, it's night and day. The black ones hold up for years, the clear ones don't even last a season. Cheap lesson to learn, but annoying to learn it twice.