Alarm pre-wire best practices with sprayfoam

I am wiring a new-construction house for a future hardwired alarm. I have already drilled 3/8″ holes to accommodate push-type recessed sensors in the doors & windows. The sprayfoam will fill the entire wall cavity and bury the alarm wire making it immovable. Youtube is full of videos showing sensor installation/replacement and they’re all able to easily pull out several inches or more of “extra” cable to accomplish this. Were all these videos shot 20 years ago? Where is all that extra wire coming from in the real world? Below seems like my 4 paths forward but none of them will work.

  • Option 1: leave slack in the adjoining wall above/beside the sensor.

The foam will prevent you from being able to pull this slack out later and prevent you from shoving extra back in.

  • Option 2: Install the sensors now

If a sensor needs to be fixed/serviced you cannot pull it out to do so because it’s connecting wire is embedded in the foam.

  • Option 3: Store the slack in the 3/8″ hole

The hole diameter is not large enough to accommodate more than a strait-through shot of wire.

  • Option 4: Store the slack in the gap between the rough and finished openings

These may be the best frame carpenters of all time because there is virtually no gap between these pieces of lumber. In some spots it might be 1 cable-thickness wide and you wouldn’t be able to pull or push it the 90degrees from the outside. It would just want to push back up the hole.

What am I missing? I’m running 22-4C wire if that is helpful.

TLDR: How/where can I store enough slack in the alarm wire to install sensors later post-sprayfoam?

submitted by /u/supomgloljk
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April 10, 2023
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