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Power Cables and CAT6

AncientMariner
A friend is looking to get both power and internet into an out building.  Rather than overhead the internet via external grade CAT5 or CAT6, I said, what about using armoured CAT5 or CAT6 underground?  His response then being, can I pull both power and CAT5/CAT6 through the same underground duct?  It would be about 10 metres.


To me sounds unwise, so would appreciate comments.


Many thanks.


Clive
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Unlikely to be a problem over that distance from an EMC perspective


    Safety wouldn't be an issue as both cables are armoured


    Fire is a minor concern as external grade data cables are often MDPE sheathed and may contain a gel to keep water at bay - when tested some of them go up like Grenfell, so I tend to limit the distance internally to circa 2m or preferably less in line with good practice


    Pulling forces on the data cable, will be much lower than on the power cable - but over 10m you could probably push them through a smooth bore duct with reasonable radii


    Regards


    OMS
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    Probably stating the obvious here and you have considered this but maybe the internet connection could be provided using a WIFI Extender ie TP Link as it's only 10m away. This would necessitate the need to hard wire it. A continuous piece of 20mm plastic conduit could be installed within the (I'm guessing) 100mm dia run of underground rigid duct along with the power cable for a rainy day. The conduit there if ever needed for future CAT6 install. You get the pat on the back off your friend for insisting this is possibly a more cost effective solution. Just a thought Clive
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    radiated is not  as secure of course, depends a bit on the site and the type of data.

    Armoured cat 5 sharing a hole with armoured LV is fine, just earth the armour properly please, and commonly done in certain circles when things have to be got working in a hurry. There is an equivalent armoured fibre for greater distance/bandwodth.   Not unknown to have some blue water pipe in the same tube as well, though that is a bit naughty, it never seems to give trouble.

    Unless you are pulling in by tractor,  I'd not worry about the pull force on the CAT 5, the armour takes the strain.

    not that dear either.   and for a small no of cores, the   fibre cost per metre is similar
    851064fb363639f26a43fc7de7a09ca1-huge-armoured-cat5e-utp.jpg

     

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    Would we consider an (Ethernet?) CAT6 cable to be a telecommunications cable? If so would the 100mm separation requirements of 528.2 for underground cables apply?

      - Andy.
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    I would certainly consider it to be Band 1 comms cable. Similar to my earlier point made about a Band 1 cable which could be run in a seperate conduit indide the same duct to maintain the 100mm seperation from a Band 2 cable. 



    The regs states - where this is not possible, either of the two options detailed in Regulation 528.2 of BS 7671should be fulfilled at the relevant point. These options are:



    • a fire-retardant partition is provided between the cables. This might be, for example, bricks, shaped blocks, protective cable conduit and the like, or

    • where cables cross, mechanical protection between the cables is provided. This mechanical protection might include conduit, concrete cable protecting caps or shaped blocks.

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    That EV-Ultra cable is interesting - I wonder how they plan to terminate the CAT5 at the consumer unit end....


      - Andy.
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    Is it just me or is the forum posting replies in a random order?


     Andy Betteridge
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    Sparkingchip:

    Is it just me or is the forum posting replies in a random order?


     Andy Betteridge 




    Ah!


    You can toggle between having the posts in date order and those that have been voted the best answer.

  • 0
    And between first and last.

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