Wiring regulations and their application to optical fibre in the home.

I understand that telecoms wiring is subject to section 521.10.202 of BS7671:2018. Cat 5 ethernet cable is just as capable of causing entanglement of emergency service personnel as a mains power cable. I wanted to know if the tensile strength of the cable in question may be taken into consideration or if any provision is made for very light cable?  Some of the single core buffer fibre I am working with has the tensile capacity of sewing cotton and crumbles in fire.  Even very small metal clips do not offer the clamping force needed to support the vertical runs and I wanted to use some intumescent caulking.

Parents
  • Wiring regulations and there application to optical fibre in the home.

  • Why would wiring regulations apply to glass fibres that don't even conduct electricity?

  • well the signals are carried electromagnetically in the glass -it is a waveguide after all, just unlike coax and UTP, not one that goes down to DC. And more prosaically, as the OP notes, being garotted by a fallen bundle of optic fibres is much the same as it being copper,  and CAT whatever and optic fibres are often put in the same routes by the same folk, so a one size fits all approach makes sense.

    Now it is less clear if most network installers read or care what is in BS7671, but the authors of the standard think they should.

    to the OP, as far as BS7671 is concerned there is no de-minimis cable size below which the rules relax, but the decision to worry about compliance with the standard or not, may involve such a thought.

    M,

Reply
  • well the signals are carried electromagnetically in the glass -it is a waveguide after all, just unlike coax and UTP, not one that goes down to DC. And more prosaically, as the OP notes, being garotted by a fallen bundle of optic fibres is much the same as it being copper,  and CAT whatever and optic fibres are often put in the same routes by the same folk, so a one size fits all approach makes sense.

    Now it is less clear if most network installers read or care what is in BS7671, but the authors of the standard think they should.

    to the OP, as far as BS7671 is concerned there is no de-minimis cable size below which the rules relax, but the decision to worry about compliance with the standard or not, may involve such a thought.

    M,

Children
No Data