Friday, August 17, 2012

Fiber optic cable for indoor and outdoor installations

Over the past 15 years of providing fiber optic cabling solutions for contractors, data centers, government end users and everyone under the sun my favorite cable construction type is still the tight buffered construction style with an indoor/outdoor rating.


The indoor/outdoor rating allows you to pull outdoor to anywhere indoor and vise versa. Outdoor specific cables are not allowed to be pulled into a building more than 50 feet via the National Electric Code. If a fire breaks out indoors and outside plant cables are burned, very toxic fumes are released and we all know smoke inhalation is the number one killer in fires.

Here's our indoor/outdoor fiber optic cable product video from our YouTube Channel




The video example is of AFL part number KR0066531001

If your equipment is far from the cable entrance point into the building you'll benefit from the indoor/outdoor rating by not having to invest in wall mount or rack mount fiber enclosures when you make your transition when compared to having to use an outdoor cable then an indoor cable to meet that NEC requirement. (We also have videos on wall and rackmount fiber enclosures on our YouTube Channel).

Size is also one of my favorite things about a tight buffered cable. If you compare a 6 strand tight buffered cable to a 6 strand loose tube the diameter is smaller giving you more room in a innerduct for more cables or for purchasing a smaller innerduct saving you on cost.


The flexibility of this cable will also allow you to dress it into your telecom closet or around your equipment easily helping to preserve a clean and neat look.

The weight of this cable is light allowing you to easily move from location to location. A 6 strand 1000ft cable with the reel weights around 24 pounds. This lighter cable and reel also save you on shipping cost.

From a fiber optic termination point of view a tight buffer cable requires no fan out kits. These kits are a requirement when installing a loose tube fiber, these kits add cost on the materials end and the labor end when terminating a loose tube fiber.

The combination of all of the mentions above also make this a preferred choice when doing a preterminated fiber cable. Our preterminated fiber cables cables are length and fiber glass type specified by the user. Very installer friendly fiber cable to start with and an excellent alternative to an expensive fiber termination tool kit investment if you plan on terminating fiber once in a while.


So there's my two cents. If you have an upcoming project and you want to talk it over don't hesitate to call me. I'm at 888-797-3697 extension 232 or if you have a comment leave it below.

Thanks!

"By Mercy Salinas"

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