(If you don't have time to read it all, just read 3c, 2a, and 2d in that order.)
1. In any sort of catastrophic loss, especially fire, home insurance carriers will look for convenient excuses to deny or restrict your coverage. Self-installed low-voltage cabling with the wrong rating has been used as an excuse in the past. Losing our home without insurance would bankrupt most of us. (I've even heard of insurers that will deny e.g. flood claims because of improper electrical installs - remember insurance carriers are actually in the business of *not* paying you.)
2. The three general categories of cable ratings, from worst to best from fire & code perspective, are General/CM, Riser/CMR, and Plenum/CMP. General is usually cheapest, Plenum is usually the most expensive.
2a. AFAICT, you need riser/CMR-rated (or the more expensive plenum/CMP) cable inside your walls. In most residential construction, your air ducts are the only plenums you have; if you are running cable through an air duct (feed OR return) then it should be plenum-rated.
2c. A large percentage of Cat5e/Cat6/etc cable sold is already riser-rated, you don't necessarily have to spend more money on it. Plenum/CMP usually costs more.
2d. Remember these guidelines are "written in blood" - riser and plenum ratings exist to **save your life**, not to make someone more money. (Mfgrs usually make *less* profit on Plenum and Riser, in fact, despite the higher cost. General/CM cables could be made with a mixture of PCBs, lead, and Klingon blood for all you know - they're almost completely unregulated in practice.) General/CM cables, when burning, can emit toxic gasses that will kill you before you notice the cable is on fire. Riser/CMR will not emit anything that, as it seeps through walls, will kill you immediately. Plenum/CMP will not emit anything that will kill you immediately, period.
3. There are also restrictions now on who is allowed to do low-voltage cabling even in residential settings. Again, fires & insurance...
3a. See the (IMHO) money-grab details, particularly the "M-V" license, at https://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/labour/docs/its/its_21_036_electricia....
3b. Since https://legacy.winnipeg.ca/ppd/Documents/Brochures/Electrical-Installations.... says you don't need a permit for voice/data/video wiring, I'm *assuming* you don't need the M-V license either, but cannot confirm that.
**** **** MOST IMPORTANT POINT OF THIS ENTIRE EMAIL: ****
3c. So if someone lacking an M-V license (and/or any qualifications as a licensed Electrician) is helping you do wiring work in your home, remember: YOU DID ALL THE WIRING YOURSELF. They were just your helper, passing you tools & supplies, keeping the area clean & tidy, and ensuring a steady supply of beer and definitely not doing any wiring for you.
Additional references to cable type: For more info, Belden has a decent explainer: https://www.belden.com/blogs/do-you-know-what-is-printed-on-your-cable-jacke... Also: https://www.truecable.com/blogs/cable-academy/the-ultimate-guide-to-plenum-r... Or: https://www.en.adiglobaldistribution.ca/cable-ratings-substitutions
-Adam
-----Original Message----- From: Trevor Cordes trevor@tecnopolis.ca Sent: Friday, October 25, 2024 9:30 PM To: Kevin McGregor kevin.a.mcgregor@gmail.com Cc: Continuation of Round Table discussion roundtable@muug.ca Subject: [RndTbl] Re: Network cabling (Cat 5e)
On 2024-10-24 Kevin McGregor wrote:
Is anyone handy at running residential Cat 5e? I have done it in the past, but I'm not super motivated to do it again, at least without help. Compensation of some kind is negotiable. I could just buy some
When running new cable, always run CAT6 (or better!) for future-proofing. No one ever wants to re-run cable, and the price difference is not terribly important. _______________________________________________ Roundtable mailing list -- roundtable@muug.ca To unsubscribe send an email to roundtable-leave@muug.ca _______________________________________________ Roundtable mailing list -- roundtable@muug.ca To unsubscribe send an email to roundtable-leave@muug.ca