can phone wire be in metalic conduit? how about cat5e?

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abe

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Is there a limitation that telephone or data wires can or can not be in metalic conduits such as aluminum flex? What is the code number?
I installed aluminum flex conduit for future use of phone or data. A low voltage contractor has gone there and is telling me installation of telephone or data wires in metalic conduit is not accepted and causes interference? I am not aware of such thing. Is there any reason why low voltage can not be in metalic conduit? and why?
 
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abe said:
. A low voltage contractor has gone there and is telling me installation of telephone or data wires in metalic conduit is not accepted and causes interference?
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Not accepted by who? Ask for a reference to a standard.
BISCI is the group that has the telecom standards and they don't prohibit telephone in metal conduit.
You only need to watch your wire fill and limit pulling tension to 25 lbs
 
abe said:
A low voltage contractor has gone there and is telling me installation of telephone or data wires in metalic conduit is not accepted and causes interference?
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Tell that contractor to go back to school and get his money back because hed does not know a thing. Everything he told you is incorrect. Putting telco cables in metallic conduit acts a shield to prevent interference issues and is permitted by NEC and BICSI standards.
 
And heres a suggestion, instead of Al flex, use orange smurf tube. Its sold by Carlon, and is easier to install, and since its orange, most electricians won't touch it.
 
Well, if ya cant put it in a metallic conduit, I wonder why the U/G phone cable comes with a metallic shield under it's jacket...
 
Metalic conduit is actually specified in many high sercurity areas for all voice and data as an extra safety precaution as of today I have not found a jurisdiciton that prohibits it (that does not mean there isn't one somewhere). It is also manitory in some juristicions due to past problems with fires (at least that is the reason they gave me for asking for it).
 
Gardiner,

It's not a safety precaution, it's a data security / snooping requirement. We had a thread here a while back on TEMPEST security and I seem to recall that data cables inside metal conduit was thoroughly discussed there. The spook community swears by putting anything carrying voice or data inside metal conduit.
 
If you see your low voltage contractor uhhh, worker, maybe you turn him on to Mike Holt products.Sounds to me like he got robbed if he paid for the information he's packing now, or he is just uneducated and making it up. he could learn more if he were lurking here, than anyplace else.


"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life".

- Chinese Proverb

Throw the guy at least a fishing pole, someone putting out bad information, is a detriment to all in the industry.

Then again, there are people you can't save from their self.

No idea how much you have to work around this guy.
 
Rockyd said:
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life".

- Chinese Proverb
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"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day and drink beer".

- Housewife Proverb
 
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