Low Voltage (Data/Comm) Installations

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JVorheis

Member
Does anyone know if there are any codes regulating how low-voltage cabling is to be installed in wall cavities? More specifically, I am referrring to Data/Comm cabling in a medical environment in Texas. When I worked for the State of Texas in a medical environment we were required to have rigid or at a minimum metal flex conduit in the wall and stubbed 6" above the ceiling cap; which has always worked well on our installations and the end results looked good. I now work in the private medical industry and was told they do not require this; we can just install cable open down the wall and use a caddy frame or mud ring and call it good. Any ideas?
Thanks!
 
You could look in Article 800 Part V.

The only time I have seen an inspector look at low voltage
cables was out of curiosity, I have never seen
any citations.

I try to do an installation with support spaced the same
as nm withing wall cavities not so much out of safety
concerns as I don't want the stuff to get smashed
by the drywallers if it's flopping around. You can buy
low voltage stapes, use stackers, or my favorite
method is to put a regular nm staple on the inside of the
stud and then use a cable-tie to secure any number
of low-voltage cables to that.

Have done some conduit for LV (see exception in
800.110), but generally seemed like overkill unless
the intent was to have the ability to easily run cables
later.
 
We primarily used the conduits for security/safety reasons because tenants were allowed to hang pictures and small shelving units on their walls without facilities having to get involved. Secondary was for facilities, you would be amazed at how often I have seen cabling get destroyed from someone cutting a hole in a wall to install another box. Facilities actually wanted conduit from the outlet to the IDF, but with structured cabling that can get pretty congested and messy very quickly so we agreed on conduit stubbed up above the ceiling cap and cable trays running down the hallways and dumping into the IDFs.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top