atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Here's an example of why you DON'T go to YouTube for advice!

This is the way it is today. Nobody takes pride in their work, nobody want's to put in the time to learn how it's supposed to be done- but why should they? It's all about get it done as cheaply as possible. Training and experience costs money and cuts into profits. Nobody cares what it looks like anyway as long as it appears to work. This generation of useless people are only as smart as the internet and their cell phones.

So really, there is no place for craftsmen anymore.

-Hal

Well I for one still take pride in what I do. It may cut into my profit margins at times. At least I can sleep at night.
A Data company I am friendly with had the electricians run their cat 5e cable. They in turn had to terminate it and said they had trouble because the electricians ran stranded instead of solid. I offerrd them the use of my certifier to see how well it certifies before they build their network, or if they wanted I would do it for them if they paid for transportation. Site is 2 and a half hours from me.

The only thing you should have recommended is to rip it out and start from scratch then back charge the idiot electrician. Why would you even think about certification when none of the terminations can be relied on to begin with? Even if they are lucky enough to have some runs work they are going to fail sooner or later.

Stranded cable is for making patch cords with plugs NOT premises wiring with jacks and patch panels. There is NO WAY that this is a usable installation.

Musta missed the U Tube on that...

-Hal

I did recommend rip and redo. The walls are already up and the data guys don't want to get into it. I only recommended testing with the certifier because they said it passes a normal end to end. I don't have any piece of this. I was just trying to show the light to avoid disaster.

On the second video...my new favorite word is "Gizmo".

When running cable along the outside as he did, should outdoor rated cable be used?

What??? No drip loop where the cable enters the wall from the outside?

Just what I want to see, sparkie and the IT guys going head to head for the biggest idiot trophy!

So the electrician ran stranded wire and the IT morons KNEW about it yet still went ahead and tried to terminate it? Their excuse is that the walls are up? How about: too bad sparkie, you used the wrong wire now you get to replace it by whatever it takes on your nickel.

If you ask me, the OWNER should fire all their dumb asses and sue them to pay for having it done right.

But he won't so I betcha this is going to be a three way tie!

-Hal

Yeah Hal I'm just going to observe from the cheap seats. My offer on the certifier was just to lend credibility the cable job was sh*t. I wasn't taken up on the offer so let the biggest D win.

The problem with that is some runs actually may certify giving them reason for not replacing. Certification doesn't address the real issue here- the terminations will be intermittent and a constant source of trouble. If they don't understand that basic concept I'm not surprised. What I don't understand is why they still have a job.

-Hal

"What I don't understand is why they still have a job."

There's one born every minute.

Sam

Over the years I have had very brief meetings with the same crew of people. I don't beat around the bush. I look at the cable, and speak plainly and clearly and in small words. I say "You used the wrong kind of wire. It needs to be replaced with the right kind of wire. Do you want to do it, or do you want me to do it?"

Sometimes the meeting also includes the architect. That's when it gets really entertaining. I went into a storefront that had been wired with a single blue (of course, blue) Cat5e in a daisy-chain from one desk to the next. (Eight desks.) At every location, there was also a coax. The wires were not terminated; just hanging out of the old-work boxes.

It was all I could do not to just laugh my way to the truck and drive away. I needed the money, so I asked the architect, who had the plans with her, why she had (1) hired a day laborer to run the wire, (2) why had he run the single voice wire in a daisy-chain, and (3) why had she specified a coax at each desk. On her plans, there was a little triangle with an "M" inside it, at every desk. She said that she had specified a "Modem" at each desk, because that's how the computer in her office works. A piece of coax goes to a box, and the computer is plugged into the box. The box is called a "Modem." Therefor, if it works that way for one computer, it must work that way for a number of computers.

Luckily (for them) there was a vacant basement and the building was frame construction, so rewiring was not a big deal. I ripped everything out and did it right. Six hours and $2,000 later I *DID* laugh my way to the truck.