atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Cable pulling-to mark or not to mark

I can be toning 8 cables and 8 test modules at same time. Just tone, terminate, label,test move to next set of jacks. It may not last but I like to keep everything in order for new install plus it looks better on the wire map.

One that I found conveinent is if you have different departments, and you want the exts. in order by dept. use elect. tape. Like Office is Red, Warehouse is Blue, Retail is Green, and Mailing is Yellow. Makes keeping track of those cables pretty easy.

Then, use a sharpie or Dymo label maker to stick a number or alpha-code on the cable itself. Data and Voice, (type)-(location)-(cable number) [V-O-8]. If I have analog and digital voice, I'll use *A* or *D* on the end of my label.

It may seem like it would take forever to do, but I can push F4 on my label maker and it gives me a quick-add template.

I always label or tag the cables before I pull them, it's looks good to have the jacks in numerical order; makes for a good wire map. Also on the data side, coming into an IDF or MDF, I always have the cables rapped around each other to help prevent cross talk. It doesn't look professional, but technically it is professional and I always explain the reason to the customer.

I usually sharpie the cable and box as I'm pulling it and sharpie the inside of the wall box on the far end. Later, after the sheetrockers and painters have covered the cables, you can still scrape it off the box when you terminate. Number sequentially around the building, any cables run afterwards are given the next number on the patch panel.

We always mark the cables as we pull them.

Once I installed a system for a large national retail store where the local cabling contractor just "pulled 'em, punched 'em and toned 'em".

What a mess!

The cables did not go in any logical order. It takes forever to cross-connect 60+ phones when the cable numbers are all over the place on the MDF.

With a blueprint labeled, there should be no problem.

We pull, terminate, tone, test, label (mark print).

I've done it both ways, but as soon as you add 1 additional jack, the voice1 data1 thing goes to he**. It takes longer to setup and is quickly made unnecessary. Just my humble opinion.

I agree with most of you. I often work alone and work with a handfull to 100's of cables. We have always numbered the cables while pulling. If there are any changes or add-on's, they just get added to the end or last number. Certification will go a he** of a lot faster if you can keep your cables in order.

Always number the cable. Usually with a sharpie. Some customers have asked me to label with a label maker.

If you don't you create the kind of headache I am dealing with right now for a non-profit (see thread in Installers) Numbering also helps me mentally. I can keep track of where I am in the project. Pulling cable kind of gets monotonous and knowing you only have 128 runs to go helps.

Corwyn

For me it depends on the size of the job, small jobs, say under 20-30 runs I label. If the cable plant is to be very large, I tone & test, labeling my blocks in order.
What alot of people do is under-estimate the importance of documentation & records...

I used to only pull cables. Now I mosly do telephone service (at a new company) while someone else does the cable pulling. They number the 66 blocks out of order. Drives me crazy!

I recommended pre-labling. He doesn't like that menthod. He Yanks the cables and tones after. I always labled each cable pull, as stated above.