sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring What type fiber cable do I need?

I don't do many fiber jobs. The last one was several years ago and I'm a little rusty. What type of fiber do I need to go 250 feet in a pvc conduit under a concrete floor in a shop? I was looking at an old catalog I have and thought indoor/outdoor type, but I called a fiber sales company and they want to sell me loose tube. Price is twice as much. After that decision, I know that the media converters will dictate the style of connectors, multi or single mode and 62.5 or 50 micron.

Thanks!
Jim

Loose tube is designed for outdoor use. It's often (always?) gel filled - so be prepared to clean it before use. If the space is heated year round and there's no water then you can probably use tight buffered (indoor) fiber. If there's any possibility of water, frost or anything similar then you're better off with loose tube.

For 250' you can probably get away with multi mode, but it depends on your application. As far as 50 versus 62.5 I've heard that most things these days are going 50.

Sam

IMPORTANT! Remember to order the appropriate fan out kit for loose tube, don't try and save money by not getting one.

It has been a while since I did any fiber, but I recently had to research fiber types for a customer.
OM1 and OM2 are 62.5.micro cables and they are good for 1 Gigabit
Fiber OM3 and OM4 are 50 micron and are rated for up to 10 Gig, or even faster (40 or 100 Gigabit) depending on the number of fibers and distance. 40 GB could use up to 8 fibers.
I have heard that OM4 is basically rated for the same speed as OM3 but tested better and can be used for longer distances. For 10 Gigabit Ethernet, OM3 is good to 300 meters, while OM4 is good for 550 meters at the same speed.

Typically I specify OM3. From what I have heard 62.5 micro isn't very common now days. People are moving to 50 micron fiber.

I'm extending the LAN to an office at the end of an addition. Everything will be inside and heated, as they work in the entire area, so I'm torn between the two types. Maybe just go with the loose tube to be safe and then I'll sleep at night. I'm going to have the connectors installed at the factory, then I know it's done right, no mess, and I don't have to learn anything new. Have them add a pulling eye and I'm good to go.I've did it that way last time, and it worked out ok. Trick is to measure accurately, and add slack.

I also found that 50 micron is most popular now a days. And I thought I saw that OM2 was 50. Will have to check again.

Thanks for the input everybody.

Jim

OM3, Indoor/Outdoor will be fine.

Yep

You can use a measuring wheel if you see both sides of the conduit, and the path they took. Or else Muletape
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-1...Pulling-Strength-Bucket-31-315/207208864

If you know the start and end locations you can order it with pre-terminated ends and it will save you the headache of terminating both ends. Always install more fibers that you think you will need. A six fiber cable is the minimum that I will install as having extra strands will always come in handy.

Multimode fiber (OM3 and OM4) are good for what you are trying to do. Don't use OM1 or OM2 as they are considered outdated and are not really supported for new installs. Singlemode fiber is basically future-proofing the install but is an overkill for most short runs like yours.

If you are installing new conduit look into using inter-ducting which will allow you to pull more cable at a later date without damaging the fiber already in it.

I've got a good line on the conduit run. It's only a 1". First part is existing that was used for a phone at the far end of the shop. Now with the addition, they extended it to the new far end. I hope a pulling eye on a 6 fiber will fit. Going to drag in a 6 pair PE89 also for the phone.

Don't use PE-89; you'll be dealing with oozing grease at the terminations forever. Use PE-22 and pull it BEHIND the pulling eye on the fiber and you'll make it through a 1" pipe just fine. Indoor/outdoor fiber is tiny, even 12 strands is under 3/8" in diameter.