I need 200 feet of plenum cat5e. Any sources? Online the best I have found is a 500 foot spool which I will probably never use.

I would recommend just buying a box of Cat5e (usually come @ 1000'). Keep the rest for future jobs. You will undoubtedly come across the need for plenum Cat5e in the future.

I go through a ton of PVC CMR. In 20 years I've used maybe 500 feet of plenum.

I'm pretty sure that you can get it by the foot at Home Depot. It will cost a lot more if you have it cut, but it is a possible solution.

500 feet of plenum in 20 years???? Holy moly! We use more than that in a week!!

Like Ed said you can get it at Home Depot or Lowes and the price for 1000' is not too bad at all.

https://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wc...mp;productId=202316503&storeId=10051

call a cable contractor in the area and ask them to sell you some "for a DIY project "

Remember, plenum 'CAN' be used in non-plenum locations. When you can buy a box of plenum for the same or less than 200' specially cut, you're throwing away 300' of cable. Does looking at it that way help?

good point john we often use it in non plenum situations

I have pulled cable for a long time but never on a scale like an office tower or some other construction where it is required. I quoted the pull before checking so now I have to eat the extra cost of the plenum vs pvc. It's only one run down a very long hallway. 172.00 is about what I quoted for labor and materials. I'll probably just sub it out.

I agree with Tito....price for a box of plenum is pretty reasonable. And if you have to pay specialty prices for a custom cut, maybe well worth it.

Just for comparison, Home Depot gets about two times the price for a box of plenum vs: non-plenum. Still, getting it cut by the foot will probably be painful. At my local HD store today, they only had one box of C5e that was plenum-rated and it was tagged as not available for cutting. Maybe my suggestion wasn't so great after all.

That price per box seems reasonable (though I can not speak for the brand). Graybar wants over 200 for General Cable CMP.

I have seen some outrageous per foot prices at HD and Lowe's...
Neither of them sell Romex by the foot anymore, BTW.
You have to buy a 25 foot coil at the minimum.

Most of our work is commercial and even though not all commercial requires plenum that's all we stock. Plenum can be used everywhere. To offset the cost of CAT5e we use CAT3 for voice wherever possible.

-Hal

Right at this moment, there are several Ebay auctions that have approx 1000' of Cat5e plenum for just over $100.00 with no shipping charges.

Search for "cat5e plenum"

Why sub it out? Buy a box and keep it on hand for future jobs. If you're a cable installer then at the minimum you should have some cable on hand. What are you going to do when the next cable run pops up that requires plenum? Buy some now and you'll be all set for the next job.

Really?? .... i am surprised at that Hal .... don't you find on a big job that requires pvc that it hurts your competitiveness?

I am not trying to be a jerk or ball buster here but it seems like over the course of a year or two that it would add up to a sizable chunk of money.

I could almost see it on cat 3 because the difference is nominal but when you get into cat 5 it becomes a fairly significant increase.

I'm wondering the same thing. There's no way we could remain competitive if we're going plenum and everyone else is quoting PVC. That's a substantial increase in price.

A big job with PVC? I haven't had one of those in ages. I have so few opportunities for PVC that I seldom keep more than 1-2 boxes on hand.

I too prefer to offset my costs and use Cat 3 on voice. I realize this may be a topic for a separate post but I am a very strong adherent in favor of it unless the customer is otherwise inclined.

Yeah we have our share of plenum installs but its mostly PVC. Starting a 1200 drop job next week that's all PVC. On the flip side we haven't ordered a box of Cat3 in ages. I can't recall the last spec that allowed Cat3.

don't you find on a big job that requires pvc that it hurts your competitiveness?

Of course. If I have to go out and buy cable for a particular job I'll purchase only what's needed. I'm talking about the few thousand feet that I keep on hand to do those small jobs that you get calls for every day. You never know what they are going to be and for a couple of hundred feet it's not going to break the bank if I use plenum where it isn't needed. It would be a real PITA to have to go and buy plenum if it turns out I have to do a 200' run and I have a couple of thousand feet of riser on the truck.

-Hal

I found a place in Toronto that sells Cat5e for $50 bucks a 1000 feet of wire made in China .
I haven't bought any or seen any but personally I will stick will Beldon Cat5e wire @ $180
because I know it is better than good!!!

IBDN/CDT Certified for What's Comming Next ! :thumb:

That must be the scrap I sold to the scrap yard last year. They send it all to China.

-Hal

Some places like where I am require either Plenum or conduit to make code