Underground fiber

M

Metraon

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 23, 2011
Messages
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I am searching about recent documentation/training about fiber installation. All I ever done is change some cables or pass drops in small buildings. Can someone put me in the right direction and link some good recent books or online training about fiber installation (inside outside)

Lets say I absolutely want to make underground fiber for about 30-40 meters. Can I use this kind of fiber ?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10237&cs_id=1023704&p_id=7627&seq=1&format=2

I want to dig a trench and put the fiber in a burial conduit. I doubt it is the right way, but we never know, perhaps I am half right ?

There are big winters where I live, It can go about -40C for weeks.

I know there is direct burial fiber witch are more tick cables with waterproof compound, what are the advantage for such fiber ?

Thanks
 
In my experience fiber for outside is generally multiple strands per cable -- more like http://www.l-com.com/productfamily.aspx?id=423 than regular cables. Also, you'll definitely want to have it terminated at the ends, since the fiber will still be awesome in 10 years, but you probably don't want an LC connector then. Also, if it's terminated in a box and you accidentally bash the connector to your switch with a hammer, you haven't wrecked up your entire underground fiber, just the one from the termination point to the switch.

Direct burial cables avoid the need for conduit, but are also magical magnets for shovels.
 
I'm not sure of the specifics of fiber, but you can put any NM or better electrical cable in properly installed conduit. Local code will determine minumum depth, but I think it is 18" or below the frost line, whichever is greater. You can even use direct burial in conduit for complete overkill, handy for possible water incursion ( I know it's not supposed to happen, but it does). You mignt want a contractor or two to bid on the job- they may be able to do it cheaper than you can, plus you get gaurantees.
 
when we ran fiber between buildings it was in conduit and was insanely-thick multiple strand cables that were a horrendous pita to pull (disgusting blue lubricant was used)

luckily I just spectated lol...

buying some cables on monoprice and burying them sounds like an outage waiting to happen
 
Buy like 4 of the LC/LC cables, fish them thru a garden hose, and then rest easy knowing you spent like $70.

Just kidding, but not really...you could do that.

I have no idea what you're using this for, but if you're being [h]ard and moving your servers to a shed outside, the garden hose method is okay. Direct burial cable is what you really want though. Otherwise, you should get the real stuff and properly terminate it at each end. Gonna save headaches and costly outages if it's something business related.
 
It is a personnal project, for me, so not quite a production environnement.
 
Well in THAT case, I'd say that you probably want some outdoor cable, as it sounds like temperatures are a touch unpleasant in the winter and regular cables get a little brittle outside. It's hard to terminate fiber cables, so you'll probably end up stringing out some pre-terminated cables. If you can, I'd still do the cable run as one thing to a box and then run cables for in the rooms separately. It'll make snagging an in-room cable not as much of an issue at all.

It's easier to do it all at once, so consider running an extra pair of cables and then leave them capped off. Also, run some string or twine so other cables can be pulled in the future (along with new replacement twine).

Oooh, this looks quite likely too-expensive, but might be just the sort of thing you're looking for:
http://www.lanshack.com/Custom-4-Strand-Outdoor-Multimode-Assembly-P1242C51.aspx

Good luck!
 
I ran pre-terminated lc between my garage and house. It's running in a PVC conduit. (Basically tubing used for underground sprinklers). I drilled a hole just big enough for the ends to go through in the house and garage and filled it with expanding foam.

It gets to -35 here without the windchill in Winter and so far it's been working great. Check out my picture posts in the networking gallery for more details.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1685939
 
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I am going to be doing the same thing in a few months. Gonna run a small trench and run it through PVC into the garage. KISS.
 
HoppyChris said:
Well in THAT case, I'd say that you probably want some outdoor cable, as it sounds like temperatures are a touch unpleasant in the winter and regular cables get a little brittle outside. It's hard to terminate fiber cables, so you'll probably end up stringing out some pre-terminated cables. If you can, I'd still do the cable run as one thing to a box and then run cables for in the rooms separately. It'll make snagging an in-room cable not as much of an issue at all.

It's easier to do it all at once, so consider running an extra pair of cables and then leave them capped off. Also, run some string or twine so other cables can be pulled in the future (along with new replacement twine).

Oooh, this looks quite likely too-expensive, but might be just the sort of thing you're looking for:
http://www.lanshack.com/Custom-4-Strand-Outdoor-Multimode-Assembly-P1242C51.aspx

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Oh wow, that just made my day.
 
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