Conduit With Cat6

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I am in the process of running Cat6 from my 1st floor, to my attic. I am removing the sheet rock on the 1st floor and going to place conduit in the wall. My question being would using PVC suffice to feed the cabling through or should I stick with aluminum? In my mind aluminum would create 2 potential issues one of which being data loss due to "added noise" and secondly possibly become a lightning rod. But I have never done this before so I wanted to ask.

SmallFries BigGuys

Posted 2017-01-29T03:08:26.100

Reputation: 109

Unless you already have the tools, or access to them, the EMT bending tool will probably cheaper than the PVC heater will be. Otherwise, no difference between the two options. Is there a reason for using conduit at all? Once the sheet rock is replaced it should protect the cable enough on its own. If the only purpose for the conduit is for ease of replacement later, just use nylon fish line and run a length with the cable, tie off both ends at the junction box and call it good. – user686699 – 2017-01-29T04:47:01.497

The cable itself is just as much a lightning rod as the conduit, and unless you have the proper tools, testers, and experience, you are really wasting your money trying to install Category-6 cable. I seriously doubt that you can install it and have it pass the full Category-6 suite. Many experienced installers have trouble doing that. – Ron Maupin – 2017-01-29T04:53:26.500

@RonMaupin - I make Cat6 runs through a drop ceiling at my office all the time, it has become part of my "daily routine" almost. We use bulk cable, so I terminate both ends, and run from our switch over to the wall, wall fish, and add keystone jacks etc. – SmallFries BigGuys – 2017-01-29T14:56:27.257

@GypsySpellweaver - I do not believe I will need the EMT bending tool, as I have a direct line running from crawlspace to attic. Yes, the purpose of the conduit is for replacement later (if necessary, who knows what will be around in 5 years). – SmallFries BigGuys – 2017-01-29T14:58:05.320

@SmallFriesBigGuys, do you have an expensive tester, e.g. Fluke, that shows it passes all the tests in the Category-6 test suite? I doubt it does. You are better off using Category-5e, rather than wasting money and fooling yourself that you have Category-6. Just because the cable is marked that way, doesn't mean the installation is a Category-6 installation. Each cable run needs to be individually tested, and you should keep the reports of the tests on file. – Ron Maupin – 2017-01-29T17:08:08.683

@RonMaupin - very good to know. No, I do not have any of the Fluke testing tools. When I would wire at work, after crimping the end of the cable and connecting to the keystone, I would then run a speedtest to determine if it was acceptable or not. 99% of the time it was, and I would call it done! In the 1% it was not, was due to a bad crimp and I would do it again. What would be the performance difference in using Cat5E to Cat6? – SmallFries BigGuys – 2017-01-29T17:30:23.593

@RonMaupin - Also - the price diff between Bulk Cat5E and Cat6 on Amazon is roughly $20....unless these are garbage bulk cables Cat6 and Cat5E

– SmallFries BigGuys – 2017-01-29T17:35:13.710

1@SmallFriesBigGuys, There are differences in all the tests. For example, Category-5e only needs to work up to 100 MHz, but Category-6 needs to work up to 250 MHz. The primary tests are: Wire Map, Length, Insertion Loss, Near End Cross Talk (NEXT), Power Sum Near End Cross Talk (PSNEXT), Equal Level Far End Cross Talk (ELFEXT), Power Sum Equal Level Far End Crosstalk (PSELFEXT), Return Loss, Propagation Delay, and Delay Skew. I have seen something as simple as which wire in a pair is on top of the twist when terminated causing the tests to fail for Category-6. – Ron Maupin – 2017-01-29T17:48:50.137

Answers

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If it residential home then you don't need any pipes, just use fire stopper in a holes if you drill through frames.

If it commercial building then you must use electrical galvanic pipes or flexible aluminum conduit and again use fire stop paste if you passing some barriers.

You are a little mistaken if you think that metallic pipes will add you "noise", no, completely opposite - it will create additional electrical shield from any noises (if you ground these pipes properly). Anyway twisted pair is already well protected from any noise, plus signal measured as a current, not voltage, so any noise will effect both wires while receivers measure differential change of current between two wires, voltage rising and falling on both ends of differential amplifier so it isn't measured at all, only deference is matter.
Regarding lightning - there a bunch other things that lightning can be attracted, if you run it inside of your attic, you are fine. First thing that usually lightning strike - it is power poll since it tallest one, has needle like end and it carry neutral wire.

Anyway you can run CAT6 without any problem for communication without any pipes at all as far as each drop isn't longer than 100 meters or 328 feet, it will work for sure if you didn't made sharp angles, and made good connections on connectors.

Alex

Posted 2017-01-29T03:08:26.100

Reputation: 5 606

I want to run through piping in order for ease of replacement in 5 - 10 years when Cat6 is no longer the fast route to go. Thank you for the detailed response, I think I will go with CARLON Ent 100-ft Conduit as opposed to PVC and/or the other. – SmallFries BigGuys – 2017-01-29T15:00:34.333

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Aluminum would be an odd conduit material - most metallic conduit is galvanized (zinc-coated) steel.

Either steel or PVC will work, and your concerns seem to be of the poorly founded sort.

Twisted pair cabling is highly resistant to noise by design, and metal conduit won't add any, regardless - but due to the cable design most noise concerns with Cat5e or Cat6 are entirely inapplicable to a normal single-family house.

The conduit will not "act as a lightning rod" any more than the cable will, unless you plan to stick it out through the roof.

Ecnerwal

Posted 2017-01-29T03:08:26.100

Reputation: 5 046

Aluminum EMT is a very common item. It is especially useful in conditions where corrosion and rust can be a problem (food processing, for example). Aluminum EMT is lighter, by about 1/3, than galvanized steel, typically costs less, and is easier to bend. It also is less resistant to impact damage, which in the walls of a house shouldn't matter anyway. – user686699 – 2017-01-29T04:41:25.250