cable and phone
- Thread starter sfd524
- Start date
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
Yes, you can run any low voltage in the same conduit but obviously NOT the same conduit as your electrical.
Ditto what JeffMoss26 said + Plan for the future. Just big enough today may be too small tomorrow. Phone, TV, alarm, computer, plus ???
I consider 1" the minimum. The additional cost over smaller stuff is trivial compared to digging it up later. Use Cat5 or 6 for phone/internet/computer network even if you think you don't need it. Alarm may need 22ga or even 18ga. More current involved than with phone etc. Making the garage a wireless expansion of your house alarm may not work due to distance or metal roof/siding.
And pull at least one more cat5 than you think you need. Later you may need it, or you can use it to pull the wire you do need.
I consider 1" the minimum. The additional cost over smaller stuff is trivial compared to digging it up later. Use Cat5 or 6 for phone/internet/computer network even if you think you don't need it. Alarm may need 22ga or even 18ga. More current involved than with phone etc. Making the garage a wireless expansion of your house alarm may not work due to distance or metal roof/siding.
And pull at least one more cat5 than you think you need. Later you may need it, or you can use it to pull the wire you do need.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
The phone and TV cables should be rated for use in wet areas since they'll be in an underground conduit.
Absolutely.
The conduits always seem to end up full of water even when both ends terminate in a dry box. You can also drag a piece of string trimmer line through the conduit for a future pull cord. It doesn't seem to care if it gets wet and stays wet for years.
CTaylor
New member
The local phone company should be able to provide you with enough buried drop wire that you can place in conduit for free. I work for Frontier Communications and deal with this stuff all the time. Do not put in a Cat 5 exposed or in conduit, unless it is specific to outdoor use. The wire used indoors will typically last a few years, then people are calling me to figure out why their phones or DSL are not working. If you are going to be placing the conduit, and it's not too much out of your budget, place 2" for future use. The major phone companies are starting to use bonded copper pairs for faster internet service, and in the future 4 or 6 conductor wire may not be enough. Pull strings only work for short runs when other wires are already in place, otherwise you use it to pull both wires at once. If a new wire needs placed, replace all existing wire at the same time, using old wire as your pull. The least amount of bends the better.
Edit: Another reason for using the proper wire rated for buried service is the shielding inside the wire that is bonded to ground to prevent cross talk or power influence.
Edit: Another reason for using the proper wire rated for buried service is the shielding inside the wire that is bonded to ground to prevent cross talk or power influence.
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wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
The OP said 'from the pole' and I assume this to mean the service pole where the phone and cable plants are. If this is the case, then what u suggest is way overkill. All he will need is 1 RG6 (or RG11 depending on the distance to his house) and 1 multi-pair phone cable. He could instead run CAT5 or 6 but outdoor wet CAT5 is expensive. And there won't be any alarm wires going from the house to the service pole nor would there be CAT5 for a computer network!
Having said all that and having worked with both the phone and cable companies before on many projects, I know that the 2 arch rivals don't like to share conduit. You may be able to get away with it, but after one company pulls through the conduit and the next comes, they may tell u that they want a separate conduit. I would ask just to be safe, unless u plan on pulling the cable yourself and then 1" would be fine and I would pull both @ the same time!
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
O wow. @ 410' u may need something larger than RG11 for your cable service. I would call your cable company and consult with them on what size CATV wire u should use. You will have to order it unless an electrical supply house has it as the big box stores definitely do not carry anything bigger than RG6....It may be cheaper to just have the cable company pull and terminate the wire!