In-door cable out-doors: Life-expectancy?

[archive10]

Just squinting at my cable leading to the dishes...
I use tripple and quad-shielded stuff.
But that is electromagnetically speaking.
It is still just a single white plastic sleeve.
I believe it mostly is designed for in-door use.
And that's where most of it runs. But to keep things without too many bridging poins, the end parts ususally runs in the outside world as well.
So what is the life-time expectancy of the end-points?
How long will the in-door cable last when being out-doors?

About to lay new cable in other installations.
Especially one that has a 25 meter run out to the dish (under ground)
Having a hard time to find "outdoor" cable.
Is the answer cable conduits, or what to use?

 

[Lazarus]

How long has the existing cable been in service?

 

[archive10]

2010 for most of it.
The quads cable going to the CM180 from 2011.

 

[Terryl]

For underground use the gray PVC conduit, I use the 25mm stuff, that way you have room for another run, I also use a vacuum to pull a masons line through, (after it's all glued and buried) this used to pull the coax.

You can get a weather head for the end of the PVC conduit out by the dish, makes for a nice tight setup.

You can run larger conduit if you want.

And indoor rated coax will maybe last 1 to 2 years out in the open weather without a conduit to protect it, then the PVC jacket will start to peel.

 

[Lazarus]

Well on the basis it has yet more life in it, if you are indeed obliged to use the same stuff for other Installations, then something like alkathene water service pipe or even generic plastic plumbing pipe would make a nice conduit for the underground runs. You should be able to create a watertight environment easily with proprietary joints on the main run plus vast amounts of mastic at the entry and exit points.

Edit: Just pipped by Terryl - his solution is better quality, mine is cheaper!

 

[Vipersan]

Personally I always use triple copper ...core braid and shield..
Indoors and outdoors..
However I am having to replace 2 possibly 3 runs of Webro solid foam centre after about 6 years of use ..
I suspect water has somehow caused degradation ..
patches of the braid having turned black inside the cable..
They do run through pvc water pipe as conduit underground and above ground to a height of about 1 mtre..
More expense I guess having recently ordered another 100m drum ..
but at least I can drag the new cable through using the old cable ..and a good coating of silicon grease..
Cables don't last forever in appears...particularly outside in rainy old Manchester where the ground remains sodden most of the year.
I'm just thankful I had the foresight to run conduit..
rgds
VS

 

[archive10]

I have all of it in conduits when under ground.
But I am worried anbout the end points....
The cable end connecting to the LNB at the end of the feed-arms...
Beyond the realm of the under-ground conduits.
Will it last? What's the point in protecting the 95% of the cable-run, if the last 5 fails in two years???
Or should that be 20?

 

[Vipersan]

Well ..fwiw buddy I would expect above ground cable which is not possibly within the water table to dry naturally in air and providing the seal is adequate to prevent water getting backward into the conduit ..cables should last both in and out of conduit..
..my worry would be water somehow gaining access to the underground conduit thus remaining for long periods immersing those inaccessible undrainable cables/conduits..
I suspect less degradation from air dried above ground exposed cables ..ie that last 5%

..Afterall ...many UHF single screened terrestrial aerial cable installations running from roof to TV are still good to go after 20 or even 30 years ..providing no water gets in at the feeder end and no kinks breaks cuts or joints in the line..
These just clipped to the house exterior brickwork.
..and many cables still perfectly functional on satellite dishes installed for astra back in the analogue days.
rgds

 

[A nonymous]

At the end of the day it all depends on what the outer sheath of the cable is made from. I remember the company i used to work for doing quite a large install into a block of maisonettes in Birmingham. The cabling crew in their infinite wisdom used Webro LSNH (Low Smoke, No Halogen) WF100 on some of the outside runs. This cable was designed primarily for use indoors inside conduit.

After 12 months of being exposed to the elements and UV from the sun the outer sheath of the cable broke down, went brittle and cracked all over the place letting moisture into the cable. It was safe to say the system failed shortly afterwards.

The company had to replace the whole cable system of approx 3500m of cable with Webro Sat UV WF100 cable at their own cost.

Its not worth the risk using unsuitable cable unless you like replacing it every 12 months.

Nano

 

[Terryl]

For the end of the coax that exits out of the conduit and is exposed to the Sun, all you do is wrap it with some good quality electrical tape, this will protect it from the Sun as that is what does the most damage, the UV rays will destroy the PVC jacket on non outdoor rated coax within a year or more.

 

[Vipersan]

For the end of the coax that exits out of the conduit and is exposed to the Sun, all you do is wrap it with some good quality electrical tape, this will protect it from the Sun as that is what does the most damage, the UV rays will destroy the PVC jacket on non outdoor rated coax within a year or more.

Ahh ..that's why my cables last much longer then..
You obviously don't know Manchester Terry..
Someone once opened a shop selling sunglasses ...
Went bankrupt within a month..

 

[Terryl]

Where I live it's going to be 105 F today (that's 40.5 C for you on the other side of the big pond) with 8% humidity, normal for this time of year, the direct Sun here will eat up a standard lawn chair in about a month if you leave them outside, the same for the garden hoses, I have to use underground pipe wrap tape to keep things with a PVC jacket like coax from rotting in your hand.

It's a bit hard on the RV and boat trailer tiers too, we use covers for the Sunny side.

 

[timo_w2s]

Hmm, to be honest I didn't realise there was "indoor" and "outdoor" satellite cable. I don't know what type mine is but most of it is just stuck an inch under the lawn and has been for 15 years... (I just need to remember where not to throw a spade or other sharp object into the ground and cut the cables!)

 

[purplemarina]

webro do some green cable which is designed to be buried wf165ug

 

[rolfw]

webro do some green cable which is designed to be buried wf165

Yes, direct burial with an extra skin, also do it in WF125, very stiff though, not good for going around corners.

I use WF100 for my outdoor runs, the black is probably slightly more UV resistant than the brown, but both should last at least 15 years.

The main areas of degradation are on roof surfaces, extremes of heat and cold, lots of rain and UV light, plus there is normally movement, even though it may be slight.

 

[timo_w2s]

webro do some green cable which is designed to be buried wf165ug

I've just seen some on eBay for £499 + £40 postage for 250m. Think I'll stick with the standard stuff that has lasted me 15 years so far and take a risk I might need to change it someday... With it being just under the turf it's easily accessible should I need to rip it up. ;)

 

[archive10]

And indoor rated coax will maybe last 1 to 2 years out in the open weather without a conduit to protect it, then the PVC jacket will start to peel.

How do you tell if it's indoor or outdoor rated?
Are there any markings on the cable?

 

[Terryl]

There could be, if there is a UV anywhere in the markings then it's UV resistant.

90% of the stuff I buy is marked on the reels as outdoor rated.