Today’s Topics: A Good Groove & Better Weather | Cable Raceways | What is the difference between LSZH and OFNR? | News to Start Your Day
Happy Monday!
February 22nd is National Walking the Dog Day! This day combines two of the most happy-making things we have in this life: dogs and exercise. Humans love walking with their four-legged friends, and pooches love strolls with their people! So grab your pup and head on out for a walk today…and don’t forget the treats!!
Welcome back from the weekend, you guys. I’m looking forward to this week, feeling like we’re getting in a good groove as a team. We are watching the news and understanding that those of you in Texas may still be struggling right now after the winter storms. If you’ve been impacted by the storms, is there anything we can do for you?
It was a pretty nice weekend weather wise here in Georgia. The sun was out (after what felt like two weeks of gloomy weather and rain), which means we all were able to get a little Vitamin D in and some energy out. Craig and I were able to enjoy some time with friends, a fun game night. Friendship and laughter really do make life better.
Speaking of laughter: Did you hear about the guy who invented Lifesavers? They say he made a mint!
Happy Monday, friends!
Christin
Product Spotlights and Updates:
Happy Monday! Today I will highlight a product that many people use including my family! One of the best ways to hide and organize exposed cables is by using a cable raceway. Our Cable Raceways can be used to route, conceal, and protect cables. They form a physical pathway for cables and protect them against physical threats. A cable raceway also protects you from tripping over any lingering cables!
Our cable raceways also have foam adhesive tape pre-applied for extra protection which helps protect cables from heat and humidity. These cable management accessories are surface-mounted systems that allow you to mount the raceways on floors, walls, ceilings, etc. These raceways can be cut to fit the area you want to use them in and be painted over!
Click here to see a before and after picture of a cable raceway!
What is the difference between LSZH and ONR? – CK Learning Center
With the many types of fiber cables and then the components that make each of them up, it can be very confusing to know what fiber cable is the best overall for your business. One of the biggest questions we get is what is the difference between OFNR fiber cables and LSZH fiber cables. While they seem like the same thing, they are really two very different and very important attributes of fiber cables, and the same fiber cable can be both. To understand these attributes better, we have to understand the construction of fiber cables and the different rating levels associated with fiber optic cabling.
Optical Fiber Construction
There are several parts that made up the fiber cable. Each part starting from the cladding, then the coating, strength member, and lastly the outer jacket is covered at the top of each other to give protection and shielding especially the conductors and the fiber core. Above all of these, the outer jacket is the first layer of protection and adds strength to the fiber to withstand different conditions such as fire, moisture, chemical, and stress during installations and operations.
Fiber Cable Outer Jacket Material Types
Fiber cable outer jackets can be classified into several types in terms of different materials. These materials have different characteristics and uses that depend on the application’s setting. The list below shows the most popular types of outer jacket materials and its uses.
PVC (Polyvinylchloride): Most commonly used material for outer jacket. It is low cost, strong, flexible, fire-resistant, and can be used in many applications.
PE (Polyethylene): Very good electrical properties while maintaining high insulation. PE cables may be firm and solid but are more flexible.
PVDF (Polyvinyl Difluoride): Has more flame-resistant properties than the PE cable and primarily used for plenum areas.
PUR (Polyurethane): PUR is very flexible and scratch resistant that is mainly used in low-temperature environments.
LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen): LSZH is less toxic than PVC. It has a flame-retardant outer cover that doesn’t produce halogen when heated. Mainly used in confined installations.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) has a classification system for optical fiber cables. These requirements specify how the fiber cables will behave in case of fire conditions and categorize depending on its application for these different areas.
What is the Plenum Area?
A plenum area is a space used to move air to workspaces for the purpose of ventilation or to form airflow for an air distribution system.
What is the Riser Area?
Examples of riser areas are floor openings, tubes, or channels that run upwards over one or more floors. Riser cable is planned for use in upright shafts that run between floors.
What is the General-Purpose Area?
A general-purpose area is all other areas that are not plenum or riser on the same space or floor.
Fire Rating Levels
There are four levels of fire resistance for fiber cables and each level has two divisions which are the conductive and non-conductive cables. The higher rating cable is backward compatible with the lower rating cable and can be substituted while the lower rating cables can’t be used in place for the higher ratings.
- OFNP and OFCP Fiber Cable Optical Fiber Nonconductive Plenum Cable and Optical Fiber Conductive Plenum Cable. OFNP and OFCP cables as the name implies are used for plenum areas and have resistance to fire and smoke.
- OFNR and OFCR Fiber Cable Optical Fiber Nonconductive Riser Cables and Optical Fiber Conductive Riser Cables are used for the riser areas. These cables must prevent the fire from one floor to another.
- OFNG and OFCG Fiber Cable Optical Fiber Nonconductive General-Purpose Cable and Optical Fiber Conductive General-Purpose Cable. These cables must not spread the fire for more than 4 feet, 11 inches.
- OFN and OFC Fiber Cable Optical Fiber Nonconductive and Optical Fiber Conductive. To get this cable rating, the flame shall not infiltrate floors or ceilings and the cables are also used for general purpose areas.
Comparison between the OFNR and LSZH Cables
Now we understand the different types of cable materials and their fire ratings, we can now clear the misconception between the OFNR and LSZH cables. These two cables are not the same type with just a different term. Failure to properly understand these classifications may lead to unfortunate accidents.
OFNR Cables
To summarize, OFNR cables are used for riser applications. It is non-conductive and is resistant to oxidation and degradation. It cannot be used to plenum areas but OFNP cables are compatible to rise applications. If you want to use it in a building, the structure must have a confined ventilation system and fire exits.
LSZH Cables
LSZH in comparison are made of special flame-resistant coating, and outstanding fire protection features such as low smoke, toxicity corrosion. LSZH cable jacketing are made of thermoplastic or thermoset compounds that produce little smoke and no halogen in case of fire.
When looking for the best type of fiber cable to use for your network and business, it can be difficult to navigate all of this information. We designed our premium fiber cables to take the guesswork out of it. Our premium fiber cables have the LSZH jacket material with the OFNR rating, which gives you the safety you need with the low smoke and toxicity, plus enables you to use the cable in riser-rated environments.
This article is from the CK Learning Center.
Today’s News to Start Your Day:
- As of this morning, in the US, there are 9,281,890 active COVID cases, 18,973,401 have recovered and there have been 511,147 deaths.
- Taco Bell said Monday that it’s testing a taco version of a chicken sandwich. Chicken is growing faster than beef, making it more attractive to fast-food chains. McDonald’s, KFC, Wendy’s, and Burger King are among the chains looking to gain from the chicken sandwich craze. Check it out here!
- Disney+ experienced a brief outage early Friday morning when the service premiered the latest episode of Marvel’s “WandaVision.” As Disney pumps out more shows based on its most popular franchises, the company has been able to dominate the conversation in the entertainment world every week. Disney is on pace to release a new episode of a Marvel or Star Wars show on Disney+ almost every week throughout 2021.
- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce Monday how and when lockdown restrictions will start to be lifted in England. He is slated to give a televised press conference at 7 p.m. London time. Johnson is expected to confirm that schools in England will reopen on March 8, and reveal more details on other restrictions set to be lifted.
- Glamping may be coming to the shores of north Georgia’s Lake Lanier if a county can agree on zoning rules. A mash-up of glamorous and camping – glamping is a term for fancy campsites, often with individual bathrooms. At least two landowners want to start offering glamping in Hall County northeast of Atlanta. County planning is recommending that glamping be permitted in areas zoned for residential or agricultural use, as long as no one rents a campsite for more than 30 consecutive days.
- Following months of rumors, a leaked image of what is said to be the third-generation Apple Airpods and its accompanying case has surfaced. Previous reports noted that the upcoming release would serve as a medium, in terms of price and performance, between the AirPods and AirPods Pro models currently on the market. Courtesy of 52Audio, the potential leaked look features an AirPods Pro in-ear design that is noticeably missing the removable ear tip elements. Additionally, stem controls and pressure equalizers also seem to be missing from the pictured model. The accompanying case also looks to be a sized down design of the case included with the AirPods Pro. Rumors are expecting the third-generation Apply AirPods to arrive as soon as early March.
