Need some advice on Network Cable

[c3p0]

We are considering some facility upgrades at work and I brought up the subject of replacing some unreliable network cable. This cable is in a very harsh environment. High temperatures and petroleum products are the biggest issues at the moment. My question is, are there commercial or industrial grade Cat5 cable available? If so, could someone be kind enough to post a link for me. Thanks in advance!!!

c3p0
:beer:

 

[skyking]

How many drops are you talking about?
If it is just a few, I'd opt for PVC conduit. It is going to last forever, and even the best cable jacket will degrade in sunlight, chemical exposure, etc.

 

[spidey07]

Correct. You are supposed to put the cable in conduit for such installations and not leave it exposed. There are also network jacks specifically for this purpose/environment that are air tight and don't let oil/chemicals into the housing, they even come with a rubber plug that is used to cover the jack when not in use. Heck there are even explosion proof housings if you want but I don't gather that you need that.

 

[ScottMac]

You might want to talk to the folks at Anixter (www.anixter.com to get the phone number).

They are experts at cabling types for specific environments and applications.

I'd bet the for industrial in a harsh environment, conduit or not, you may want some specialty cable. You may also want to talk with the electricians at your facility, they are likely to know the code requirements (like metal conduit versus PVC, required cable types, etc).

 

[c3p0]

Thanks for all the input. We do run our cable through a metal conduit for the most part. But there always seems to be some cable that gets exposed. These facilities are for Engine Durability Testing. So every once in awhile one of the engines will fail and everything in the room gets soaked with motor oil or coolant. So I guess I was just wondering if anyone made a network cable that would hold up under that kind of environment.

I'll get in touch with the folks at Anixter and see what they recommend. Thanks again for all the input.

c3p0
:beer: