Data/comm cables and the 2014 National Electrical …

1 Cabling Installation & Maintenance SEPTEMBER 20137:: DESIGN :: The National Electrical code (NEC) is published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA; ) with revisions on a three-year schedule. The 2014 NEC, which replaces the 2011 NEC, was released by the NFPA in August 2013. (NFPA 70, NFPA, National Fire Protection Association, National Electrical code , and NEC are registered trade-marks of the National Fire Protection Association.)This article, written on behalf of the Communications cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA; ), is intended to provide the reader with a guide to the key changes in the 2014 NEC that are of interest to manufacturers, install-ers, distributors and users of Data/comm article is not intended to be a primer on the NEC.

2 In 2011 and 2012, Cabling Installation & Maintenance published a series of articles, which I also authored on behalf of the CCCA, on the 2011 NEC and the development of the 2014 NEC. These articles provide a great deal of infor-mation on the National Electrical code development cablesAlthough widely used in the industry, the term Data/comm cable does not appear in the NEC. The term Data/comm cable , as used in this article, encompasses six families of cable types in the Optical fiber cables , Types OFNP, OFCP, OFNR, OFCR, OFN and OFC2. Communications cables , Types CMP, CMR, CMG and CM3. Coaxial cable TV cables , Types CATVP, CATVR and CATV4.

3 Class 2 cables , Types CL2P, CL2R and CL25. Class 3 cables , Types CL3P, CL3R and CL36. Power-limited fire alarm cables , Types FPLP, FPLR and FPLThe applications of Data/comm cables and their association equipment are in 11 articles that are the responsi-bility of three code -making article organizes the code changes into two categories: 1) entirely new topics/issues, 2) contin-ued cables and the2014 National Electrical CodeRecently made available from the NFPA, the 2014 NEC includes several changes of interest to professionals in the Data/comm cabling STANLEY KAUFMAN, PHD, CABLESAFE TitleResponsible Panel300 Wiring Methods3645 Information Technology Equipment12646 Modular Data Centers (new article)12725 Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 Remote-Control, Signaling and Power-Limited Circuits3728 Fire Resistive cable Systems (new article)

4 3760 Fire Alarm Systems3770 Optical Fiber Calbes and Raceways16800 Communications Circuits16820 Community Antenna Television and Radio Distribution Systems16830 Network-Powered Broadband Communications Systems16840 Premises-Powered Broadband Communications Systems16 SEPTEMBER 2013 Cabling Installation & Maintenance :: DESIGN :: New topics and issuesField-assembled optical fiber cables Not all optical fiber cables are made in a factory; some are assembled in the field by first installing a tube and then blowing fibers into the tube. Article 770 now recognizes field-assembled optical fiber The definition of an optical fiber cable has been broadened to include field-assembled cables , and2.

5 Listing requirements have been established for the components (jacket and fibers) of field-assembled optical fiber cable ties and cable accessories NFPA 90A, Standard for the Installation of Air-Conditioning and Ventilation Systems, has require-ments for discreet components in a plenum, including cable ties. These requirements have been incorpo-rated into the 2014 NEC, which now requires that nonmetallic cable ties and other nonmetallic cable acces-sories used to support and secure cables in a plenum are listed as hav-ing low smoke- and heat-release data centers Article 646, Modular Data Centers, makes its debut in the 2014 NEC.

6 Modular data centers, which are commonly built up of modules housed in ship-ping containers, are becoming a com-mon way to construct a data center. Article 645, Information Technology Equipment, is a voluntary article, it is permitted to provide alternate wiring methods to the usual wiring methods. Article 646 is mandatory. It is not voluntary. It applies to modular data topics and issuesProhibition on cables in ducts car-rying flammable materials Section (A) prohibits the installation of any Electrical wiring system in ducts used to transport dust, loose stock or flammable vapors. This requirement only applies to Chapter 8 (Communications), where it is spe-cifically referenced in Chapter 8; see code Arrangement.

7 The 2011 NEC added a reference to (A) in Other Articles. The 2014 NEC extended this requirement to CATV (Article 820) and network-powered broadband cables (Article 830), and also to conductive optical fiber cables (Articles 770 and 840).Wiring in air ducts The 2011 and 2014 NEC restrict the lengths of ple-num-grade optical fiber and commu-nications cables in air ducts (fabri-cated ducts used for environmental air) to a maximum of 4 feet of cable directly associated with the air dis-tribution system. The 2011 NEC retained the long-standing permis-sion [ (A) and (A)] to install unlimited lengths of Class 2, Class 3 and power-limited fire alarm plenum cables in air ducts.

8 The 2014 NEC restricts the lengths of Type CL2P, CL3P and FPLP cables to lengths as short as practicable to perform the required function. Riser installations In the 2008 NEC, riser rated (or plenum) cables were required in vertical runs of more than one floor, but general-purpose cables were permitted for cables penetrating only one floor. Where general-purpose cables were used, they had to be in a separate floor penetration from multi-floor runs of riser and plenum cables . The 2011 NEC simplified this complex situation by requiring riser (or ple-num) optical fiber and communica-tions cables even if penetrating only one floor.

9 The 2014 NEC continued this simplification by extending it to Class 2, Class 3 and power-limited fire alarm raceways The 2008 edition of the NEC contained listing requirements and applications for signaling raceways (Article 725), optical fiber raceways (Article 770), communications raceways (Article 800) and CATV raceways (Article 820). Each of these families of race-ways had general-purpose, riser and plenum grades. The 2011 NEC began the process of consolidating these redundant raceway types by elimi-nating CATV raceways and replac-ing them with communications race-ways. The 2011 NEC also permitted communications raceways to substi-tute for optical fiber raceways so that an installer only had to carry two types signaling and communica-tions process of consolidation is complete in the 2014 NEC.

10 Signaling and optical fiber raceways have New Topics/IssuesApplicable code ReferencesField Assembled Optical Fiber , Rated cable Ties and cable (C)(1), , , , Data CentersArticle Cabling Installation & Maintenance SEPTEMBER 20139:: DESIGN :: been replaced by communications raceways. Communications race-ways are now permitted for use with Class 2 and Class 3 cables (Article 725), power-limited fire alarm cables (Article 760), communications cables (Article 800), CATV cables (Article 820) and low-powered network-pow-ered broadband communications cables (Article 830).The definition of a commu-nications raceway has been revised to reflect its wider appli-cations.