How best to pass an armoured cable through a brick wall?

[haggis999]

I am planning to run an armoured Cat6 Ethernet cable to my house from a detached garage. The external section of this cable will have to pass through the brick walls of the garage and the house, and I would appreciate some guidance on how best to handle that aspect of the job.

The attached drawing shows two options for dealing with the minimum bend radius of the cable. In each case, how should I seal the entry point?

 

[snowhead]

Strip the outer sheath and armouring off the cable from the inside end back to where the cable passes through the wall.
Terminate the armoured into the bottom of a box on the outside of the wall using a suitable gland and run the none armoured length through the wall to wherever you need it.
Seal the back of the box to the wall on the top and side edges.

 

[haggis999]

I had considered doing something similar by using an inline punch down coupler to switch to a non-armoured cable, but I hadn't thought about stripping off the armouring.

I've never worked with armoured cable before. How easy would it be to strip off the armouring on an 11 metre length of cable? Do you end up with just a normal non-armoured Ethernet cable?

 

[James]

If possible, drill the hole at 45 degrees, lower side of the hole on the outside of the building.
1. stops water ingress to house
2. helps with the bend rad on the exit. (especially if the last bit is rounded off by starting the hole almost vertically and transitioning to 45 degree as the hole goes in the first inch or 2.

 

[haggis999]

The attached new drawing combines the responses from both snowhead and James. This is looking like a good solution

 

[DefyG]

Do you end up with just a normal non-armoured Ethernet cable?

I think you have misinterpreted post #2 advice, it would only be the section that enters the house/garage that would not need the armour.
I would gland the cable to secure the armour when it enters the insulated box (not metal) as shown in post #5 then unarmoured cable into the buildings.
If you use a wiska armoured cable gland it keeps it fully insulated and cant be considered extraneous metal!

 

[haggis999]

I should have made it clear in post #3 that the 11m of cable to be stripped of its armouring is just the internal section (The total length of the cable will be about 40m).

Wiska boxes were on my radar but I had not yet looked for suitable glands. There are several types of Wiska gland but it is not clear which one is suitable for SWA Cat6 cable. Which one do you recommend?

I would also appreciate advice on stripping tools for this cable. I am planning to run a pair of cables, so will only be making a total of 4 terminations and will probably never need to do that again. Could I get away with using a copper pipe cutter?

 

[James]

Have you considered fibre?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elfcam®-Reinforced-Outdoor-Indoor-Multimode/dp/B097ZFSZBS?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

Easier to work with.

 

[haggis999]

I do have three spare SFP ports on my switch, but I hadn't seriously considered using a fibre optic connection. One disadvantage of fibre is that I lack the skills and tools required to shorten such a cable so it would require me to make a much more accurate measurement of the required length than I have done so far.

In what way is armoured fibre easier to work with than armoured Cat6 cable?

 

[littlespark]

Fibre has a much wider bending radius….


This is just a cat6? Does it have to be armoured, or just reinforced for external use? Might be cheaper, or easier to work with.
Would just need standard plastic compression glands, whereas armoured cable glands are brass.


I must admit I was confused with this post at first thinking it was EV cable with power and cat6 combined.

 

[haggis999]

These two Cat6 Ethernet connections to my garage will be buried under my drive without the use of ducting, which I think makes reinforced cable a necessity.

 

[James]

cat 6 swa on one picture, bends about as well as a 1.5mm 3core swa
armoured fibre (light duty armour, suitable for direct burial) can bend it round my little finger

you dont bother shortening it, buy a length about 10m over your estimated requirement and leave the spare coiled up behind one of the switches.

 

[haggis999]

My only experience of using fibre optic cables is a duplex LC to LC patch lead for connecting a couple of switches via SFP ports. Your photo also appears to show a duplex fibre cable but the only SWA fibre cables I've found so far are all single cables. A link to a suitable cable would be helpful.

All the bulk fibre cables I have found online are unterminated. Are duplex LC connectors just a simple push fit? Termination tools are prohibitively expensive but I am assuming that they are only needed if you plan to cut the cable.

You've not yet answered my question about why you think that armoured fibre is "easier to work with" than armoured Cat6 cable. I haven't used either type of cable so would appreciate a bit more information on this.

 

[James]

My only experience of using fibre optic cables is a duplex LC to LC patch lead for connecting a couple of switches via SFP ports. Your photo also appears to show a duplex fibre cable but the only SWA fibre cables I've found so far are all single cables. A link to a suitable cable would be helpful.

All the bulk fibre cables I have found online are unterminated. Are duplex LC connectors just a simple push fit? Termination tools are prohibitively expensive but I am assuming that they are only needed if you plan to cut the cable.

You've not yet answered my question about why you think that armoured fibre is "easier to work with" than armoured Cat6 cable. I haven't used either type of cable so would appreciate a bit more information on this.

Yes, the Lc connectors are just a push fit, they lock in to the mating socket with a clip.

They are basically long patch leads, the link in post 8 takes you to the product I was suggesting.

It is easy to work with because it is light and flexible