Vic, Your comments are right on the mark. There can be and are many times problems caused by going with the lowest bidder.
The problems that come to mind didn't involve safety issues or standards. Some years ago I was hired to solve modem problems in a new corporate high rise. After some investigation it was discoverd the electrical subcontractor installed telco lines correctly, but cables used were 28 gauge and not twisted pairs. i.e. They were 50 or 100 conductor. They should have been 24 gauge 25 or 50 pairs. The crosstalk and induced 60 Hz was so bad modem performance was compromised. The building passed all local building codes and NEC. The irony is there was not and still is not in place any inspection code to insure twisted pairs are installed. To recover costs and inconvenience the building owners and prime contractor had to sue the subcontractor which took over a year. To solve the problem quickly they had to hire another subcontractor (at high cost) to replace the cables. Duane >Building Wiring is regulated in many USA and Canadian locations through >adoption of the NEC and CEC, >with respect to Elecrical Safety. However, the Telecom aspects are not >regulated beyond the establishment >of a point of demarcation between the setrvice provider and the building >owner. > >ICT wiring often goes to the lowest bidder, which does not necessarily mean >the best service or the >best coordination between different cabling systems. There is a series of >standards that was developed >by TIA TR-41, that will provide good and safe building cabling. The >standards are available from >Global Engineering. > > >Ciao, > > >Vic Boersma
