Actually I think you had some gel leak out of the cable and not water. Seen it 
numerous times especially after a warm summer when the gel gets liquefied one 
place have 180ft vertical 5 ft horizontal and about 15ft rolled up on a 1.5ft 
diameter and bottom feeding a cabinet. At the bottom under the cable I always 
find some sticky mess. Never any water tho.  

/Eje
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

-----Original Message-----
From: "Tom DeReggi" <[email protected]>

Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 21:05:42 
To: WISPA General List<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [WISPA] Ethernet Cabling


Quick note on Gel fil....

I had a link fed by outdoor direct burial Ethernet, and the cable came 8 
feet down from the radio, went horizontally 50 feet, dropped 5 feet to 
inside penhouse roof, went horizontally100ft with several turns, then 
dropped 8 feet to wall cabnet. A mistake was made during install, and teh 
CAT5 was fed into the cabner from the top instead of the bottom. Once cable 
intere the cabnet it made a right angle to mid case, where it plugged into 
lightning protector (upward into the protector). Mounted in the cabnet below 
the lightning protector was a VLAN switch. At the radio, the 1/2" thick 
direct buriel fed into the trango radio pass thru.  My point here is that 
there was 150 feet of horizontal cable and only about 20feet of verticle 
run.  About a month later, we had a heavy rain. Several days later, the 
building's service went down.  I went onsite, and a drop or two of water 
dripped down into one of the ethernet switch ports from the end of teh CAT5 
at the lightning protector, and burnt/shorted out the switch.  INside the 
trango radio was mostly dry except minimal dampness arounf the CAT5 cable. 
So... condensation caused some water to build up and drop into the CAT5 
area, entered inside the CAT5 cable jacket at that point, traveled 150ft 
through the inside of the cable, just enough to short out my switch.

So my point is.... Gell fill has a purpose. To add one more level of 
protection to stop water from travelling through the inside of the cable. 
Water can find ways to get it. The Gell will also keep the water seperated 
from the inside cable wires itself so the cable does not corrode or rust. Or 
that condensated water does not make it to the inner cables.

With that said.... Gell Fill should not be used in areas where it travels in 
a plenum/ceiling area that builds up heat, where there is significant 
verticle length of cable such as telecom risers, where the CAT5 terminates 
in a space that is a traffic are, that needs to look clean, like a client's 
suite. The reason is that when the gel gets warm it starts to drip, and oose 
out of the end of the connector. It can drip into the CAT5 Jack, it can drip 
on the floor and wall, etc.  And cable should always be going upward (drip 
loop) into a Jack, so gel would drip to a harmless space via gravity.

If we are on a flat roof cell site, terminating in a penthouse, we'll 
usually use gel fill, for longevity. However, we'll usually prefer to use 
non-gel for other application, so its cleaner and easier to work with.
Although the gel has a purpose, I'm not sure the reward is worth the hassle.

I tend to first pick the needed diameter cable for the application. Second, 
the needed durrabilty for the job. Third, insist on being shielded, and 
select appropriate shield design for the job.
I rarely give a darn whether it is gel or not gel, what ever the distributor 
has at the right price, that meets the other specs.

If the cable actually is going to be used in a direct buriel type 
applciation where their is water buildup, for example barried in the gravel 
on a commercial flat roof, It would probably be advisable to us gel.
There is higher risk of cable puncture, and water intrusion. Where as if 
there are places to tie off cable, such as to blocks on roof, or outside of 
conduit, anchored to wall, strappedd to gutter, etc I generally don't think 
the gel is needed. A good cable will last a real long time, without it..

Tom DeReggi
RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc
IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Josh Luthman" <[email protected]>
To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 1:31 PM
Subject: Re: [WISPA] Ethernet Cabling


> I've heard of people being afraid water would get inside the cable and 
> that
> is the purpose of the gel.  Can't say I've ever seen water in the line, 
> but
> I know I have never looked!
>
> Josh Luthman
> Office: 937-552-2340
> Direct: 937-552-2343
> 1100 Wayne St
> Suite 1337
> Troy, OH 45373
>
> "When you have eliminated the impossible, that which remains, however
> improbable, must be the truth."
> --- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
>
>
> On Wed, May 27, 2009 at 1:28 PM, Jayson Baker 
> <[email protected]>wrote:
>
>> Wouldn't it be worse if water ran down the cable?
>>
>> On Wed, May 27, 2009 at 10:13 AM, Scott Reed <[email protected]
>> >wrote:
>>
>> > Gel filled on towers is a mess.  The gel runs down the cable and oozes
>> > out all over the inside of the connector, etc. at the bottom of the
>> tower.
>> >
>> > Michael Baird wrote:
>> > > We are getting ready to order ethernet cabling, and looking at some
>> > > different options for the towers and client installs. I was wondering
>> > > what people here liked to use. Particularily I'm interested in what 
>> > > you
>> > > look for in shielding/water protection, should I get a flooded cable,
>> if
>> > > so with what? Will the gel filled type overheat in the sun? Should i
>> run
>> > > all of this in conduit, at least for the AP's at the towers?
>> > >
>> > > Regards
>> > > Michael Baird
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > WISPA Wants You! Join today!
>> > > http://signup.wispa.org/
>> > >
>> >
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > >
>> > > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected]
>> > >
>> > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
>> > > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
>> > >
>> > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
>> > >
>> > >
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > No virus found in this incoming message.
>> > > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>> > > Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.42/2137 - Release Date:
>> > 05/27/09 07:50:00
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Scott Reed
>> > Sr. Systems Engineer
>> > GAB Midwest
>> > 1-800-363-1544 x4000
>> > Cell: 260-273-7239
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > WISPA Wants You! Join today!
>> > http://signup.wispa.org/
>> >
>> >
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected]
>> >
>> > Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
>> > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
>> >
>> > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> WISPA Wants You! Join today!
>> http://signup.wispa.org/
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected]
>>
>> Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
>> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
>>
>> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
>>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> WISPA Wants You! Join today!
> http://signup.wispa.org/
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected]
>
> Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
>
> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ 



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WISPA Wants You! Join today!
http://signup.wispa.org/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
WISPA Wireless List: [email protected]

Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless

Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WISPA Wants You! Join today!
http://signup.wispa.org/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
WISPA Wireless List: [email protected]

Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless

Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/

Reply via email to