I'm wiring my new construction for ethernet (Cat5e). In order to save myself time I want to use the holes already drilled by the contractors. Is it okay to run ethernet through the holes that have the high voltage wiring running thru them? Is this something that could be "out of code" (of course, I know this depends on where I live)?
Thanks for your help in advance.
Patrick
Yes, It is poor practice and could very well get dinged by some inspectors.
This would not only be a code violation, but a possible performance issue as well. Depending on what the power cables are feeding, they may be a great source of electromagnetic interference, and adversely affect the quality of your connection. The adverse effect cannot be easily quantified (and it can also be intermittent), so the better practice would be to stay away from the power cables at least 2" or more.
You are allowed to talk to your community inspector, so why not ask him if this violates code? He is the only one who matters.
As for induced interference, I think this is highly overrated. Where I work our rows of SteelCase office cubicles contain many feet of cat5e running parallel with three-phase line conductors with a separation of less than an inch. If there is a huge loss of capacity, the streaming video and other high volume applications don't seem to know it.
The frequencies used by ethernet are so far removed from 60 Hz, that interference is unlikely. If a device is putting out sufficient energy at ethernet frequencies to cause problems, then that equipment is in violation of federal radio laws.
"Photon" wrote in news:_oN1d.2472$Qv5.1325 @newssvr33.news.prodigy.com:
Yup, I agree too.
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