| When & Why do I Need Plenum Rated Cable? | | | | How do I determine if my building uses Plenum Air |
| This is an important issue related to the chemical | | | | Return? |
| composition of cable and your building's construction. | | | | 1. If you have a large wall or ceiling return air grate; |
| There are two basic types of building construction as it | | | | remove and see if there the air is channeled through |
| regards the movement of heating, air conditioning and | | | | sheet metal ducting. If there is no sheet metal duct; just |
| ventilation through office buildings. In newer construction | | | | the open ceiling or wall space, then you are required |
| and in most high rise construction the architects save | | | | by law to use Plenum Rated cable. |
| space and the cost of expensive sheet metal return | | | | 2. If there is no wall or ceiling return air grate; look |
| air ducts by simply drawing the air back to the heating | | | | closely at your fluorescent lighting fixtures to see if |
| air condition unit through the open spaces above the | | | | there is a gap around the edge of the fixtures and put |
| ceiling and between the walls. | | | | your hand over the gap and you can feel air |
| Now, let's discuss the basis of the problem. Standard | | | | movement. Obviously your air conditioner should be |
| cable is jacketed in PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), with the | | | | running at the time! The lack of wall or ceiling return air |
| Chloride element causing the trouble. When PVC burns | | | | grates is usually a sure sign that you require Plenum |
| or smolders it releases toxic fumes into the air | | | | Rated Cable. |
| (Hydrochloric Acid and Dioxin). A plenum air return | | | | 3. Computer Rooms typically use a raised flooring |
| would unknowingly circulate toxic air throughout an | | | | system for the server racks. This allows intensive |
| office. | | | | cooling to be pumped through the space under the |
| Since both you and the Fire Department don't want | | | | floor to cool the servers, switches, routers, etc. Cabling |
| you to die from breathing in toxic fumes from your | | | | between the many devices and to the users runs |
| cabling, code requires Plenum Rated cable installed | | | | through this open floor space. This by definition is a |
| through any plenum air return space. Our Installation | | | | Plenum Air space and requires Plenum Rated Cable. |
| Team is required run Plenum Rated cable if they | | | | Now you know the whole story! |
| determine the air space in not ducted. | | | | |