Outdoor telecom cables: laying and handling

Laying temperature and pre-warming

• The limit is the temperature of the cable itself, not of the air: a drum stored in the cold stays cold after the air warms.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.4.12; HD 603 3-G, 5-G, 3-I, 4-B; Nexans 2021 p. 11 (read in the standard text)
• VDE 0816: While laying: PE sheath -20 to +50 °C, PVC sheath -5 to +50 °C; before and after laying up to +70 °C.Sources: Draka p. 3 (maker's document)
• A drum brought from a heated room waits 24 hours before laying, or water condenses inside the cable.Sources: Draka p. 5 (maker's document)

Laying in winter? Pro checks your town and month against this limit. See Pro

Bending radius

Not found in the research for this family.

Pulling force and method

• A swivel between the cable grip and the pulling rope.Sources: HD 620 10-R item 15; Draka p. 6 (read in the standard text)
• Cable laid out on the ground goes down in a figure of eight, never in rings: rings twist it.Sources: IS 1255 10.2.4.6, p. 32; Draka p. 9; Nexans 2021 p. 19 (read in the standard text)
• Watch the tension all through a machine pull and keep the record with the as-laid documents. Prysmian: a winch with a dynamometer, a preset maximum and automatic stop; Draka: without a tension record the maker may refuse a claim.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.4.4; HD 603 3-G 3.3; IS 1255 10.3.5; Prysmian 2024 p. 10; Nexans 2021 p. 16; Draka p. 8 (read in the standard text)

Work out the pull for your route: the verdict is free, the numbers and the PDF come with Pro. Pull calculation in the cable designer · See Pro

Depth, cover and laying

Not found in the research for this family.

Drum handling

• Keep the drum upright, its axis horizontal, in storage and in transport; never lay it flat on a flange.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.2.5, A.3.3.2; IS 1255 7.7, p. 25; Prysmian 2024; Reka (read in the standard text)
• Never drop a drum. Without lifting gear, use a ramp of about 1:4 (IS 1255: 1:3 to 1:4) with ropes or a winch and a sand bed at the foot.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.3.3; HD 603 3-I 3.3; IS 1255 7.3, p. 24; Prysmian 2024 p. 6; Reka p. 6; Nexans 2021 p. 4 (read in the standard text)
• Roll it only short distances on firm ground, in the direction of the arrow on the flange.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.3.4; HD 603 3-I, 3-L; IS 1255 7.4, p. 24; Prysmian 2024 p. 7; Nexans 2021 p. 3 (read in the standard text)
• Store it on level, firm, well-drained ground and turn it 90° every 3 months.Sources: IS 1255 7.5, 7.6, pp. 24 to 25; Prysmian 2024 p. 8, 9; Nexans 2021 p. 8, 9; Prysmian Türkiye 3.3 (read in the standard text)
• Leave the battens on until the cable is about to be laid: they keep off sun and knocks.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.2.5; BS 6622 D.5.2; IS 1255 7.8, p. 25; Nexans 2021 p. 11 (read in the standard text)
• Cable ends sealed with caps in transport, storage and laying. A cap missing for over a month, or a wet end: cut back 300 mm, check for moisture and cap again.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.3.2.3, A.4.7; HD 603 3-I 3.2; BS 6622 C.3; BS 5467 B.4; BS 7846 A.7.4; IS 1255 7.2, p. 24; Nexans 2021 p. 7; Draka (read in the standard text)
• Pay out tangentially, never over the flange, with the drum on an axle and jacks and braked. Top or bottom: IS 1255 says off the top; Southwire chooses by where the cable goes (the bottom into a floor conduit, the top into a tray); Nexans Belgium says the bottom, for safety.Sources: HD 620 Part 1 A.4.5; IS 1255 8.2, 8.3, 10.2; Southwire 2005 p. 2 to 3; Nexans Belgium FAQ; Prysmian 2024 p. 10; Draka p. 5, 9 (read in the standard text)

Every rule for a chosen drum, with its lagging, weight and return terms: Cable drum calculator

Sheath test after laying

No sheath test after laying was found for this family.

The tests after installation for one cable, with their voltages, in the cable designer: Test after installation