Plenum & Non Plenum PVC Network Ethernet Cables.

Plenum & Non Plenum

the difference between pvc rated network cables now the difference between these types of cables it's not what's on the inside of the cable and it's not whether it's a cat 5 cat 6 or cat 7. that doesn't matter the difference is is what's on the outside of the cable and i'm talking about the outer jacket that protects the cable and these pvc ratings are either plenum riser or just a general purpose cable so when you decide to use one of these cables that will depend on the environment that the cable will be used for and it's very important to know the difference between these cables and where to use them now just like its name says plenum cables should be used in plenum areas now the term plenum refers to a space and a building where there is open air flow circulation and this is usually between the drop ceiling and the structural ceiling so as a result buildings that have plenum spaces where there is adequate open air flow are more prone to fires than buildings that don't have plenum spaces so therefore cables that run through these plenum spaces must meet certain requirements so first the cable must be more fire resistant and secondly they must not produce any toxic fumes if they are burned because toxic 

Plenum & Non Plenum

fumes in plenum areas can recirculate through the air conditioning systems and cause harm to humans so in this environment this is where plenum cables should be used now buildings that don't have plenum spaces will have air ducts encapsulating the airflow so there is no open air flow circulation because of these air ducts because the air is encapsulated in them so the chances of a fire happening and recirculating toxic fumes are minimal so here is an example where you could use non-plenum cables now plenum cables are also known as cmp which stands for communications multi-purpose plenum plenum cables are approved by underwriters laboratories which is a global safety certification company and they have certified that these cables can be used in an open air environment and are designed to meet strong fire safety test standards now the outer jacket and plenum cables are made with special plastics and are coated with teflon fep 

Plenum & Non Plenum

which is a flame retardant made by dupont these cables are designed for hazardous open air spaces in a building and in addition if they do get burned they won't release any toxic gases now these cables are more expensive than non-plenum cables and are primarily used for commercial use now pvc or polyvinyl chloride is the material that the outer jackets of a cable are made of and as i said before these cables have different ratings now pvc cables that are rated as non-plenum should not be used in plenum areas these cables are a lot cheaper than plenum cables but the problem is is that they are not as fire retardant and in addition if these cables are burned they can release toxic gases such as hydrochloric acid and dioxin but as i said before these cables should not be used in plenum areas now there is another type of pvc rated cable that is called cmr and cmr stands for communications multi-purpose cable riser and these cables are installed vertically that rise between floors in a building these cables are run through risers or vertical shafts and are designed to 

Plenum & Non Plenum

prevent fires from spreading between floors and a building the fire rating of cmr cables are not as strict as plenum rated cables so they should not be used in plenum areas and cmr cables are also less expensive than plenum cables and then finally there is pvc cm cables cm or communications multi-purpose is a network cable for general use these cables have minimal fire restrictions this is a cable that you would use to connect your computer or network device into a wall jack to  access a network and these are the cheapest of the three cables so in conclusion plenum rated cables are used in drop ceilings or under floors and have the highest safety standards riser cables are used on and in walls between floors and have lower safety standards than plenum cables and cm cables are used in rooms and have minimal safety standards so thank you.