Ethernet conduit - downpipe

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mdf

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#204353 28-Sep-2016 13:57

Is there any reason I shouldn't use downpipe as a conduit for ethernet cabling?

Due to a recently discovered architectural quirk of my house, I have pretty much one chance of getting my conduit in place forevermore. Almost every ethernet cable for my house will need to go through this conduit (around 20 runs by my count, so probably at least 30 in reality). I can imagine wanting to add additional runs later.

I'm therefore thinking that bigger will very much be better, so was contemplating using 80mm downpipe or 90mm stormwater pipe. Any reason why I shouldn't do this (I'm thinking unfortunate plastic reactions, for example)?

I will make sure I run draw cords, and am also thinking about using inspection junctions to untangle any snares and bend cables around corners. Obviously I will also need to rodent-proof entrances and exits. Other than that, anything else to consider?

chevrolux

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#1642111 28-Sep-2016 21:33

Pipe is pipe at the end of the day. No issues with that.

Just FYI, once you get a few cables in there, a draw wire can be become extremely hard to use as it will "intertwine" with the rest of the loom. A "cable snake" or rod is a whole lot easier to use.

DarthKermit

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#1642222 29-Sep-2016 02:59

A few questions:

How long is the conduit from one end to the other?

How many bends and changes of direction?

You might be better off with 80 mm sewer pipe and fittings. This is because the bends in these fittings are radiused to allow solids to pass thru them. Downpipe and stormwater pipe fittings have hard 90 degree bends. Also sewer pipe fittings have more and varied options for inspection fittings.

froob

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#1642238 29-Sep-2016 07:29

Out of interest, where is this being installed, that you can fit such a large pipe?

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reven

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#1642239 29-Sep-2016 07:47

my personal plan is to run about 6 32mm conduct cables down one wall and just fill each hole with ethernet cable then move onto the next. But Ill be going straight down from 2 story roof to garage on bottom story where my network cabinet will be.

RunningMan

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#1642246 29-Sep-2016 08:07

DWV (drain / waste / vent) pipe is available in far more configs and bends than downpipe. It's also pretty expensive, so consider carefully. Plumber recently told me that 80mm pipe and fittings are more expensive than 100mm because it is far less commonly used now. @aredwood can probably confirm though.

mdf

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#1642843 29-Sep-2016 17:28

@froob: Out of interest, where is this being installed, that you can fit such a large pipe?

Kind of hard to describe, so fingers crossed the following isn't incoherent. Our house is built along the side of a hill, such that the bottom story is only half the width of the top story. The subfloor beneath half of the upstairs is therefore next to the downstairs. The patch panel is destined for one of the downstairs rooms (an office) that I *thought* essentially backed on to the subfloor (i.e. drill through a wall and you're in the subfloor). However it turns out that there is another space between the office and the subfloor filled with concrete, rubble and other detritus from (I assume) building the house. So instead of:

Study | Wall | Subfloor

I've got

Study | Wall | Void | Wall | Subfloor

There's a staircase in there too complicating things but I can work around that. In hindsight the additional void should have been obvious from the spaces involved but I didn't twig until I was drilling holes through the study wall and trying to figure out why the heck I couldn't see them from the other side. All those hours playing tetris were totally wasted! No sense of spatial awareness at all.

The void is probably 2-3 meters across. Pretty small really, but wide enough that I wouldn't back myself to be able to hook a cable through each time I needed a new ethernet run. So I basically want to span the distance with conduit once (while the study wall is being replaced), and can then run the ethernet from there to the subfloor, and then from the subfloor off to the various upstairs rooms as I re-gib them. So I'd run the conduit through the void and out into a convenient place in the subfloor. I should be able to do it in a straight run with no bends, but if I had to put a bend in I know to make it sweeping. If I was going as big as wastewaster diameters, I actually think I'd probably use a T shaped junction instead of elbows and put a cap over one of the arms of the T. If all else fails I should be able to stick my arm in the T junction to work the cable around a corner.

I've got another odd space behind one of the walls that I think once had some kind of gas flue in it. I plan to run conduit from the subfloor through this space up in to the roof as well, but I should be able to use ordinary conduit for that. There shouldn't be that many runs of ethernet going via the ceiling. On the other hand, you can get a downpipe to stormwater connector off the shelf so that could be another option if downpipe fits in the space. Lining up the holes for this one will be a stone cold bachelor of architecture though.

Thanks for all the advice.

DarthKermit

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#1642850 29-Sep-2016 17:47

From what you've written above, it sounds like once you replace the study wall your void space won't be accessible again.

If so, would it be worth considering putting some kind of access panel to it? In case there's additional services you might think of installing later.

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mdf

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#1642853 29-Sep-2016 17:53

DarthKermit:

From what you've written above, it sounds like once you replace the study wall your void space won't be accessible again.

If so, would it be worth considering putting some kind of access panel to it? In case there's additional services you might think of installing later.

That is an *excellent* idea! Sir, I am in your debt!

DarthKermit

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#1642855 29-Sep-2016 17:56

mdf:

DarthKermit:

From what you've written above, it sounds like once you replace the study wall your void space won't be accessible again.

If so, would it be worth considering putting some kind of access panel to it? In case there's additional services you might think of installing later.

That is an *excellent* idea! Sir, I am in your debt!

$100.00 should clear that debt nicely thank you.

froob

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#1642877 29-Sep-2016 18:27

Would it be worth going one further and putting in a full door, rather than a hatch or access panel, and turning the space into an "unfinished" storage area or similar? It would depend on the dimensions, what the floor is, and how generally grotty the area is. If it's free of damp and dust, you could potentially even add power and put your patch panel actuallly in there.

I know a few people who have houses that are similar to how yours sounds. One of them has quite a large unfinished cupboard at the bottom of the stairs, which has subfloor access at the back of it.

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wally22

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#1642905 29-Sep-2016 19:47

DarthKermit:

From what you've written above, it sounds like once you replace the study wall your void space won't be accessible again.

If so, would it be worth considering putting some kind of access panel to it? In case there's additional services you might think of installing later.

Sounds like a better idea than my immediate thought, which was to build a "conduit" about 500 - 750mm square right through the void. Using light framing and hardboard say.

You'd be able to hook anything you wanted through then. Closing it off on the study side would be important for warmth/moisture control though.