Phone line extension Help

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Well lads i wasn't out to up set anybody i didn't realise it was a touchy subject. Thanks anyway, ps it wasn't the fact a roll was to expensive more the fact i only needed a few meters and the rest would have gone to waste. I dare not tell my mate the electrician he was only trying to help.
 
There's really nothing drastically wrong with using CW1308 (telephone cable) for wiring up an alarm. The terminal blocks in alarm panels, sensors and other accessories are designed to accept both stranded and solid conductors, unlike the IDC terminals on telephone jacks which are intended to be used with solid only.

After all, there's no real need for alarm wiring to use stranded conductors, it's just what has become the norm in Britain. Solid-core alarm cable is common in the U.S., where it's used with exactly the same type of terminals perfectly satisfactorily.
 
After all, there's no real need for alarm wiring to use stranded conductors, it's just what has become the norm in Britain. Solid-core alarm cable is common in the U.S., where it's used with exactly the same type of terminals perfectly satisfactorily.

If you want to get pedantic about it...

The fact of the matter is, solid core cable, like telephone cable, is much more likely to snap in a screw terminal than stranded is, especially in a control panel where wiring is likely to be disturbed during a maintenance visit. BS4737 (and it's successor PD6662) state alarm cabling must be 7/0.2mm complying to the standard and NOT telephone cable for these reasons.
 
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The fact of the matter is, solid core cable, like telephone cable, is much more likely to snap in a screw terminal than stranded is, especially in a control panel where wiring is likely to be disturbed during a maintenance visit.

I would suggest that if solid-core conductors fracturing are that much of an issue, then there is a problem either with the quality of the cable or with the design of the terminals (or somebody is just being far too hamfisted when working inside panels). We've used solid-core conductors in telephone work all these years (including the carrying of alarm circuits) without it ever being suggested that we need to move to stranded.
 
The fact of the matter is, solid core cable, like telephone cable, is much more likely to snap in a screw terminal than stranded is, especially in a control panel where wiring is likely to be disturbed during a maintenance visit.

I would suggest that if solid-core conductors fracturing are that much of an issue, then there is a problem either with the quality of the cable or with the design of the terminals (or somebody is just being far too hamfisted when working inside panels). We've used solid-core conductors in telephone work all these years (including the carrying of alarm circuits) without it ever being suggested that we need to move to stranded.

I`m afraid your wrong ............
 
If someone wired by telephone extensions in alarm type cable, or wired my intruder alarm in telephone cable, I would be rather pi$$ed off.

It is not correct. You can argue the toss either way, but there are cables designed for every job. Anyone who installs the wrong stuff is a complete bodger.
 
I do quite a lot of comms work and always steer well clear of cheap and nasty DIY sockets and JB's etc which have screw terminals. IDC connections where developed for reliability - they are far more reliable than screw connections.

I can't stress enough how much of a bodge it is to use the wrong cable for the wrong job.
 
solid cable will break in screw terminals however much care you take

Not if the screw terminals are of good quality, designed for solid-core conductors, and you install properly - Or at least such damage is no more likely than damage to stranded wiring. The terminal strips typical of a modern alarm panel are the same types which have been used on boards in other electronic equipment for a good many years. I'm the first to admit that they're nowhere near as good as many of the older types of screw terminals, but we were wiring board interconnects to those terminals with solid-core conductors 20 years ago with no more problems that you would get with stranded.

Yes, it's possible for a solid conductor to fracture, but then I've seen just as many installations with stranded conductors where the wire is hanging on by just a few strands, or where somebody has shoved the wire into the terminal and bunched half the strands up on the outside where they're at risk of shorting to similar adjacent conductors etc.

Either type of wire is subject to loose connections or damage if you aren't careful enough.
 

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