Running coax cable around fireplace (virgin media)

[PingCrosby]

Hi

Can someone please help me..

I am tidying up my house and want to hide some cables. In my front room i have a large fireplace with a soon to be installed "hole in the wall" fireplace.

I want to have my cables hidden and originally planned to run the virgin coax around the fireplace but there is no way i am going to get away with bending the cable around the 4 right angles required. I would have to chase a lot of brick work out....

I have concrete floors ! So i see my alternatives as :-

a) Chase vertically upwards and run the cable up through the ceiling and down the other side of the fireplace - the problem here is that this would increase the cable run from ~3.5 metres to nearer to 10 metres. Not sure this would be too much.

b) Drill a hole directly through the fireplace and run the cable underneath where the hole in the wall fire will sit. The problem for me here is i dont know if the heat from the fire above will cause me issues. I will be drilling at skirting level. (At this moment in time i am unable to contact my fireplace installer to ask his opinons).



Happy to consider all options and any other suggestions.

 

[Diyisfun]

The increased cable length shouldnt be a problem, assuming is the correct cable.

 

[PingCrosby]

Thanks for the reply.

I was thinking of using CT100 but i heard anout "Liberty Interflex" from another thread but cannot find it on the interweb.

Does anyone know what the cable is that Virgin installers use ?

Would vertical chases be the best option for me?

 

[ChrisFrost]

I have a drum of Liberty Interflex. It's a professional grade install cable, so you're unlikely to find it from the regular TV supplies companies.

If you're looking for CT100 then have a look here 10m, good quality compression plugs rather than the usual screw on types, £8.99 delivered. Let me know if you want this or the Liberty

 

[WhiteVanJack]

Ping,

Do you have an old fashioned fender around your fireplace because if you do, depending on style you can tuck the cables inside the hollow frame of the fender.


Rgds
Jack

 

[PingCrosby]

Hi

I have decided to chase vertically and run the cable through the upstairs floor boards..

More mess more hassle.. but overall more flexibilty should i need tv in the upstairs bedrooms it will be a simple case of lifting floorboards again and attaching a splitter

 

[PingCrosby]

@ChrisFrost

How much is your cable per metre and how much extra do you charge for the crimped on connectors

At present i wont know how much cable i may need.

As of yet I have not decided if I should run 1 cable up the wall and use a splitter under the floorboards then run 2 seperate cables back downstairs to the required locations.. or... run 2 cables up the walls and just continue the cable onwards to the required destinations. I appreciate this would mean 2 long continuous runs but with less connectors/equipment in between I presume i would have abetter signal.

I am currently splitting at the source (inside house) with a Qamtex 302LC isolator/splitter but have a Qamtex 601 *single isolator* that i could use for the initial cable run

Any thoughts

 

[ChrisFrost]

Liberty cable is a smaller diameter than satellite coax, so I'll have to get some more of the right size compression plugs.

Prices: I'll do the Liberty cable at £1.30/m. The radial compression F connectors at £3.00 ea fitted, and I'll chuck in an F-type back-to-back connector and some heatshrink tubing or some self amalgamating tape per cable so you can insulate and seal the joints against moisture.

 

[digitaly]

If I was you I would drive 20min and find a local virginmedia guy... pay him 20 30 and get him to run the extra bit for you... they have special criping tools (that cost £50 £70 to buy) and use very good quality f connectors. Also they can measure the signal there and then.

On the long run you might lose some quality and increase the noise. You can fix that by getting the right cable splitter for it. Again it all depend how strong the signal is coming in as if is weak you could just remove the splitter and use a straigh coupler ( but don't do this if your signal it's strong enough). You can use an old virgin media internet modem to check the signal quality.
So the first thing to do is (before you running a cable inside the walls) get 10 m of cable, finish it with an F connector (satellite F it's ok to use too) and check it with your modem how many DB you have before and after you connect the extenction.
Remember!!! the more you split the cable the more quality you loose.

 

[Sureitsoff?]

Hi

Can someone please help me..

I am tidying up my house and want to hide some cables. In my front room i have a large fireplace with a soon to be installed "hole in the wall" fireplace.

I want to have my cables hidden and originally planned to run the virgin coax around the fireplace but there is no way i am going to get away with bending the cable around the 4 right angles required. I would have to chase a lot of brick work out....

I have concrete floors ! So i see my alternatives as :-

a) Chase vertically upwards and run the cable up through the ceiling and down the other side of the fireplace - the problem here is that this would increase the cable run from ~3.5 metres to nearer to 10 metres. Not sure this would be too much.

b) Drill a hole directly through the fireplace and run the cable underneath where the hole in the wall fire will sit. The problem for me here is i dont know if the heat from the fire above will cause me issues. I will be drilling at skirting level. (At this moment in time i am unable to contact my fireplace installer to ask his opinons).



Happy to consider all options and any other suggestions.

have you tried ringing Virgin and saying that you are redecorating/reconfiguring the room and need the cables a bit longer. they might help

 

[PingCrosby]

Hi

Thanks for all the replys.. In the end i just ran the coax supplied by virgin straight up the wall in a chase and then connected a Isolator/2 way splitter combined and ran the cable along the ceiling void (accessible from the upstairs bedroom)

This gives me the advantage that should i require virgin or any other services (network) into any other room upstairs i can just use a 3/4/5 way splitter and simply run a feed into the other rooms under the floor

Thanks