# Phone cable in control panel enclosure



## splatz (May 23, 2015)

I am working on a control panel that has an alarm dialer built in - the paperwork (1998) shows that it came from the panel shop with the dialer. 

I'll be replacing the dialer. Right now the phone cable is in it's own 3/4" RMC, but it isn't separated from the power or control cabling. The phone cable is terminated in a regular biscuit jack, and there's a regular flat phone cord from the jack to the dialer. I am thinking I will use a handy box and heat shrink to shape this up a little. 

I'll put the handy box on the RMC where it enters the bottom of the enclosure. I am assuming that the locknut is sufficient to secure the box in place. 

I'll put heat shrink rated for 600v on the cable from the strain relief fitting on the box to the mod plug that goes in the dialer. 

(BTW, if I had set this up, I'd have put the dialer in its own "sidecar" enclosure, and brought the phone conduit right into the sidecar, but I inherited this.)

What do you think about the box and heat shrink?


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

last time I checked there was a required minimum distance between class 2 and power wiring, or a separation barrier. your results may vary.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

I would just put an RJ-11 on the Cat3 and go direct to the dialer, and eliminate the biscuit and patch cord.


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

600 volt rated cat5.


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

backstay said:


> 600 volt rated cat5.


Yep. You can't get around the insulation voltage of the phone wire by adding heat shrink, at least not legally.

We are ASSuming here however that you have 480V in the control panel...


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

JRaef said:


> Yep. You can't get around the insulation voltage of the phone wire by adding heat shrink, at least not legally.
> 
> We are ASSuming here however that you have 480V in the control panel...


No 480V in the panel - I thought that there was an issue with even 120V and communications in the same panel. 

I was thinking if the shrink tube had an insulation rating, listed / stamped, that would fix the cable - no such luck?


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

Waste of time.


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