# Sheilded fas cable



## Awg-Dawg (Jan 23, 2007)

g-alberta said:


> I hope this is the best forum to post this in.
> 
> Job has speced shielded fas cable for the data circuits for the fire alarm. It wants the shields tied together then grounded once at the fire alarm panel. What is the best way to do this . I was thinking strippingthe conductors, folding the foil over the insulation, line the two cables side by side and wrap them together with the drain. Then taping over the the exposed shield with electrical tape. Is there a better way?


Dont worry about the foil, just cut it off.

I do it like you do.

Edit. I see youre in Canada, I assume you have no other rules.


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## xpertpc (Oct 11, 2012)

For my bestest job on data cable splices I first slide a larger piece of heat shrink over the main cable then smaller diameter heat shrink over each conductor, I then make a soldered western union splice.

Once cooled, slide the individual shrink tubing over the splices including the drain wire and shrink it, then slide the large shrink over the whole mess and shrink that. Keep in mind the necessary lengths of tubing to give you room to work.


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## BBS (Aug 19, 2009)

Double-check the instructions that came with the devices to be installed. 
A recent job didn't spec shielded cable so we didn't use it but the devices had additional instructions to cover it.
Is the system being verified by a third party? If it comes to it, they'll know.


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## glen1971 (Oct 10, 2012)

Ditch the foil in your termination/splice.. Use 1/16" clear shrink over the shields and splice them with a 329 marrette, making sure no strands touch.. There is no need to wrap them over the other conductors.. On your last device you can either cut the shield off when you remove the outer jacket or leave it exposed and put clear shrink over it plus an extra 1/8'-1/4" and squeeze it tight..
After you remove the outer rubber I'd suggest wrapping it with a couple of wraps of tape or heat shrink it... Your call..


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## Awg-Dawg (Jan 23, 2007)

Heat shrink seems like a lot of work and time. Are you guys required to do that.

Or is that your preference?


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

If I'm in a cabinet with dozens of terminations it makes more sense to simply use pre-cut pieces of heat shrink and hit the whole row with a heat gun when I'm done.

But in the field at each termination or splice? No way would I be screwing around with heat shrink, a couple wraps of 33+ and move on.


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## glen1971 (Oct 10, 2012)

Heat shrink on the shields for me it's a preference.. And a pretty good guarantee that they won't touch ground somewhere along the line... And it doesn't take that long to do, since I have to shrink the wire tags anyway a little 1/16" is about an extra 30 seconds..
Taping it works too, so long as the splice is good and nothin touches a ground..


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

How do you heat-shrink them quickly? If I had to set up an electric heat gun at every box, that would be slow as hell. I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on a butane heat-gun but I don't know what's good.


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## bduerler (Oct 2, 2009)

What is the panel manufacturer. If it is a Honeywell product our systems do not like shielded cables for the SLC loop. You will have a severe drop in signal carry


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## bduerler (Oct 2, 2009)

In my experience the only thing that should have shielded cables on the FAS is the Voice Evac or MNS


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## g-alberta (Dec 1, 2012)

Siemens panel.


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## bduerler (Oct 2, 2009)

Ehhh not a fan of their products lol but I'm a bit biased.


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## g-alberta (Dec 1, 2012)

Not a fan of their products? Try having them as the owner as well?


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## bduerler (Oct 2, 2009)

I work for Honeywell. Hint hint lol. Even before I was with Honeywell I worked for a Notifier dealer. Every Seimens panel I ran across that was installed by the local dealer always had issues. Programming problems, SLC cards and NAC cards going bad. I ripped a lot of the fire finders and mxl panels out in favor of the Notifier 640s and 3030s


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## glen1971 (Oct 10, 2012)

Big John said:


> How do you heat-shrink them quickly? If I had to set up an electric heat gun at every box, that would be slow as hell. I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on a butane heat-gun but I don't know what's good.


Unfortunately it means draggin a cord to where ever I go.. I think I've used a butane heat gun in about 2 spots because I didn't have 300' of cord.. But then again most of my work is in live gas plants and an open flame is not allowed..


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## xpertpc (Oct 11, 2012)

Big John said:


> How do you heat-shrink them quickly? If I had to set up an electric heat gun at every box, that would be slow as hell. I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on a butane heat-gun but I don't know what's good.


If I'm too lazy to find a heat gun or someone with a cigarette lighter I just use the side of my soldering iron. You can get battery powered irons fairly cheap.

I almost always solder critical data type connections, if not then I use either Buchanan caps or butt splices as a cap, twisted into one end only. I also use the non-insulated die on my crimper for a better connection.

And to those who butt splice power circuits and then bury in conduits I will find you in my next life.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

Is cold shrink off the table?


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## five.five-six (Apr 9, 2013)

IslandGuy said:


> Is cold shrink off the table?



I have only seen cold shrink in 1"+ diameters.


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## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

One thing I can also recommend is not ringing the wire with strippers to get off the outer jacket. Ground shorts suck to find in addressable systems. Use the rip string inside of the cable. Seen guys score the wire like a twelve three nm and it drives me nuts. I wouldn't **** with shrink tube in splice box. Baby blue wire nut and tape. In the panel strip a piece of insulation off of the black 18 awg ind slip it onto the shield for termination.


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## g-alberta (Dec 1, 2012)

The sheild os the foil right. Just roll it up to terminate?


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## glen1971 (Oct 10, 2012)

g-alberta said:


> The sheild os the foil right. Just roll it up to terminate?


Nope... The uninsulated conductor is the shield.. The foil gets cut off...


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## xpertpc (Oct 11, 2012)

I wish someone would of showed me the rip string 20 years ago when I stumbled across it by accident, and decided to pull it when it made no other sense to be in the jacket.


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