World Class Engineered Cable Blog

Attleboro, MA - Comtran, a member company of Marmon Electrical and leading provider of specialty cable and system solutions, has expanded its industry-leading UL 2196-listed VITALink® product portfolio with the addition of unshielded Ethernet cables. The cables round out the existing shielded VITALink® Ethernet product offering.

Attleboro, MA – Comtran, RSCC, and Cable USA, part of Marmon Electrical, are combining expertise and manufacturing capabilities to create a market-based team serving the transit infrastructure market. The unified product portfolio includes industry-recognized brands: HUB-Link^®, VITALink^®, Gardex^®, Integratrax^®, and Firewall^®.

Attleboro, MA –Comtran and RSCC, part of Marmon Electrical, leading providers of circuit integrity products are leveraging the strength of the VITALink® brand by offering a merged portfolio of 300V and higher constructions to service the fire safety market. The combined VITALink® portfolio is now the most comprehensive UL 2196 approved fire safety product line available.

Engineering firms involved in specifying critical circuit and fire safety electrical systems recognize that the initial materals costs to install a fire proof wrap system  are less than installing a high performing fire rated cable sytem .   However, engineers should consider the significant long term costs and maintenance headaches associated with these types of fire proof wrap installation systems.

Though the up front cost of purchasing a high quality fire rated cable system can be higher up front, petrochemical facilities wil not have to incur the following:
1- Higher labor costs due to the time and complexity of the installation
2 - Long term susceptibily to external elements includiong weather, rodents, moisture and algal growth.
3 - Expensive long term maintenance costs to install replacement or additional cables withing the fire wrap system.

Downloadable below, the RCC White Paper - Fire Wrapped Systems as an Alternative for Cricial Curciut Cables: is this the best suited fire protection Solution for Petrochemical Facilities?"  addresses these shortcomings and cites documented evidence from qualified industry sources

Systems important to life safety require extra attention when specifying what equipment to buy and how to install it. It’s vital for these systems to remain operational during an emergency to limit the loss of life by providing functionality to emergency response teams, as well as evacuation efforts.

Fires can be catastrophic to life and property that’s why many standards and jurisdictions are requiring the functionality of emergency systems during a fire event. Some of these systems include emergency power, lighting, communication, and suppression.

Cables are the vital link between emergency equipment and their power or control source therefore they must also remain functional during a fire event. The details of installation can seem daunting without the proper partnership. Fire are very complex in nature. Materials expand and contract at different rates causing movement. Excessive movement can cause failure, and most systems are designed to accommodate a specific amount, but no more.

Below are several important points to understand when specifying any fire rated cable system for a project.

Functionality: Cables alone are not enough to satisfy operational requirements during a fire. Support methods, grounding requirements, fill ratio, vertical supports, pull boxes, installation orientation, splices, and material compatibility play a role in ensuring that your emergency system remains functional.

Flexibility: A fire rated system should cover your bases so it can be installed with ease. A properly designed fire rated cable system gives the contractor flexibility during an installation as to not override costs and delay the project. Some designs require less pulling because they can be consolidated into a single cable or can be offered in long lengths. Ampacities may diminish if a cable is covered. Consider what tools and equipment are needed to complete the installation and verify that these are allowed by the UL FHIT listing.

Splicing: With so many people working on site, and with all of the heavy machinery, sometimes accidents happen and cable gets damaged. Perhaps the complexity of the cable routing requires two lengths to be pulled separate and splice them together. Having an option to splice on the job and maintain fire protection requirements will save time and money trying to fix the problem by pulling new cable in, fire wrapping, or reordering cable that may have long lead times.

Compliance: The cable system should comply with governin

When building the newest facility for one of the most innovative companies in the world, which cable did they pick for their Life – Safety systems?

In the public domain, such as a high-rise building or subway tunnel where people are present, clear standards exist to specify a fire safety cable to ensure notification, egress, and emergency system continued operation.

The short answer is “yes” they should.  Critical electrical circuits or Fire Safety Systems are referred to as Life Safety Systems intended to operate under extreme heat and flame to SAVE Lives.   As a manufacturer of fire safety cables, RSCC produces VITALink brand cables sold for the commercial installation market that pass UL 2196 in the U.S. and ULC-S139 in Canada.

It’s important to have fire rated cables that meet UL 2196 and the requirements of the code as well as know which type of cable will work best as well as save you money. Two common types of cables to compare are metal clad (MC) and mineral insulated (MI). Each meets the requirements of the code, but are different when compared to labor costs. Time is money and you can be spending a lot of money for someone to appropriately install a cable. Know what the cost effective solution is between MC and MI cables.

What do stadiums, road way tunnels, subways, high-rise buildings, and other essential structures have in common? Their construction requires fire-resistant wiring. Of course, there are codes and standards which require this, but it’s also common sense.