FTTP Cable Not Buried.

[JohnnyFTTP]

I had FTTP installed a few weeks ago, with the cable being a fairly straight run under a flower bed. I was not present when this work was done however, but all looked in order and the internal setup went fine.

I was out gardening this evening and noticed the cable is sitting above the soil at various points along the flower bed and reckon it looks like a rather half baked install.

I would have expected the cable to be placed at least a few inches down and perhaps used ducting. It looks like the installer expects my plants to shield it from the elements however.

I imagine it will probably be ok as long as I don't belt it with a spade, but it hasn't filled me with confidence. There is no real slack in the cable either for me to dig a trench myself as it's stretched out like piano wire!

I was certainly given the impression by the initial Openreach fella (who couldn't complete the job as there was no telephone ducting) that a team would be out to "Dig a trench".

I would have dug one myself rather than have cable lying across soil.

Anyone had the same problem, and did you contact Sky or go back to Openreach?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Cheers.

[Chrisee]

@JohnnyFTTP Openreach use micro ducting so what you are seeing is probably a kevlar reinforced duct which should be buried a few inches down but probably came to the surface when the engineers ran the fibre cable which has its own protection through the duct before terminating it at the connection box on your property. A short length of the ducting shows above the surface.beside my drive.

[JohnnyFTTP]

Thanks for your reply.

Is the micro ducting very small in diameter? I can't find much about it. It looks more like a bit a sheathed cable placed on top of the soil with a bit token dirt thrown on it here and there.

I wouldn't have said it's been buried a few inches at any point if that's how it's installed normally.

I'm just a bit surprised they don't make more effort to keep it out of the elements.

Again thanks for your reply.

[Chrisee]

@JohnnyFTTP The microducting I have is grey flexible cable under a cm in diameter see below.  The Openreach engineer who did the install told me about the protection and he said it was pretty tough and showed me the Kevlar strands in it and the second sheath protecting the actual fibre which is like a thick hair. 

[JohnnyFTTP]

Thanks again for the reply.

Mine appears to be a lot thinner than that. Certainly thinner than say a CAT5 cable. Maybe they gave me super micro ducting😀

Anyway, I'm definitely not convinced it will stand the test of time, as I would say a good 50% of my cable is just sitting on top of soil.

I'll see about contacting Sky regarding it today.

Thanks again for your help 👍

[jamesn123]

@JohnnyFTTP 

That certainly sounds like a bare cable thats been laid, if its thinner than a standard Cat5 cable i dont see how it could be ducting 

[TimmyBGood]

@JohnnyFTTP 

If what you are seeing is black with a thin yellow stripe running along it then that's the fibre-optic cable itself (typically there's four glass strands in a drop cable).

[JohnnyFTTP]

Thanks for everyones replies.

I took a couple of not very good pictures but you may be able to give me your opinion on whether it's a bit of a lazy job.

The first picture is just beyond where the cable enters the garden, it disappears briefly under some soil after this and reappears further down the flower bed. I wouldn't say it's really buried at any point though.

Second picture is a not very good close up of the cable itself. I know fibre is pretty thin but the sheath doesn't look like much protection to me. There is no yellow strip down it that I can see.

The cable is a bit tight for me to dig my own trench and I wouldn't want to damage anything and be charged for it.

Considering the first Openreach guy couldn't do anything because he wasn't trained to dig a trench😀 and this is what the trained guys did. I reckon it's pretty crap.

Thanks for your opinions.

 

 

[Chrisee]

@JohnnyFTTP if it bugs you report it to Sky who will probably get Openreach out but I am 100% certain there will be a protective layer of either metal or more likely Kevlar fibres between the outer sheath and the fibre itself which is very thin and delicate. 

[TimmyBGood]

@JohnnyFTTP @Chrisee 

Certainly possible they used a direct-bury cable between the CBT and CSP.  I have to say that I wouldn't be happy with it not actually being buried though, given that's kind of the point.

[Chrisee]

@TimmyBGood given its normally buried under 6 inches deep it is still at risk of digging etc. When I raised this with the helpful engineer doing my install is when he mentioned the Kevlar. So I think unless you garden with a pickaxe it should be OK .

My personal view is I would rather know where it runs than it was hidden under a few inches of top soil.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Chrisee wrote:

So I think unless you garden with a pickaxe it should be OK .

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We're on Welsh slate with an almost hypothetical soil layer: pickaxes are standard gardening equipment ; )