Re: Using the Sewer Vent for Cable or Cat5e Run?

[Goedjn <prose@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:05:58 -0400, "Bill Kearney"
<wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>> My suggestion for anyone who does care, is that vinyl siding is a great
>> conduit for cable of any kind. I have run cat5 through vinyl siding.
>> Just drill two holes in the sheetrock and sheathing, one at the source
>> of the cable and the other at the destination, run the cable under the
>> siding after unzipping the siding panel, down or up at the corner
>> channels if necessary, and into the destination room. Use boxes with
>> connectors for the source and destination holes for a neater connection.
>
>What does code say about this?  You're talking about running wires
>essentially externally.  That and I'd worry about the long term issues with
>something else going through the siding at a later date.  Why introduce a
>headache for the next homeowner when they discover someone put wires
>improperly underneath the siding?  That and fire code issues with the jacket
>material catching fire and acting as a fuse taking the fire to other areas
>it might not otherwise.
>

You're allowed to run coax and cat-5 right up the side of the
house OUTSIDE the siding if you want to, it's just ugly as hell.
The only thing I'd add is, seal the penetrations with
caulk or foam to limit wind and insect penetration.