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

[Frank Olson <Use_the_email_links@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bill Kearney 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.
>
> No, don't half-ass it with something like this.  It's your HOME, the largest
> investment you're likely to make in your life.  Don't short-change it by
> doing something like this.
>


While I agree with Mr. Kearney that it's better to "do it right" in the
first place, I seriously doubt a length of wire would pose any more
hazard in a fire if it was located on the outside of the siding or
underneath it.  I've never heard of a cable acting as a "fuse".  There
are far more combustible materials used in home construction and I doubt
the "fuse factor" would be pose any real issue.  I mean, by the time it
gets hot enough to ignite FT-4 or FT-6 rated jacket, the vinyl siding
would be ablaze as well.