J-Hooks or another method? 1

[phreak23]

I have a customer that wants me to run many drops down the center of a hall of a new construction. The cable is to be run in the plenum space between the suspended ceiling and the sheet rock ceiling and there is nothing else in this space. He would rather the cable be run attached to the sheet rock rather than laying on the suspended ceiling.

I have used j-hooks in the past, but they attach to a vertical structure rather than a horizontal structure such as the sheet rock in the center of the ceiling. Any suggestions?

 

[avayanooby]

check out the Erico / Caddy website for the J-hooks
with the 90 at the top for horizontal mounting. See if that would fit your needs.

http://www.erico.com/products/CADDYcfcCableCat.asp

Fig. 15

 

[resorttech12]

You might also take a look at Hilti. They have a pretty cool hanger with a clip at the top that snaps back in place after the cable slips in. Those can work in any attitude, and i believe are ok for plenum areas.

 

[mikeydidit]

I just had to do the same thing on a job here. I took the regular J hooks and made a 90% bend in them in my vice. Turned out nice for what were we doing. Placed a 100 pair cable and 20 V/D cables in them without any problems.


Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594

 

[buitenhek]

Not directing this at you phreak23, but just in general and for the heck of it...cables should never lie on the ceiling grid. Good installation techniques also say that you don't use the ceiling grid wires to add your J-hooks, you should run your own ceiling wires.

Customers likely don't like to pay the added expense. But I have seen a ceiling grid fall on people & equipment because some schlemiel put a 100 ' - 50 pair cable on the grid. The customer made the wire-guy pay for the new grid, ceiling tiles, equipment damage and medical bills.

Regards
Peter Buitenhek
ProfitDeveloper.com

 

[phreak23]

I agree that cable should not lay on the grid. We always suspend it when we can, and when the customer will pay. Sometimes I hang it even if the customer doesn't pay the extra expense.
I try to read up on current ways of doing it the "right way" however, the "right way" sometimes is very expensive to me, the business owner. On the flip side, it's more expensive not to do it the "right way" in most cases.

I always appreciate feedback given by members of the forum, and I love getting ideas of better ways of doing things.

 

[franklin97355]

It all depends on the building code in effect. In Oregon you HAVE to run wires off the tiles according to the NEC.

The answer is "42"

 

[buitenhek]

phreak23

I concur: costs to do a good job are always more than taking the shortcut. Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. My hat is off to you.

As a former cable business owner I wrestled with the obvious all the time. I developed software to help my estimators keep it real. The product is called CablePro. If you would like a free copy please email me.

Keep up the good work.

Regards
Peter Buitenhek
ProfitDeveloper.com

 

[LkEErie]

Peter,

I would love a free copy even though I'm a lurker on this topic, but I'm more interested in BidPro. Is the markup on products linear, or can you vary the markup per category or specific line item? Obviously, we mark up jacks more than cable, etc. We're an interconnect, so cabling is only just a portion of the bid and we pretty much have that covered.


LkEErie

 

[jerryreeve]

back to the first question as an alternate to j hooks talk the ceiling hanger out of some of his short wires and eye screws. run a screw in every 2-3 feet with a wire hangin down and a loop in it. for small jobs it is quick and easy.

----------------------------
JerryReeve
Communication Systems Int'l
com-sys.com

 

[LkEErie]

Nonsense. Don't steal from the ceiling tile guys, just grab a handful of wire coat hangers from the cleaners and make your own.

The specific point of J-hooks is for the flat surface.

LkEErie

 

[phreak23]

I ordered the caddy j-hooks with the L-bracket. Should be in Monday. I purchase regularly from Graybar and get pretty good pricing. They had a few of them in stock, but not many.