FTTP "Cable" Depth

[securespark]

Had FTTP installed a few years ago.

Me and my Ma went digging in the front garden to put some daffs in. I happened to notice the FTTP cable where it comes out of the ground up the side of the house moving when she was digging. She wasn't digging deep, not even a spade's depth.

We abandoned the daff project for fear of damaging the cable.

Now I know that in days of old, BT were on the committee of those who contributed to the regs.

Whether that remains the same with Openreach, IDK, but I believe their guidelines are between 300 and 600mm depth for burying stuff in urban areas.

What's my chances getting them to re-lay it deeper?

There's a tree stump very close by we want to dig out. Good job I didn't hire a stump grinding company!

 

[SUNRAY]

I'm sure the fibre company responsible will be pleased to quote.

 

[robinbanks]

Is it in a decent protective duct?

 

[Sureitsoff?]

At least it was below the surface unlike my neighbours virgin install that just lay on the top of the flowerbed and across the grass!!

 

[securespark]

I'm sure the fibre company responsible will be pleased to quote.

That's what I'm expecting. But they should follow their own guidelines.

Is it in a decent protective duct?

I'll take a pic later. There is a thin tube visible above ground. Whether that goes underground or how far it goes, IDK. But I noticed the fibre cable moving inside the tube, so I suspect in the flowerbed, it's just the unprotected cable.

If the spade caught the tube, the cable wouldn't get pulled.

 

[bernardgreen]

Some of the non Openreach fibre installs in this area are badly bodged by the contractor employed by the internet server company.

 

[SUNRAY]

That's what I'm expecting. But they should follow their own guidelines.

there are a number of youtubes on the subject, one shows a slot being created by pushing the spade in and a wiggle to open it, dropping the small duct in and treading the ground back, I doubt it's 200mm

 

[plugwash]

Is this openreach? virgin? or an altnet?

 

[SUNRAY]

Does i

Is this openreach? Virgin? or an altnet?

t make a difference?

 

[securespark]

BT/ Openreach.

 

[securespark]

BT used to be on the committee of the IEE.

But as far as I can see, they are not any more, nor is Openreach.

 

[Vicario]

I won't hear a word of criticism against VM installations (a few years ago, admittedly)! Mine goes through a lovely green plastic corrugated duct which emerges at odd intervals from a border before revealing its full aesthetic beauty for a few feet before connecting to the external wall box. Yes, I do keep re-burying it but I fear that it's the tentacle of some subterranean monster, desperate to see daylight. (VM internet is very good though).

 

[securespark]

Thin brown tube with fibre cable inside. Disappears under paving then under lawn then into pavement box beyond.

I won't hear a word of criticism against VM installations (a few years ago, admittedly)! Mine goes through a lovely green plastic corrugated duct which emerges at odd intervals from a border before revealing its full aesthetic beauty for a few feet before connecting to the external wall box. Yes, I do keep re-burying it but I fear that it's the tentacle of some subterranean monster, desperate to see daylight. (VM internet is very good though).

When I was self employed, I was called out by a customer who was having a driveway done. The driveway contractors had cut through the cable that was 2" under the soil.

He was having a blazing row with VM because they wanted to charge him and he was insisting it was shoddy work.

The real laugh?

He worked for them in CS!!

 

[crystal ball]

A slight aside, back when BT were installing phone lines, I was working on a full refurb of a fairly swish property in the Lakes. The house was stripped out, floorboards up all over the place leaving good access throughout. BT turned up to install the phone line and stapled the line around door frames, along skirtings etc. The owner soon had them back to do a proper job

 

[plugwash]

Does it make a difference?

Afaict

openreach generally try to use their existing ducts or poles, though that may not always be possible. I'm pretty sure I've even seen at least one case, where the copper to the whole terrage and the fiber to the first property in a terrace were fed from DPs at the end of the building, but a property further down the building was fed by a DP up a brand new pole and another case where the DP on the end of the terrace was used, but the cable went back underground to get to the property.

VM tend to have the ductwork end at a small box on the edge of the customer's property, then direct bury at very shallow depthds nacross the customer's property.

B4RN in rural areas run through the fields and come into properties from the rear with properly burried ducts. In areas where propertys don't back onto fields they run in the road with small boxes similar to those used by VM. Not sure how they cross the customers property in that case.

Note sure what the other altnets are doing.

I think that like sky and cable TV installs before them, there is generally pressure to do these FTTP installs as quickly and cheaply as possible.