Cabling tools part 2

Pull String
Another way to pull cables through small spaces is with a nylon pull string (also called a fish cord),
a heavy-duty cord strong enough to pull several cables through a conduit or wall cavity. The
pull string is either put in place before all the cables are pulled, or it is run at the same time as
the cables. If it is put in place before the cables are pulled, such as when the conduit is assembled
or in a wall cavity before the drywall is up, you can pull through your first cables with
another string attached to the cables. The second string becomes the pull string for the next
bundle, and so on. For future expansion, you leave one string in with the last bundle you pull.
If the pull string is run at the same time as the cables, it can be used to pull additional cables
through the same conduit as already-installed cables.
Cable-Pulling Lubricant
It is important not to put too much stress (25 lbs of pull maximum) on network cables as they
are being pulled. To prevent stress on the cable during the pulling of a cable through a conduit,
a cable-pulling lubricant can be applied. It reduces the friction between the cable being pulled
and its surroundings and is specially formulated so as not to plug up the conduit or dissolve the
jackets of the other cables. It can be used any time cable needs to be pulled in tight quarters.
See Chapter 6 for more details, including some drawbacks of lubricant.
Labeling Materials
With the hundreds of cables that need to be pulled in large cabling installations, it makes a
great deal of sense to label both ends of each cable while it’s being pulled. That way, when it’s
time to terminate each individual cable, you will know which cable goes where, and you can
document that fact on your cabling map.
So you will need some labeling materials. The most common are the sticky numbers sold by
Panduit and other companies (check with your cabling supplier to see what it recommends).
You should pick a numbering standard, stick with it, and record all the numbered cables and
their uses in your cabling documentation. A good system is to number the first cable as 1, with
each subsequent cable the next higher number. You could also use combinations of letters and
numbers. To label the cables, stick a number on each of the cables you are pulling and stick
another of the same number on the corresponding box or spool containing the cable. When
you are finished pulling the cable, you can cut the cable and stick the number from the cable
spool onto the cut end of the cable. Voila! Both ends are numbered. Don’t forget to record on
your notepad the number of each cable and where it’s going.