That's another good point. Since it's a bunch of thinner wires instead of one tick one, they're much easier to damage internally by twisting, kinking, pinching, etc.
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Cat 5 cable as electrical wire
- Thread starter Robroy
- Start date
So I wasn't the only one stupid enough to do this back then!
I am so fortunate no one ever got hurt when I used them. Got close once when a cheerleader at a school dance jumped over one stage left just before ignition while I was looking stage right. I still shudder at the thought.And agree with everyone else. I've done some fairly hokey light setups years past but at least had decent AWG size wire and appropriate insulation. CAT5 cables are far too flimsy for the application. Heck, they're sometimes too flimsy for their appropriate ethernet connection application.
This story reminds me of the story of the guy who replaced a blown auto fuse with a .22 cartridge. What could possibly go wrong, right?
Seriously, this guy is one power-surge away from one or more of those connectors arc'ing and recreating the Great White show in RI a few years back. The proper cables are too cheap not to buy (Monoprice is your friend) and the risk to others too great cold wires or not.
Seriously, this guy is one power-surge away from one or more of those connectors arc'ing and recreating the Great White show in RI a few years back. The proper cables are too cheap not to buy (Monoprice is your friend) and the risk to others too great cold wires or not.
So I wasn't the only one stupid enough to do this back then!
And agree with everyone else. I've done some fairly hokey light setups years past but at least had decent AWG size wire and appropriate insulation. CAT5 cables are far too flimsy for the application. Heck, they're sometimes too flimsy for their appropriate ethernet connection application.
I too or I should say WE {read band} had flash pots back in the day.
I had a LOT of close calls, and several minor burns.
We are talking WAY before the great white disaster, but one burn too many for ME.
Electricity, and water are two things that should NOT be taken casually.
Correction: Electricity, and water and black powder are three things that should NOT be taken casually.
TRUE.Correction: Electricity, and water and black powder are three things that should NOT be taken casually.
I promise, powder burns ain't no joke.
It took me a while to answer this, and others have now answered it for me. Thatnks, guys!
If you use all four conductor pairs of a CAT-5 wire, you will, as has been demonstrated, have enough capacity for the current (sometimes referred to as Ampacity), but CAT-5 wire is notoriously frail. The insulation doesn't like to bend very much and can tear or crack easily. The connectors are horribly unreliable - even for low voltage. The conductors themselves are a fairly stiff, solid wire which can break after repeated bending. I could go on and on.
What causes things like that to fail? Normal wear and tear. Being kinked one too many times. Somebody accidentally mashing the heel of a cowboy boot on it while it's sitting coiled on a concrete floor. Getting it caught in the lid of the equipment case. Rolling a piece of gear over it. The light stand falling over and one of the bulbs breaking and shorting while energized (which would pretty much vaporize your CAT-5 wire).
All four lights could be safely plugged into one, single, 14-Gauge extension cord. How much easier does it really need to be?
Here, Hold this for me would ya ?
Now c'mon,
How many of us have handed a charged cap to someone?
It's about the same as running your water heater so hot you are just redlining the PSI. Yes, it was tested to withstand the pressure, but do you want your life risked by the quality of a every single component QC?
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I really don't see the upside of this. It's not any more work to do it with wire that has sufficient current carrying capacity, and it's hardly any more cost.
As an electrician I can tell you that some of the most horrific and dangerous things I've seen we're done by other electricians. NEVER look at the electrical work in an electrician's home. In most cases, they toss the code, use whatever they can find on the job, whether it's the proper application or not, and are messy as hell.
The heel of a boot, a ladder, the base of a mic stand, the dropping of a tool, tripping over it, a lit cigarette (not yours), etc...
Bingo, although all of the other reasons stated are great, this was the first one I thought of. The second is of course ...why? There are plenty of inexpensive options to do this the right way with proper connectors and correct wire type. Sure it has overkill in certain areas and errs on the side of caution for liability reasons, but the NEC is a pretty good guideline that should not be disregarded, to say nothing of the legal implications of doing so. Plus just 'cause there hasn't been a failure yet doesn't mean anything. I cringe when I think of my teenage years when I felt getting away with something meant it was a good idea. Regularly running my Chevy Nova at speeds in excess of 120 mph on 2 lane country roads with bald tires. The fact I didn't have a catastrophic blowout and kill myself or someone else doesn't mean that it was anywhere near safe.
