|  | 9.3 | Basics of Cable Installation
| 9.3.5 | Preparing cable for routing and labeling

After study and analysis, a determination has been made to run four cables to each room in your school. You have surveyed the routes the cable will follow from the wiring closet to the class room. Now you are ready to run cable. Rather than run the cable four times over the same route, your work will be easier, and you will save time, if you route all four cables at the same time.

To do this, you need four spools of cable. Each spool holds 304.8 m of cable. For ease of handling and to prevent kinking, spools are usually packaged in boxes. The cable feeds from a hole in the side of the box, while the spool turns inside. If the spool you are working with ever becomes separated from the box in which it was packaged, never uncoil the cable. If you attempt to do so, the cable will twist and kink. Instead, lay the spool on its side and unroll the cable as you need it. This will prevent the cable from kinking and becoming tangled.

To help you keep track of each cable as it comes off its spool, assign a letter to each spool. Place the spools at the central point or wiring closet. Unwind a short segment of cable from each spool. Use a permanent waterproof marker to mark the end of each cable so that it corresponds to the letter assigned to its spool. In this case, you know that the cable will run to classroom 1012, so, include that number with each letter. When you finish, the four cables should be labeled 1012A, 1012B, 1012C, and1012D.

To ensure that the labels do not rub off or get cut off (the end) later, mark the cable three times, approximately 60 cm apart. To keep all four cables tied securely together, use electrical tape. Bind the cable ends together along with the end of a pull string. You can ensure that the pull string does not come loose by tying some half-hitch knots around the cables with the pull string, before you tape the ends. Don't skimp on the tape. If the string or cables pull out later on, it could cost you time and money.

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