Securing supply cables on a batten.

[godlike2]

I heard a ATD tell his facility manager that it was faster and better(for Strike?) to wrap excess power supply cable around the batten to secure it, rather than coiling it and tying it with tie line. I know I rarely have room between fixtures as it is and that method takes up more room? than hanging it and tying with tie line. Also...what about creating a possible problem by inducing some electrical charge to the batten by wrapping it as in a winding on an electrical motor?or magnet? Yes it is jacketed cable...but...What do you all think? Lazy ATD or acceptable procedure(although not the norm)?

 

[ack]

Not acceptable! How in the world could it be faster to unwind cable in between and around fixtures and other cable rather than simply untying a knot? Not to mention the resulting spaghetti once you have 4 or 5 circuits overlapping each other.

ack

 

[MNicolai]

I find tying it up with tieline much faster. It's hard to beat how fast it is to walk down a batten and untie shoelace knots, letting all of the cable fall to the floor. I can usually even do it one-handed.

Only works if the cables [aren't] wrapped around the battens though.

 

[sk8rsdad]

IMHO, it is NOT faster for strike to unwind the power cable from the batten. It is much quicker to untie the tie line and let the cable drop than it is to have to unwind the cable from around the batten.

BTW, wrapping doesn't cause the cable to behave like an inductor, since both the neutral and the hot are part of the same cable and would cancel.

 

[mstaylor]

Definitely coil and tie. It is faster and neater on both the in and out, however is a quick repair is 1000% easier if it isn't wrapped together.

 

[icewolf08]

Wrapping cable around the batten is a definite no-no. It takes longer to do than just tying up the cable, especially because I would make you re-do it right! Tying up cable allows much greater flexibility if you have to move, add, or service a fixture on the pipe (which is inevitable). It is also not so great for the cable to be wrapped in such small coils around the pipe, if you do this continually with your cable it can get damaged.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

It's just a pain whenever you have to deal with a cable all wrapped around a pipe. SURE its faster for the person who wrapped it, but not for me, the person who has to move a light, move a cable, add cables, troubleshoot lights or cables, and eventually strike it all. Plus wrapping adds twists to the cable that make it harder to wrap.

Even if you don't have room next to the light you put the coil where you do have room, or run the cable back along the batten and tie line or e-tape it on. If you try hard to use the right length of a cable, instead of say, a 50' when a 15' will do, you will find life to be much easier. Nothing like finding all the 5 footers in the light shop when you KNOW all the 50 footers were used and half of their length coiled and tied to the batten. I have been known so start pulling off the batten and replacing with shorter cables cables of excess length when they are desperately needed.

 

[derekleffew]

Related question(s):

I. When using box truss as a horizontal lighting position, do you:
A. Coil the cable as you would on a batten,
and then affix the coil to the:

1. Top
2. Sides, outside
3. Inside the truss
4. Bottom​

B. Use the "out and back" method so there aren't any coils, and keep the cable on top ?

II. A. Do you treat multi-cable differently than 12/3 stage pin/L6-20/Edison cable?
B. How about DMX/RAM/Data cable?

III. Shoelace Knot, or Clove Hitch with a Bow?

See also http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/6564-dressing-cable.html .

...BTW, wrapping doesn't cause the cable to behave like an inductor, since both the neutral and the hot are part of the same cable and would cancel.

IV. If that's true, WHY do so many electricians insist on figure 8 -ing excess multi on the ground near the dimmer rack(s)?

 

[porkchop]

IV. If that's true, WHY do so many electricians insist on figure 8 -ing excess multi on the ground near the dimmer rack(s)?

Because feeder should be coiled that way and it's more consistent to just have everything coiled that way. You could make and argument that 12/19 cable isn't twisted pairs so you're not getting the same EM cancellation that you do with a 12/3 cable, but in my opinion that's pretty nit pickety. Also I've met quite a few "electricians" that don't understand the physical difference between multi, twisted pair, and single conductor cables.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Related question(s):

IV. If that's true, WHY do so many electricians insist on figure 8 -ing excess multi on the ground near the dimmer rack(s)?

Because the audio guys told them to?

In terms of box truss, I usually secure the coil to the TOP of the box. Cables on the side just doesn't look as neat. Really it depends how picky the client is. Then I might have to run the cable along members inside the truss just to get to the light.

I usually tie a shoe lace, haven't yet met any clove hitch true believers. Usually that is moot because several shops around here prefer e-tape to tie line.

 

[Dreadpoet]

I must be wasteful, I often run down the line and cut all the tie line not wanting to waste time pulling some of the knots that have gotten comfortable in their knot.

 

[josh88]

I must be wasteful, I often run down the line and cut all the tie line not wanting to waste time pulling some of the knots that have gotten comfortable in their knot.

Thats why you should tie them up like you would your shoelaces, no tight knots to fight, just pull and go, untying a shoe lace knot should be just as fast if not faster than cutting a line.

 

[JonCarter]

A cable COILED will pull off with kinks; a cable figure-eight'ed will pull off without kinks. (Lay it out & try it.) I suggest a 2'-3' piece of tie line clove-hitched about a foot from each end of all cables. It stays with the cable and can be used to tie it in place and to tie up the coil after striking.

 

[ship]

In not taking a fly line re-weighting concept persay, it be a question of training of opinion and that of policy? One would like less cable off the floor and hug if more than needed at times. Fly person would like less re-loading - this much less the person having to trace down a bad cable would prefer that not within excess cable. Ah' good questions indeed.

Sorry... thinking this should be a house standard policy for you in where that excess cable is stored. Your specific policy in how to deal with the situation I would think to be determined. And if in position for you to determine or replace in deciding. I don't think unless feeder cable how it's wrapped is important too much.

 

[church]

I prefer velcro cable wraps for attaching three or four caables to the batten, more than that I use tieline, I use a clove hitch finished with a bow. Excess cable is on the floor not in the air if the truss is on lift - to avoid lifting non essential weight. If the truss is flown then extra coils are inside the truss.

 

[len]

Related question(s):

I. When using box truss as a horizontal lighting position, do you:
A. Coil the cable as you would on a batten,
and then affix the coil to the:

1. Top
2. Sides, outside
3. Inside the truss
4. Bottom​

B. Use the "out and back" method so there aren't any coils, and keep the cable on top ?

A combination, but all cable is on the top of the truss. No point in lacing cable through. It's always faster on the out. We'll secure with tape, tie line, velcro, etc.

II. A. Do you treat multi-cable differently than 12/3 stage pin/L6-20/Edison cable?
B. How about DMX/RAM/Data cable?

If it's on a truss, there really isn't much excess to begin with, so both questions are kind of moot. At working height, cables are run out only as far as necessary to connect. Any excess stays on the ground. Yes, there's some cable like for a breakout, or for data runs, but it's not a lot.

Feeder on the ground sometimes is Figure 8, but if there's only an extra 10 feet or so, it lives in the cable trunk.

III. Shoelace Knot, or Clove Hitch with a Bow?

Shoelace. I'm no knot expert.

See also http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/6564-dressing-cable.html .

IV. If that's true, WHY do so many electricians insist on figure 8 -ing excess multi on the ground near the dimmer rack(s)?

I guess because nothing ever falls off the ground. But there's always a possibility of something falling out of the air. We try to keep cable trunks behind the dimmers and keep excess multi in those trunks, so it's less of a trip hazard.

 

[Chris15]

Re figure 8 vs whatever else - I think it all boils down to heat.
An interesting (only slightly scientific but very telling) experiment here: [pdf]http://www.juliusmedia.com/cxweb/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=183