OT: Below grade fiber interconnect points

Thu Nov 14 04:51:57 UTC 2013

Thank you for comments. Let me clarify the situation.  We have a building that has been fiber cross connect
location and is being demolished.  This location has about 20 fiber cable entering where we patch between
fiber paths.  If we relocated these cross connect field to another building and that build is demolished we have
to do this all over again, so the desire was to have an independent facility for the fiber cross connect field, but
I am guessing due to esthetics the below ground vault was selected, we just learned of this selection and thus
my query to this group to find other that have dealt with similar situations and if so, experience base recommendations, 
and things to be aware of.

Thanks,
-Roy Hockett

Network Architect,
ITS Communications Systems and Data Centers
University of Michigan
Tel: (734) 763-7325
Fax: (734) 615-1727
email: royboy at umich.edu

On Nov 13, 2013, at 8:32 PM, Jeff Kell <jeff-kell at utc.edu> wrote:

> You can stick a "splice" in a manhole.  You don't want a "patch panel"
> or cross-connect in that sort of environment, keep that housed inside,
> somewhere.
> 
> Jeff
> 
> On 11/13/2013 7:53 PM, Thomas wrote:
>> Usually it would spliced outside at the manhole where the fiber meet to go in the building.  Depends on the way you want to connect them etc.
>> 
>> Thomas L Graves
>> Sent from my IPhone 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Nov 13, 2013, at 2:05 PM, "Justin M. Streiner" <streiner at cluebyfour.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> On Wed, 13 Nov 2013, Roy hockett wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Has anyone ever used a below grade vault for housing fiber cross connects?
>>>> 
>>>> We have to move a fiber interconnect facility due to the current building being demolished.  If you have I would be interested in talking to you.  If there are more appropriate lists, I would appreciate any suggestions.
>>> When you say "below grade vault", do you mean something that's only accessible through a manhole?
>>> 
>>> I haven't done this specifically, however if the vault does not have a controlled environment, you could be dealing with massive headaches related to dust/dirt contamination, moisture penetration, etc.  I work in a large-campus .edu environment, so I'm some of the headaches you're probably trying to avoid.  Also, be aware that access to the vault could be an issue.  There are OSHA regs related to what sort of training and safety equipment someone who will be working in an underground vault must have.
>>> 
>>> I'm assuming that the fiber will be cross-connected to a new location prior to the building being demolished.
>>> 
>>> Not knowing your outside plant or circumstances, would it be feasible to fusion-splice a new tail onto the fiber that was going to the building that's being demolished, or (ideally) pulling a new piece of fiber to the new building, so you don't have to deal with potentially dodgy splices?
>>> 
>>> jms
>>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 