If your application allows for a PVC product, you should use it to save money. This is the biggest driver in your product selection. For example, plenum fire alarm cable FPLP is required in drop ceilings to prevent toxic smoke burn off. Also, you should always use plenum datacom products, such as category 5E CMP, in an air space of a residential or commercial building. Consider a PVC rated product when the product is being installed behind walls or any area where toxic smoke burn off would not be an issue.
When no conduit is used, plenum cable is often required since the cable is considered to be freely installed. Plenum spaces allow fire and smoke to travel quickly.
By using plenum-rated cable, the levels of toxicity in the smoke would be lower since plenum cable is coated with a jacket that is typically made of flame-resistant material such as Teflon. This special jacketing makes the cable smoke less than regular PVC cable and the smoke that is emitted is less toxic.
Non-plenum cable, which is otherwise known as PVC polyvinyl chloride cable, is the less expensive of the two choices. You are likely to see many projects stipulating non-plenum to save on costs, since, more often than not, the decision on the type of cable jacketing is made by the building owner or end user based upon their circumstances.
By contrast, most schools stipulate that plenum-rated cable be used, mainly due to insurance requirements. In projects where plenum is not required, non-plenum is nearly ubiquitous. It is not uncommon for PVC cable to be one-third of the cost of the plenum variety. But, as more and more businesses are becoming burdened with higher insurance premiums, some may choose to go ahead and spend the extra money upfront for plenum in case of fire.
By taking such fire safety precautions, companies can lower their liability, since plenum cable causes less overall physical and secondary damage. Plenum and non-plenum cables are designed with different flame ratings for different applications as the figure shows.
Plenum cables have the strictest flame ratings with higher cost, since they have a special coating on the wire. They are usually used in plenum spaces for preventing flame spreading and reduce the smoke amount. This cable type can be used in commercial and residential area or hospitals, since these areas are crowded that safety must come first.
For non-plenum cables, the riser cables can be used in the risers of commercial buildings, with lower cost than the CMP cables. For example, plenum rated Cat6 and riser rated Cat6 perform the same in the data transmission.
As for the CM cables, they are usually the common Ethernet patch cables , which is the lowest cost with easy installation. They are designed for general use, which is widely deployed to connect networking devices like servers, network switch, routers and so on.
Therefore, customers need to choose plenum and non-plenum cable based on actual demand and budget. Due to the higher temperature, these places can quickly catch fire as fresh air flow between them. High voltage equipment is not recommended in these places because even a little spark can cause a catastrophe.
The plenum-rated jacket is made of high fire-resistant material which burns slowly and produces less smoke in the event of a fire. The basic difference between plenum and riser is that riser is vertical space between one floor of a building to another.
For example, elevator shafts and conduits from one floor to another floor are all riser. Ethernet cable which has a riser-rated jacket is called riser cable. You should use riser cables in riser places because these places have constant airflow which makes them pretty dangerous in a fire incident. The presence of oxygen works as an oil. Fire restrictions for risers are not as high as plenum. Ethernet cables with riser-rate jackets are used commonly from floor to floor in non-plenum areas.
The demand for riser cables is not very high since plenum cables can be used in riser places as well.
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