Fiber Optic Thunder/Lightning.

This was a most enlightening thread ! :D

Started by a new member, his first post on 1 April.
A very plausible story though, just the sort of rubbish one hears from installers, but really a very well thought out April Fools joke seems to be the interpretation most of us made.
Impressed with the inventiveness of some of the replies, they really do "ring true" :whistle:

But then we have the last poster, going on about all sorts of "stuff" regarding Lightning Protection and how to handle Surge Protection in his signature confusing gibberish.

BTW: For the record, ALL optic fibre cables installed in SA (UNLESS someone has started to import cables with "messenger wires" in them) are COMPLETELY metallic conductor free.

So, Incoming or Outgoing Electric Power Surges via Optic fibre cables are just not possible.
 
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westom is well known for his, ummm, "enthusiastic" views on lightning protection... It's best not to engage him...

Oh and bite me Sinbad, you arse;) just realised now!
 
ScottulusMaximus said:
westom is well known for his, ummm, "enthusiastic" views on lightning protection...
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He is also the guy who gets called in after many failures remain unsolved. Why (in multiple venues) was an ONT destroyed by a lightning strike? Fiber optics does not conduct electricity. But fiber optic cable must also have a messenger wire. That is a potential (destructive) path. A different and more common one was also explained. It is not difficult to understand. But it is new and contradicts popular beliefs. So many want to deny. Again, we traced surge damage to the ONT (that box that terminates fiber optic cables) because fiber does not guarantee transient protection.

Best protection from lightning and other destructive transients has long existed even with copper. Fiber can be part of a solution to transient protection. But only if implementing same, simple, and inexpensive techniques that also make surges on copper irrelevant. OP was accurately warned that fiber does not guarantee protection. However, power off also does not provide additional protection. Even with fiber, protection is only as effective as its earth ground.

Solutions have long been so well understood and easy that damage due to lightning (even with copper wire) is considered a human mistake.
 
Can Fiber Optic Cable be Traced?
Optical fibers in themselves can't be traced with a utility locator - they are not conductors. But typically one of several types of conductor is included along with the fiber optic cable. This might be a metallic sheath around the fiber, a metallic wire woven into the sheath (for strength and locating), or an insulated wire may have been pulled through the same duct as the fiber. ...
Where good practices are followed, the metallic sheath or woven wire will be grounded at both ends. But particular grounding policies vary by company, and you should make no automatic assumptions.
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That essential messenger conductor can conduct lightning strikes along a fiber.
 
OP, even though Fibre is immune to lightning, you must remember to charge its battery for a full 24-hours to ensure it reaches full capacity.
 
Sinbad said:
What the actual fck are you talking about?
There is no copper.
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Please learn this stuff before wasting bandwidth. Profanity identifies those who cannot bother to learn this stuff.

Optical Terminator (ONT) was destroyed by a lightning strike. How can that be if it connects to fiber optics? Numerous reasons why were discussed including an electrically conductive messenger wire (often it is not copper). Fiber optic cable does not guarantee protection from lightning if standard protection methods are not implemented. Methods that are proven by over 100 years of experience.
 
westom said:
Please learn this stuff before wasting bandwidth. Profanity identifies those who cannot bother to learn this stuff.

Optical Terminator (ONT) was destroyed by a lightning strike. How can that be if it connects to fiber optics? Numerous reasons why were discussed including an electrically conductive messenger wire (often it is not copper). Fiber optic cable does not guarantee protection from lightning if standard protection methods are not implemented. Methods that are proven by over 100 years of experience.
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WE have repeatedly told you that NONE of the major operators in SA use Optic fibre cable with ANY metallic components in them!

The strength member is SA Optic fibre cables is made of Kevlar and the protection around the fibre is also made of Kevlar.

What more do you want? A sworn statement from each operator? Your reasoning around how fibre cables are deployed in SA is also 100 years old!

We have to learn NOTHING, you have a lot of work to do to update yourself on how fibre technologies are deployed in SA. .......
 
I'll go take a pic of my fibre tomorrow.
 
F0Q3GH7.gif
 
I have a sample of a 172 core fibre cable as well as the duct system used by DFA here at home. I will post pictures of both tomorrow. Right now, I am trying to recover from a severe dose stomach flu which is making extra short tempered and irritable .....
 
westom said:
. Fiber optic cable does not guarantee protection from lightning if standard protection methods are not implemented. Methods that are proven by over 100 years of experience.
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100 years of experience protecting fibre network equipment? Ok then
 
daniellgr said:
The strength member is SA Optic fibre cables is made of Kevlar and the protection around the fibre is also made of Kevlar.
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Please read what was posted; not what you have only assumed. Nobody said anything about the strength member in Optic fiber. Please comprehend why that messenger wire exists. Please comprehend many ways that damage occurs even to the Optical Terminator and to equipment connected to it. Techniques to avert that damage routinely averted damage even to copper wire installations 100 years ago.

Messenger wire is *one* of many reasons why fiber alone does not guarantee protection from transients. Please stop arguing about a messenger wire (it does not exist for strength). Instead address the topic: fiber alone does not guarantee transient protection. OP's original question is about why fiber does not guarantee protection from transients. (Unfortuanately he was mistakenly told that power off would avert damage.)

Also bogus and posted by daniellgr was a myth that a UPS would provide effective protection. Protection inside a computer is typically more robust than any protection provided by a UPS. UPS does not even claim to protect from destructive transients. One should first read specifications to learn what really does and does not work.

Fiber alone does not avert damage. Fiber can only be part of a larger installation similar to what also averts damage on copper wire installations - to have direct lightning strikes without damage as has been standard even 100 years ago.

danielgr - nobody said anything about a fiber in a duct system in your home. That is irrelevant to the OP's question. Again, please read what was posted - not what you misconstrue so as to argue.

Let's make it simpler. Argue only with this sentence: fiber alone does not guarantee protection from potentially destructive transients. If you do not disagree, then denials were completely misdirected.
 
Sinbad said:
100 years of experience protecting fibre network equipment? Ok then
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Nobody said fiber equipment was protected 100 years ago. All equipment was protected even 100 years ago. At least this time you have the decency to not waste bandwidth with profanity. Now please read what is written; not what you want to pervert so as to argue.
 
LETs make it clear once and for allways.

THERE IS NO MESSENGER WIRE IN ANY OPTIC FIBRE CABLES DEPLOYED BY ANY OF THE OPERATORS IN SOUTH AFRICA!
 
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Fibre is light. Lightning is light. Hmmm ... how much data can travel via lightning :erm:
 
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