Fiber optic cables, the backbone of the communication network! They carry large volumes of data, and that too at lightning speeds. But even the most advanced technology might face issues and setbacks. And that is when you need fiber optic cable repair.
Accidental breaks, wear and tear, environmental factors, and more can damage a fiber optic cable. This leads to obstructing businesses and everyday life. However, learning how to repair fiber optic cable will help you to get things to work with smooth, reliable connectivity while keeping your systems running.
Continue reading, and by the end of this article, you’ll understand how to diagnose and address fiber optic cable damage.
Common Reasons for Fiber Optic Cable Damage
When you know the basics of the common causes, you’ll know the importance of highlighting why careful planning, quality products, and professional handling are so vital in fiber optic systems. Here are a few common causes of fiber optic cable damage.
Low-Quality Materials
What is fiber optic cable made of? It can be either high-quality materials or low-quality materials. Fiber optic cables made of low-quality materials are one of the leading causes of damage. Buying them might be low in cost, but can cause frequent repairs, leading to high costs in the long term. When fibers are made of poor quality, they can have microscopic defects or inconsistent core diameters that affect light transmission. So it’s worth investing in fiber optic cables made with industry-certified materials to avoid fiber optic cable repair.
Physical Damage
Fiber optic cables are stronger! But it’s obvious that no matter how strong a cable can be, there are possibilities that it can damage itself. One rough handling, an accidental cut during construction, or an improper pulling during installation can break the fibers inside. It takes just a small nick or a crush to make it go into total blackout.
Contaminated Connectors
Fiber optics also deserve cleanliness. Touching them with oils on your hands, keeping them under moisture, or exposing them to dusty particles might not seem a big deal to you, but for fiber optics, it is. This is because the light signals that are transmitted are actually highly sensitive, and these contaminants can block light, causing failures in signal and increasing rates of errors.
Signal Misalignment
Alignment should be precise for transferring light. Any misalignment can lead to signal loss or reflection. This can happen due to improper splicing techniques, worn-out connectors, and mismatched fiber types.
Environmental Factors
Extending the use of fiber optic cables in extreme temperatures, wet areas, and UV rays can weaken the fiber optic cables. For example, your fiber optic cable can lose its shape in heat, and exposing it to chemicals can weaken the protective outer layer.
Things to Consider Before a Fiber Optic Cable Repair
- Safety First:
It’s not at all a good idea to deal with fiber optic cable repair without any safety precautions. Consider the conditions of the site. There can be safety hazards like electrical lines, traffic, water ingress, and more. So, plan for these risks to minimize and work accordingly. Also, wear eye protection as fiber shards can be dangerous if they enter your eyes or skin.
- Proper Tools and Materials:
This is different from fixing your usual wire. You need specialized splicing equipment and other special supplies before the fiber optic cable repair.
- Analyze the Issue
Can you repair a fiber optic cable? If you cannot, then it’s better to reach out to skilled technicians to repair the fiber optic cable.
How to Repair Fiber Optic Cable?
- Identify the Break
First, find the exact location of the fault using an OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer). If you can find the exact location of the break, you only need to work on that targeted section of the cable. This saves considerable time and effort while reducing disruption and repair costs.
- The OTDR will send a light pulse through the fiber.
- When this pulse hits a break or fault, part of the light reflects.
- The OTDR measures the time taken for the reflected light to come back (accurately calculating the distance to the issue)
- Remove the Section
Once you find the spot, it’s time to excavate the cable at that point. You can cut the section that’s damaged using a fiber optic cutter, and be careful in making clean cuts. This helps in achieving a high-quality splice and maintaining a better performance.
- Strip the Cable
Using a fiber optic stripper, you can remove the outer jacket and buffer coating, carefully exposing the glass fiber.
- Trim the Fiber Ends
Use a high-accuracy fiber cleaver and trim the ends of the fiber. Make sure it’s clean and flat.
- Clean the Fiber
How to clean fiber optic cable? Alcohol and lint-free wipes are more than enough. Just wipe them and remove all the contaminants.
- Splice the Cable
There are two splicing methods: Mechanical Splicing and Fusion Splicing.
Mechanical splicing aligns the fiber ends while fusion splicing uses heat to weld the fiber ends together. Choose between them and carry on the process.
- Test and Troubleshoot
After fiber optic cable repair, check if the connection is strong. You can use OTDR for testing by sending a series of light pulses down the fiber.
Conclusion
Fiber optic cables can get damaged due to certain reasons, but knowing about fiber optic cable repair can help you solve the issues. Knowing the causes will make it more effective to work on repairing the cable.
You can avoid fiber optics made of low-quality materials, cables with signal misalignments, and physical damage to prevent these damages. Looking for high-quality fiber optic products and expertise? Reach out to Zable Cable, and we will offer you the best cables ever.
