Water in the drop line ruined my whole morning on a commercial job

Was working on a new construction site near downtown Austin last Tuesday, pulling coax for a 12-unit apartment building. Got about 60 feet of RG6 pulled before I noticed the cable felt heavy and wet. Found out the spool had been sitting outside overnight and water got into the jacket. Had to cut and re-pull that whole run, which added an extra 45 minutes to my day. Anyone else ever get burned by leaving spools uncovered on the truck bed overnight?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_kim13d ago

Wait, your spool was just sitting in the OPEN BED of your truck overnight? Why wouldn't you at least throw a tarp over it or bring it inside? That's asking for trouble in Texas where the humidity can hit 90% at night. I've had water crawl up the jacket of RG6 just from morning dew on an uncovered spool, but leaving it exposed to potential rain is just begging for a headache. Always keep your coax in the cab or at minimum wrapped tight with a contractor bag if it's gotta stay on the truck.

michaelgrant13d ago

So you've had water wicking up the jacket even without rain?