Warranties. What You Need To Know To Ensure Performance For Your Telecommunications Cabling System

Transcription

1 Warranties What You Need To Know To Ensure Performance For Your Telecommunications Cabling System

2 Reasons for Warranty Research Construction Issues Varying Manufacturer positions. Different Warranty Parameters Contractor Qualifications Purpose? Ensure a high level of workmanship from project to project.

3 Warranty Types General Project Warranty 1 Year Warranty Telecommunications Product Warranty Up to 5 years Telecommunications System Warranty 20 years or longer

4 What? What is a Telecommunications System Warranty? An advanced warranty offered by the connectivity or cabling manufacturer that covers the material (product) and the application (performance) for an extended period of time. Product Performance

5 Why? Why seek a Telecommunications System Warranty? To ensure installation and system performance for the lifetime of the cabling installation. Guaranteed Performance for Category Cable Category 3 16 MHz 10BASE-T 10Mbit/s Category 5e 100 MHz 1000BASE-T 1Gbit/s Category MHz 1000BASE-T* 1Gbit/s* Category 6A 500 MHz 10GBASE-T 10Gbit/s *10GBASE-T is possible at shorter distances

6 Who? Who offers a Telecommunications System Warranty? Connectivity Manufacturer or Cable Manufacturer

7 How Long? Partners with other manufacturers Number of cable partners Manufacturer A Manufacturer B Manufacturer C Manufacturer D yes yes no yes Length 15 or 25 25* 20 lifetime* Partners with other manufacturers Number of cable partners Manufacturer E Manufacturer F Manufacturer G Manufacturer H no no yes yes Length *warranty of lesser length (15 or 25 years) is also offered for additional cable partners

8 How? How is a Telecommunications System Warranty obtained? Through a Certified Contractor. CERTIFIED

9 Requirements of a Certified Contractor Vary across Manufacturers RCDD on staff Manufacturer training Exclusivity agreement or contractor of a certain size Geographic radius

10 Requirements to Obtain a System Warranty Pre-Construction Contractor must meet manufacturer s requirements to be a certified contractor. Construction Minimum qualifications dictated by manufacturer. Post Construction Record Drawings Test Results Manufacturer s Walk-thru Bill of Materials Complete Application

11 Requirements to Obtain a System Warranty Post Construction Test Results Wire Map Impedance Length Propagation Delay Insertion Loss Return Loss Insertion Loss Deviation NEXT Loss ELFEXT Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio Etc.

12 Requirements to Obtain a System Warranty Pre-Construction Construction Post Construction Maintenance MACs (moves, adds and changes) Who honors warranty?

13 Construction Issues to Watch Out For Ensure a certified contractor is on the job. OSP Cabling included in warranty? Do paint and over-spray void warranty? Does lubrication void warranty?

14 Construction Issues Manufacturer Positions Manufacturer A Manufacturer B Manufacturer C Manufacturer D OSP yes no no yes Over-Paint no no no no Lubrication not recommended no burden on lubricator manufacturer no RCDD Required yes no no yes OSP Manufacturer E Manufacturer F Manufacturer G Manufacturer H yes no (offered through cable manufacturer) no no Over-Paint latex only no no Lubrication yes OSP only yes, if passes test results yes, if passes test results no official position RCDD Required no yes yes no

15 Things the Owner Can Do 1. Require an advanced system warranty (or installed to). 2. Research the available manufacturers and their warranties or hire a design professional. 3. Require an RCDD for design.

16 Things the Designer Can Do 1. Be aware of the warranty requirements. 2. Design according to codes, standards and TDMM guidelines. 3. In contract documents, require Advanced System Warranty and RCDD or equivalent for construction. 4. Verify the products in the submittals are submitted by a certified contractor of that product. 5. Allow for site visits to identify issues. After electrical rough-in. Above ceiling inspection. Final punch. 6. Ensure close-out documents are provided.

17 Additional Things We Do To Ensure A Successful Project 1. Fiber and copper are to be covered by a single manufacturer s warranty. 2. For projects of significant size, Contractor RCDD shall be on site for weekly inspections. 3. Contractor Project Manager shall be BICSI Registered Certified Technician Installer and attend all scheduled project meetings. 4. At a minimum, anyone installing system components shall have manufacturer training or (preferred) be a BICSI Certified Level 1 Commercial Installer. 5. Contractor to provide list of similar projects with bid. 6. Record Drawings are to be provided with RCDD stamp and signature and letter from Lead Installer / Project Manager indicating project was installed in compliance with industry standards and contract documents.

18 Things the Contractor Can Do 1. Decide which manufacturers to partner with. 2. Meet manufacturers requirements to become certified. 3. Follow certification process for the project. 4. Provide Owner and Designer with copy of Warranty Certificate.

19 QUESTIONS? Matt Peterworth Brian Hancock Henderson Engineers, Inc. Lenexa, KS