The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) has issued a new warning about the growing practice of miss-selling data cable (Cat/Cat 6) products with Copper Clad Aluminium (CCA), which are non-compliant with national and international standards.
Issuing the warning, the ACI has also alerted the marketplace to some inaccurate reporting on the BBC website, where a piece in February reported that ‘traditional cable can be replaced with aluminium coated in copper’.
Although several instances of installation failures have already been reported in the media, a spate of further failures and the BBC piece has prompted the ACI to speak out against the purchase of CCA products.
The ACI is also advising that CCA products are unlikely to stand scrutiny by an independent authority or a knowledgeable end user.
Iain Ballingall, spokesperson for the ACI, said, “This is an extremely important issue and while the dangers associated with CCA products are not life threatening, as with faulty electrical cables, they can have a disastrous affect upon a company’s reputation and livelihood.
“We are advising installers to avoid non-compliance by being vigilant. They must check documentation associated with a product’s purchase, including invoices and product data sheets, to ensure what they have purchased is compliant. If anyone is in any doubt regarding a product they should contact the ACI immediately.”
