Went back to a house I did 2 years ago and saw how the cables held up in the attic heat

I was in Dallas last month doing a rewire for a new homeowner, and they bought a place I had worked on in 2022. The previous owner had me run about 200 feet of coax through the attic during July, and I remember it being brutal up there. When I popped up this time, the jackets on the cheaper cable were all cracked and brittle, but the nicer stuff I used for the main runs was still flexible and clean. Has anyone else noticed big differences in how long different cable brands last in your local weather conditions?

3 comments

3 Comments

reesemoore8d ago

Attic heat in Texas is no joke. Belden and Commscope have always held up way better for me in the long run than those no-name bulk spools from the supply house. That cheap stuff gets brittle fast once summer hits and the attic turns into an oven. Learned that lesson the hard way on a few early jobs myself. Always worth spending a little extra on the cable jacket if you plan on being around to see it again.

the_john8d ago

Hold up man, I gotta push back a little on that. Commscope is actually being phased out by a lot of distributors and their newer stuff isn't as tough as the old school Belden or even some of the better regional brands. I've seen Commscope's standard RG6 jackets get just as crispy as the cheap spools after two summers in a Houston attic, especially the stuff made in the last couple years. The real difference I've noticed is between different jacket ratings, not just the brand name. You want a true outdoor rated cable with a UV rated jacket even for indoor attic use, because a standard PVC jacket just can't handle 150 degree temps without breaking down. Belden 9116 or some of the direct burial stuff from a reputable maker is what's actually holding up for me long term.

riverreed7d ago

Yeah I started using the plenum rated stuff even in attics just to be safe and havent had a jacket crack since.