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Watched a crew in Seattle retrofit a 10-story building with a new fire alarm network
They were running the new fiber backbone through the existing elevator shafts instead of core drilling every floor. The project lead said it cut three weeks off the schedule. Has anyone else seen that method used on a retrofit that size?
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jesse_craig267d ago
Yeah, I read about a hospital doing something similar. They used the old pneumatic tube shafts to pull new data cables. I mean, it makes total sense if the path is already there and clear. Saves a ton on labor and mess from all that concrete dust.
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andrew7787d ago
Figure the hospital probably saved a bundle on asbestos abatement too. A lot of those old tube systems were installed in the 60s and 70s, and the dust in those shafts is nasty. Running new conduit means disturbing that old stuff, but sliding a cable through a tube that's already sealed up is way cleaner. Plus, the tubes themselves are metal, so you get a built in shield against interference. That's a pretty smart hack if you ask me.
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taylorlewis7d ago
Pretty sure those old tube systems were mostly installed in the 50s and 60s, not the 70s. That era is when they really started phasing them out for pneumatic tube systems that could handle more volume. Still a clever reuse of the space though, especially with the built-in conduit.
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