May 5, 2023

Essential Electrical-Cable Management Products and Tips

May 5, 2023

Electrical cable management is essential to your work as an electrical contractor. Proper management helps streamline your cable installations, reduce clutter, and improve workplace safety. Read on for some essential tips, as well as our top solutions for optimal electrical cable management!

1. Choose the Right Cables

Start with planning: To be sure which cables you need, plan out your cable management system. This helps identify and address potential issues before they become problems. Key considerations: the type and quantity of cables, the building’s layout, and the best tools and techniques.

Identify cable routes: Plan out cable routes before installation to determine the best way to run cables, and to reduce the risk of damage or electromagnetic interference. Consider the location of your electrical devices and equipment, and the paths cables need to take to reach them. This ensures cables are not stretched beyond their capacity.

Keep cables short: This reduces the risk of tangling, damage, and interference. It also keeps cables neater and easier to manage. Measure cable lengths accurately to avoid excess.

Choose the right product: Whether you need fibre optic or copper, our wide selection of wire and cable offers a lot of choices. To help you decide, we’ve compiled a table of electrical cables and their codes for our B.C.-based folks, shown below.

Electrical Cable Types Permitted in B.C.

Cable Type	Code	Description
Non-metallic sheathed cable (NM)	AC90	For residential and commercial construction; also called “Romex”
Armoured cable (AC)	ACWU90	For indoor or outdoor uses where mechanical protection is needed
Flexible cord	SJ	For portable appliances and tools
High-temperature wire	T90	For high-temperature applications, including ovens and furnaces
Underground feeder cable (UF)	N/A	For outdoor lighting or irrigation systems
Multi-conductor cable	NMD90	For residential and commercial construction where multiple circuits need to run together
Low-voltage wire	N/A	For low-voltage applications, such as doorbells and thermostats

Note: this list will vary for Alberta and Saskatchewan. Get to know the specific codes and regulations in your location.

2. Label Your Cables

Clear and consistent cable labelling helps identify cables and their purposes at a glance, making it easier to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair electrical systems. To efficiently label cables, consider markers, colour coding, or Brady labels. Make sure to use high-quality labels that can withstand environmental conditions.

3. Use Cable Trays and Conduits

Cable trays and conduits are ideal for organizing and routing your cables. They also help prevent sharp bends in cables, which can cause damage, or even lead to fires.

Cable trays: Whether metal or plastic, cable trays and their accessories do wonders for support and protection. They come in various sizes and designs—for example, ABB’s Express Cable Basket Trays, and T&B Express Cable Trays—to suit different cable types and applications. You can install them on walls, ceilings, or floors.

Conduits: Conduits are another means of enclosing and protecting cables from physical damage. These tubes, available in different sizes and shapes, are made of PVC, metal, or fiberglass. Need to fix damaged conduit? The IPEX EPR Conduit Repair Kit is perfect for fast and easy repairs.

4. Use Cable Ties, Clamps, Clips, and Brackets

Cables ties: Want to prevent tangles? Cable ties and accessories do just the trick. They’re easy to use, come in different sizes and colours, and keep cables well-organized. Consider Ty-Rap cable ties—they help fasten, bundle, clamp, and manage wires in a jiffy.

Clamps, clips, and brackets: Cables need a bit of slack for movement or expansion due to temperature changes or vibrations—but too much can cause tangles. To maintain just the right amount of slack, use cable clamps, clips, and brackets

5. Optimize Your Cable Management

We’ve covered the basics, but here’s how you can up your cable management game even further:

Elasco’s cable guard ramps help protect a cable supply from high-impact and heavy load-bearing activities.
Ideal’s cable stackers are perfect for fast and easy multi-cable installations. Watch this video for a quick demonstration!
Southwire cable pullers provide a safer, faster, and more efficient method to pull cables and wires on the job site.
Roxtec cable transits prevent water, gas, fire, dust, and rodents from entering cable duct openings.

6. Other Tips to Protect Your Cables

Keep cables away from heat sources: Heat exposure can melt or erode cables, potentially causing electrical malfunctions or fires. Keep cables away from HVAC systems, boilers, and radiators.

Stay connected: Heat-resistant materials such as heat shrink kits, and rolls, along with splice kits, help keep your cables connected.

Use cable management software: This helps track installations and maintenance work, including the cable locations, lengths, and types. There are a lot of software choices out there—do your homework to find the best software for your needs. Check out our Datacom Guide for more information on managing data communications wire and cable.

Looking For More Support? We Can Help

Whether you need cable trays, conduits, or new ideas, we have you covered. You’ll find cable reels, cable cutting, and other cable management services at all 21 of our Western Canadian E.B. Horsman & Son locations.

If we don’t have a product in stock, we’ll ensure you get what you need—overnight in most locations. Get in touch to learn more!