Cable management is essential to organize your home or workspace, keeping cables, wires, and hoses from getting damaged. Though this task can often be easy to accomplish, there are some pitfalls that may counteract wire organization efforts. Most of these can be easily avoided with the proper know-how and taking appropriate steps before embarking on a project. What are the common cable management mistakes one makes and how can they be avoided? They include:
1. NOT PLANNING FOR THE PROJECT.
Preparation is essential for many aspects of life, with wire organization one of them. You should know your layout in advance for where you plan to place your devices, where your power outlets are located, and the best routes for your cable runs. Be ready to purchase the items you need for a successful configuration, like braided sleeving, desk outlets and grommets, desk organizer products, surge protectors, and more.
2. NOT LABELING WIRES.
When you don’t label your cables and wires, it could quickly turn into the old idiom about searching for a needle in a haystack. Depending on how many cables you have in your bundle, it may be impossible to locate them for maintenance; or complicate adding or removing cables and wires from the bundle later. One of the best ways to resolve it is invest in a label printer or cable labels. A label maker can be as simple as an embosser type or as complex as a label printer with memory features. Cable identification tags may be in a releasable cable tie style or marker plates. It is smart to invest in a label maker or purchase labels that can be placed around a wire or bundle. Some are hook and loop types, while others are cable ties with a tag. Panduit® LabelCore™ wraps around a cable. Wire markers can organize every wire from those in networks, to home electrical panels.
3. IMPROPERLY BUNDLING CABLES.
Cables that are grouped incorrectly can lead to disaster, especially if overtightened. This practice can harm wire jackets and potentially cause internal damage. Products like releasable cable ties can provide adequate support and slack, preventing wires from being cinched too tightly. Braided sleeving and hook and loop wraps are some of the other options.
4. NEGLECTING TO FORECAST FUTURE CHANGES.
Your systems and electronics will not remain the same. It’s likely you’re no longer using the same computer you did in the 1990s or a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TV, though some have revived one of these gems for retro gaming experiences. In time, the components for our electronics are likely to wear out, or they may become obsolete altogether and stop functioning. Add to that the many manufacturers designing even modern electronics to be throwaway, because if nothing breaks down, how else will they turn a profit? A culture of expendability still exists among many consumers too, who replace items like their laptop for the latest model, even before their current one has finished its natural life, because they want the next greatest thing. It is vital to plan out your system to prepare for all these scenarios. One way is with cable management products like standard wrap-around braided sleeving such as Flexo® F6® split braided sleeving, which allow wires to be maintained, split out, or rearranged. Releasable cable ties, hook and loop wraps, SafCord flexible cable covers, and removable desk outlets are just a few of many cable management items that accommodate technology changes.
5. NOT INVESTING IN CABLE MANAGEMENT ACCESSORIES.
There are a range of wire organization products that can serve in every need and situation. Cable trays, cable raceways, cable clips, and cable cover protection like cord covers and cable ramps, are among them. All these products serve different functions but work toward the same goal: keeping wires and cables from becoming hazards. Cable trays can route wires under desks, cable raceways along walls, and cable clips can serve either function. Fabric cord covers work to hide cables along floors or stairs. Cable cover protection like cable ramps cover wires, cables, and hoses, indoors and out. Light capacity cord covers are helpful to place on floors and carpeting to safeguard indoor wire runs. Medium capacity cord covers work in certain indoor applications, as well as some types of outdoor ones, to safeguard items from pedestrian traffic, along with some vehicle traffic. High capacity cord covers are cable protectors designed to hold up against heavy weight vehicles. Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA Compliant ramps offer a safe experience crossing over wires, cables, and hoses for individuals in wheelchairs, people pushing strollers, and those who need to navigate wiring with carts.
Shop at CableOrganizer® for cable management items to organize and protect cables, wires, and hoses from the start.
