Lifetime of RG-6 cables

[Daniel Prince]

How long do RG-6 cables that are not exposed to direct sunlight usually last?

How long do RG-6 cables that are exposed to direct sunlight usually last?

Thank you in advance for all replies.

[zek]

Until they snap?

Temperature is got to matter. It used to be cables would contaminate over time, then they started making them non contaminating. Moisture could also matter. The lead in to the old house was installed around

1970 and was not replaced until about 2000. It was past due.

In the desert retard by about 1/3, but it's only the outer jacket. Greg

[larry moe 'n curly]

Maybe Belden, a big manufacturer of cable, has that information, but black RG-59 coax cable seems to last at least decades in sunlight (I'm in Arizona); I don't know about white cable. Apparently cables are more vulnerable to moisture and mechanical stress than anything else. There are waterproof connectors, but electrical tape also does a good job of sealing them, and at least the black 3M brand also lasts decades in the sun.

[Colbyt]

The orange SE type is good for at least 17 years of sunlight exposure.

The black used inside is good for at least 20.

All of mine are working well. I think the orange exterior received a new end connector about 5 years ago.

Colbyt

[N8N]

I ended up replacing some tan twin coax cable in my house - of indeterminate age - a few years ago. I suspect it was decades old... it still worked, but when I tried to use a HD cable box it choked. Ran new RG6 quad and things got better, but it wasn't until I replaced a 4-way splitter with a 2-way that it worked 100%. I suspect that a powered splitter would be required for more than two cable drops, or else calling the cable company and asking them to turn up the gain a little.

nate

[Evan]

@nate:

Sounds more like your original 4-way splitter didn't allow for a bi-directional signal pathway like the new 2-way splitter does...

That is the difference between HD cable (with lots of new features and technology which need to "phone home" in order to work properly) and old fashioned cable where the converter boxes were simply used to demodulate the channels your cable company used on its system as well as provide for any descrambling required on the protected premium channels -- a uni-directional signal was just fine for the way the old system worked...

~~ Evan

[N8N]

possibly... but I think that everything that I did helped (cleaning connections outside w/ Deoxit; repulling cable from splitter to cable box, and replacing splitter) each time I did something I got a couple more channels but it wasn't until I'd done all three that I actually got *all* channels.

nate