I had AT&T Fiber installed today. The technician had to create a hole on the side of my garage for the fiber optics cable. As you can see, it doesn't look pretty. But I'm not really concerned with aesthetics since it's not visible from the road. I'm worried about water going in. There's no drip loop, so I can see the water just following down the cable. Any tips on what kind of products I can use to clean this up and waterproof? Thanks!
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1Well, that's an amateurish job at best. While those of us that work in low voltage and fiber optics have considerable latitude compared to power electricians, we are expected to meet basic standards such as "a workmanlike manner" - I would complain to the company, with pictures (go out on a rainy day and show the water running down the cable into your building.) Putting a drip loop on that drop cable is standard practice. Poking it through the wall that way also makes it subject to damage, unless that's high on the wall. Installer can't drill a neat hole without splintering your siding...?– EcnerwalMar 21, 2020 at 2:21
1 Answer
Wow, he didn't really care much about craftsmanship. No drip loop sucks; see if there is any slack where you could pull it down a bit into a gentle loop and use a zip-tie to hold the shape (don't kink it). Really all I can see you doing is globbing silicone sealant around it; use the paintable type and maybe you could make it look a bit better by painting the glob once it has cured.
They make split wall bushings you could use to dress it but you would still need the glob of silicone to prevent water intrusion.
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The wall flange is a great idea, it will allow the sealant to be hidden behind the flange to the wall, and while using a split version, it will allow sealant to be applied on the inside of the halves before they are set together and inserted into to drilled hole, which may need to be enlarged a bit somehow to get the wall flange in. There are plenty of water based sealants out there that have a 40-50 year guarantee, and will allow water cleanup too.– JackMar 20, 2020 at 16:01