Northwestel multi-dwelling (MDU) prewiring guide for developers and builders

This guide is for multi-dwelling unit (MDU) developers and builders. It outlines standards, requirements, and guidelines to successfully prewire a new MDU for Northwestel voice and data services.

Always use these guidelines together with Canadian Electric Code standards.

Service facility requirements

The MDU builder is responsible for providing a suitable pathway from the property line to a point of entry into the building.

The cable drop access must be either from an underground trench and conduit or an aerial drop. The cable entry into the building is a 100 mm (4 inch) conduit to the main electrical room or closet.

The information in this guide applies to both underground and aerial applications, unless otherwise noted.

Underground service requirements

The MDU builder performs all necessary civil work and supplies and places all underground conduits on private property. The following are requirements for building access using an underground trench and conduit pathway.

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Northwestel duct is orange rigid type PVC TYPE DB2 and is placed from the building termination to the property line. See CSA C22.3 No. 7-94 Section 3.4.2.
All underground service to be placed in conduit with a minimum diameter of 100 mm (4 inches). A recommended clearance of 300 mm (12 inches) should be maintained between the conduit and the electrical utility wires in the trench.
Spacing between Northwestel ducts is 50 mm.
Trench minimum 1 metre below finished grade.
Place 6 inches (152mm) of sand above and below conduit.
Place 8 inches of sand above and below conduit at street crossings.
Native backfill or sand minimum is 450 mm.
3/4 inch crush thickness 300 mm at road crossings.
Place marker tape approximately 8 inches (203 mm) below finished grade.
Compact to 95% SPD general conditions.
Compact to 98% SPD on road crossings.
All bends shall be long radius sweeps with a minimum radius of 1.0 metre.
Maximum of three 90-degree bends or equivalent bends (for example, two 45-degree bends) without the use of a pull box.
Typical 300 feet (91 metre) per conduit run without the use of a pull box.
All pedestals and ground level boxes to be grounded
Provide and install all ducts with a waterproof braided pull cord.
Cap all stubbed and open conduits. Don't glue.
Where outside closets or termination boxes are used, conduit must extend 1.35 metres above finished grade to connect to either the main termination room or customer service entrance box at the side of a townhouse unit. To meet the bend radius of the coaxial cable, the minimum size CSE box is 18 inches wide by 18 inches long by 8 inches deep.
EMT conduit is typically used inside MDU buildings and HDPE conduit is used under building slabs.
Label conduits or pull string with unit numbers in the main termination room.
Follow all federal provincial, or local codes for firestopping.

Grounding requirements

The grounding of service drops must be done in compliance with national and local electrical codes. Use the Canadian Electrical Code unless the local code has stricter requirements.

Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1, Section 54-200

Grounding of the outer conductive shield of a coaxial cable.

If the coaxial cable is exposed to lightning or to an accidental contact with lightning arrester conductors or power conductors that operate at a voltage exceeding 300 volts to ground, the outer conductive shield of the coaxial cable should be grounded at the building as close to the point of cable entry as possible.
If the outer conductive shield of a coaxial cable is grounded, no other protective device is required.

Cable TV CSE grounding using No. 6 AWG conductor

Provide the CSE with a CSA-approved grounding connector to accommodate No. 6 AWG ground wire. The MDU builder grounds the CSE with the No. 6 AWG insulated ground conductor to the building grounding system.

This ground connection should be as short as possible with as few bends as practical (sweep bend only). It must be permanent and where needed, guarded from potential mechanical damage.

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Main electrical room

The service entrance and sub-distribution cable can be terminated or spliced in a combined equipment room that’s shared by electrical distribution, telephone terminations, fire alarms and security systems if the following conditions are met and maintained:

The owner or developer provides a backboard that’s only for Northwestel service use. The backboard must be 4 feet wide by 8 feet long and made of 3/4-inch Good One Side (G1S plywood).
The MDU builder provides a dedicated 15A duplex non-switched power receptacle.
Northwestel employees have access to the main termination room.
Conduits must be placed near the termination location. No more than 3 metres (10 feet) of exposed cable is allowed. Conduit can be exposed at a minimum of 101mm (4 inches) above floor grade.
Provide a No. 6 green ground wire. The maximum distance for ground is 6 metres (20 feet).
Provide adequate clearance between the phone and electrical panels according to the applicable code.
The main electrical room must be a heated environment in which the temperature won’t drop below 0 degrees Celsius.
If a secondary communication area is used, the developer must provide a tie pathway using 10 cm (4 inch) conduit.
Conduit is limited to two 90 degree sweeps without the use of a pull box and must include a pull cord.

In-suite routing for residential demarcation coaxial installations

Northwestel recommends installing in-suite wiring in a star configuration in which the coaxial cables from each outlet are individually run to a central location.

Use one 50 mm (2 inch) conduit raceway from the electrical room to each unit and terminate it at the in-suite multimedia panel location.
The developer must provide a RG11 cable and pull it through the raceway duct from the main termination room to each unit.
Each cable must be wired in a separate and continuous configuration without any splices. Label the conduits or the pull string with the unit number in the main termination room.
The in-suite multimedia panel must not be in a crawl space. Place it in a location that can be easily accessed.
To prevent possible damage to cabling, avoid routing cables in contact with or close proximity to heating system ducts, hot water pipes, baseboard heaters, and power cables.
The Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1 (Rule 60-300) requires a minimum 50 mm (2 inch) separation from power cables.
Coaxial cables must not run parallel to, or within the same stud or joist space as power cables. Doing so can interfere with cable TV signals.
Don’t pull coaxial cables through holes occupied by electrical cables.
TV outlets must not be located in the same stud spacing as the power outlet.
Cables must be secured to the sides of the stud (not the outer faces) and joists at appropriate intervals using coaxial cable clips that don’t distort the shape of the cable.

In-suite routing for residential demarcation Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) installations

Where video/TV is available, Northwestel currently uses Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG), in which a portion of the service uses coaxial cables. Certain requirements differ from typical coaxial applications. Please consult with your Northwestel access implementation managers for guidance and recommendations.

For conduit raceway applications:

Use a minimum of 38 mm (1.5 inch) raceway from the main electrical room to each suite.
Developer is responsible to place all inside wiring throughout the MDU.
Place a minimum of IFC FT-4 rated riser or plenum cable and/or 1F BIF (bend insensitive) cable as mutually agreed upon by the Northwestel access implementation manager.
For townhouse applications, use one 50 mm (2 inch) raceway from the main termination location to each unit and terminate at the suite demarcation.
Use pull string in ducts and label unit numbers at the main demarcation for all applications.
Allow 3 metres (10 feet) of cable slack for proper cable management.

For in-suite multimedia panels:

The location of the in-suite multimedia panel must be agreed upon by Northwestel and the developer.
- It must not be in a crawl space. Place it in a location that can be easily accessed.
- It must be in an environmentally controlled area where ambient air temperature is between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius.
- It can be either flush-mounted or surface-mounted. Minimum panel size is 28 inches by 15 inches.
Power requirements:
- One duplex 15A non-switched power receptacle dedicated to Northwestel is required in each unit.
- If an in-suite multimedia panel is used, the receptacle is to be placed inside the panel and be electrically bonded to the panel to ensure the panel is grounded.
- If an in-suite multimedia panel isn’t used, Northwestel requires a 24 inch by 36 inch fire-rated backboard adhered to the wall and the receptacle is in close vicinity.

Planning the prewire

We recommend MDU builders and developers prewire an adequate number of TV, voice, and data outlets to meet both present and future needs.

From each outlet location, we recommend running the following cables:

TV: RG6 coaxial
Internet: Cat5e or better
Phone: RJ11

The concept of the prewire is a star configuration in which the coaxial cables from each outlet run back to a midway point within the suite. From this central point, Northwestel can provide current services to each outlet within the suite.

Pre-wiring coaxial cabling must be performed by certified electricians or wiring contractors during the construction stage, before