Old brittle cat5

[jamesbrummel]

I am working with some Cat 5 cable that is so old and brittle it falls apart in my hand I tried terminating it twice and the wires snap it's just useless. Is there any method of dealing with this cable? I'd like to avoid replacing if possible but I have a hunch the answer is no thank you

 

[bill001g]

It shouldn't if it is copper cable. As long as copper is protected it will last forever pretty much. Not sure if they used copper clad aluminum but that stuff has issues in just a couple years because of the 2 different metals.

You might try a keystone jack on the end and then use a short patch cable. The keystones tend to be a little easier to terminate. You could also cut off a foot or so and see if it is just the end that has damage. You can get punch down splice blocks so you could add splice in new wire on the end.

 

[jaslion]

I am working with some Cat 5 cable that is so old and brittle it falls apart in my hand I tried terminating it twice and the wires snap it's just useless. Is there any method of dealing with this cable? I'd like to avoid replacing if possible but I have a hunch the answer is no thank you

Is the plastic/rubber/cable insolation falling of or is the metal inside it also crumbeling?
If the metal is crumbeling then it's beyond saving and time for a new one.

 

[Ralston18]

Just curious about the wire itself...

What is (if anything) printed on the insulation?