16/2 AWG Riser Security Alarm Cable - CMR/CL3R Rated, Unshielded, 1000ft Gray

This is the power pair for a security or low-voltage system: two 16 AWG stranded bare copper conductors, black and red, under a gray PVC jacket listed CL3R under NEC Article 725 for Class 3 power-limited circuits (and by the code's substitution rules for Class 2 as well), CMR under Article 800 for communications, and FPLR under Article 760 for power-limited fire alarm circuits. 16 AWG has about 40% less loop resistance than 18 AWG and a quarter of 22 AWG's, so it's the gauge for a maglock or a strike at the far end of a long run, a siren or a pair of them on one output, a 12 V or 24 V power supply feeding a bank of devices, a 70 V speaker line, or a notification appliance circuit. The conductors are 19-strand rather than 7, which makes a 16 AWG cable bend around a wall cavity and land in a terminal block more easily than a stiffer construction would.

CL3R and CMR cover the vertical runs between floors of a multi-story building and every ordinary in-wall and in-ceiling run that isn't a return-air plenum, and FPLR covers the same spaces on a fire alarm system. It's unshielded, which is the right construction for power, locks, sirens, and speakers, and it keeps the cable slim and the price down. The cable is ETL Listed, RoHS compliant, and made in the USA, and it comes on a 1000 ft wooden spool with sequential footage marks on the jacket.

Features

• Riser rated three ways. CL3R under NEC Article 725, CMR under Article 800, and FPLR under Article 760, so it's listed for riser shafts, vertical runs between floors, and general in-wall and in-ceiling use on security, control, communications, and fire alarm circuits alike, and the CL3R listing covers Class 2 circuits under the code's substitution rules.
• Two 16 AWG stranded bare copper conductors. About 40% less loop resistance than 18 AWG, for maglocks, strikes, sirens, speakers, and power-supply runs that would sag on a lighter gauge, on 19-strand conductors that bend around a wall cavity and seat in a terminal block without fighting.
• Black and red. The standard pair coding for polarity on a DC power or alarm circuit.
• Unshielded. The right construction for power, locks, sirens, and speakers, and the easier one to terminate.
• PVC insulation and jacket. Flexible, with a 0.015 in jacket wall that strips cleanly.
• Gray jacket. Reads as general-purpose low-voltage in a wall or a tray, and stays distinct from red fire alarm and blue data cable.
• 300 V, 75 °C. The ratings a Class 2, Class 3, or power-limited fire alarm circuit calls for.
• 4.67 mm outer diameter. Slim enough to bundle and fish through a wall or a tight ceiling.
• ETL Listed, RoHS compliant, made in the USA.
• 1000 ft wooden spool. Sequential footage marks on the jacket; put it on a spool stand and it pays out cleanly.

Where It Fits

It suits maglocks and electric strikes on access control doors, sirens, strobes, and sounders on an alarm output, 12 V and 24 V power from a supply to keypads, readers, cameras, and auxiliary devices on a long run, notification appliance circuits on a power-limited fire alarm panel, 70 V paging and background music speaker lines, gate operators and door-operator power, thermostat and zone-valve power pairs, and any two-conductor low-voltage power run through the walls and risers of a home, apartment building, office, or store where the ceiling space isn't a return-air plenum and the load is heavier than 18 AWG is comfortable with.

Good to Know

Run the voltage-drop calculation. A 16 AWG pair is about 8 ohms per 1000 ft round trip, so a 12 V maglock drawing 0.5 A at 300 ft loses about 1.2 V, a 12 V siren drawing 1 A at 200 ft loses about 1.6 V, and a 24 V notification circuit drawing 1 A at 300 ft loses about 2.4 V; size a maglock run on its holding current and the supply's low-battery voltage, not just nominal, and for a heavier load or a longer run step up to 14 AWG or move the power supply closer. On a fire alarm notification circuit the panel's own voltage-drop worksheet governs, and the AHJ will want to see it. Speaker runs are figured on impedance and wattage rather than current, and 16 AWG is comfortable for 70 V distributed systems over long lines. Keep the circuits in their classes: Class 2 and Class 3 circuits can use this cable, but a Class 1 circuit can't, and the NEC requires power-limited wiring to stay separated from power conductors in raceways and boxes. Nineteen-strand conductors want a ferrule or a proper fold-back before they go under a screw terminal; a stray strand is the short that takes a zone into trouble. CL3R, CMR, and FPLR cover risers and general use but not return-air plenums; a run through a plenum ceiling needs a CL3P or FPLP cable. For a sensor or a data pair that doesn't draw current, a 22 AWG cable does the job for less and is easier to land. The jacket isn't UV stabilized or rated for wet locations or burial, so an outdoor gate operator or siren should be fed through conduit or from a cable rated for it.

Specifications

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