Clean Fiber Optic Cables
Follow these tips to clean fiber optic cables.
● Keep the end caps of the plugs installed whenever the plug is not installed.
● Have a fiber optic cable cleaning kit available while handling fiber optic
cables. A fiber optic cable cleaning kit includes the following items:
○ Lint-free wipes
○ Isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
○ Special fiber optic cleaning swabs
○ Canned pressurized air
Tip: Pre-moistened fiber optic wipes may be substituted for the wipes and IPA.
1 To clean a fiber optic plug, blow away any dust particles from the connector
surface (particularly the sides and end face of the connector) using canned
pressurized air. Hold the nozzle of the optical duster approximately two
inches (5.08 centimeters) away from the connector and provide three to five
short blasts of air. Fold a wipe in half and place the wipe on a hard surface.
Moisten the wipe with isopropyl alcohol. Hold the face of the cable
connector to the wipe and slide it gently across the moistened area in one
sweeping move.
2 To clean a fiber optic connector receptacle, blow away any dust particles
from the inside surface of the connector (particularly the inside walls of the
alignment sleeve) using canned pressurized air. Hold the nozzle of the
optical duster approximately two inches (5.08 centimeters) away from the
connector and provide three to five short blasts of air. Moisten the end of a
swab with isopropyl alcohol and insert the swab into the cable receptacle.
Move the swab in and out two or three times and then remove it and
discard. Dry the inside of the receptacle by holding canned pressurized air
approximately two inches (5.08 centimeters) away from the end and provide
three to five short blasts of air.
Important! Never reuse swabs.
Chapter 4 Connect Data Cables
Clean Fiber Optic Cables
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