What is Low Smoke Zero Halogen?
When browsing cable listings on our website, you will have undoubtedly come across the term ‘Low Smoke Zero Halogen'. Often, it's abbreviated to LSZH or LSOH, but it's the same thing. It essentially means that the outer jacket of the cable has a better reaction to fire than it's PVC counterparts.
Why Can't I Just Install PVC? It's Cheaper!
There's nothing stopping you from installing PVC cable, but there's a reason why you shouldn't.
If a fire breaks out in a building, the fumes from standard PVC cabling can actually cause more harm to the occupants than the flames themselves, both to their lungs and also in obscuring exits. With Low Smoke Zero Halogen cables, there is a huge reduction in smoke, which could save lives.
While there is an obvious price difference, the price increase for LS0H is a no-brainer, when you consider the safety aspect and it can be used as a selling point to make sure you win jobs.
Watch the video below which illustrates just how much smoke the standard cables produce in comparison.
Scary, right? Luckily, we have just added the XeLAN range of cable to our website that of course boasts Low Smoke Zero Halogen as a feature. Why not check it out.
Is there anything better than LSZH for reaction to fire?
Yes - check out CPR rated cable. We've written a whole blog post on this topic, but in a nutshell, CPR rated cable conforms to even more stringent specifications, helping you to provide a fully compliant structured cabling system.