Are there any disadvantages to using low smoke zero halogen cables?
Low smoke zero halogen cables provide a lot of great safety advantages, but there is a bit of an electrical and mechanical trade-off. In order to be low smoke zero halogen, the cable jacket must incorporate a high percentage of filler material. This increase in filler material could make the jacket less chemical and water resistant and could provide poorer mechanical and electrical properties than a non-LSZH counterpart. LSZH jackets are also more likely to experience jacket cracking during installation, so special lubricants may be necessary to avoid damage. As a result, LSZH cable is commonly chosen for applications where fire safety is more of a concern than the cable’s specific electrical and mechanical properties.
