I need to replace 200 C5's on my MDF because they are worn out. I've done one or two at a time before where I just grab the C5 with a pair of pliars and pull it off. I have a 5 pair punch down tool that I use to attach a new C5. Is that the best methodolgy to employ or is there a better, more proper way?

TIA

No, pretty much that's the drill. I don't envy you because most times the wires unseat from the frame. Sounds like a total pain.

Carl

What's a C5 and how do they wear out?

This may help . Although not listed there, C5 is also an explosive related to C4. That explains why you should not apply too much punchdown force.

A C5 is the 5-pair clip that goes onto a 110 block after you punch the cable underneath it.

There is a tool designed to hold the cable pairs in place while you wrestle out the C5.

Then it's just a matter of putting the new clip on top, and using the 5-pair tool to seat it.

They also come in C3 and C4 variety which are 3 and 4 pair respectively.

Yet another reason to use BIX in lieu of 110 :rolleyes:

I once tried installing a 110 block and found it very difficult to push down those C5 clips. Is there a tool for that? Also, is there any way to remove the C5 clips without a special tool? Prying one off with a screwdriver is very hard to do and almost impossible to do without mangling the block underneath it.

There are 5 pair 110 punchdown tools...here is one from Fluke: https://www.flukenetworks.com/fnet/en-us/products/D-Impactor/Overview

Just grip and rip, preferably with a large pliars, to get them off. A 5-pair bunch down tool makes short work of putting them on. Generally they don't need replacing although recently I had to replace a bunch and about 300 cross connects due to water damage leaking from the floor above. Interested in knowing what the tool is that TTT is talking about that holds the wires underneath in place since they always pull out. Wouldn't have helped me in the case above though since the copper in the wire was corroded at the ends, I had to move the blocks down an inch or two to get a manageable slack to work with.

They wear out after a couple of hundred punchdowns on the same row on an MDF/IDF after you have a 265 pound tech leaning into it over a 20 year period. They had been here for 10 years before I got here. In reality there about a 1,000 of these damn things. One department, the 200 C5's, likes to play musical chairs. That's why I'm trying to figure out a patchpanel replacement on a Witness interface I asked about in another post.

Anybody know anything on the hold down tool TTT mentioned in his post?

Removing - Use a sharp pull and make sure you don't have someone standing behind you.

Don't use the 5-pair punch for anything other than cutting down the cable and seating the C-clip. If you use it to actually punch down your cross-connect wire, it will wear things out, and the terminations are less likely to be reliable. This may vary depending on the brand of 110 and/or punch tools, but in general I would say it's a good idea to stick to the single 110 punch tool after the C-clip has been seated.

I don't use 110 blocks very often, so do i have to use this fancy 5-pair punch to get these c-clips seated properly, or can i push them down by hand? Can I use a rubber mallet? Can I use a regular punch down tool with a 110 blade?

I grab them with slip-joint pliers, flex it up slightly, then down to spread the "wings" that lock it in, then just pull.

Butch, my very first 110 job entailed using a mallet, but it didn't do well for the clips in the center area of the block since it flexes a bit there.

Using a regular 110 tool won't generate enough impact to seat the clips, not to mention it won't distribute the force along the entire clip.

Use the proper tool, a mallet.... seriously?

If I hired a sub to terminate 110 and I saw them using a mallet, they would be gone before they got to the next cable.

Please don't take my answer as disdainful, I just don't see the point in doing something if you don't have the correct tool. You can get away with using a standard 110 tool if you put a little shoulder behind your punch, but I would save that for the one offs here and there. If you do more than a dozen of these then you need the cannon tool.

D