House Fibre
Blowing house fibre is a similar process to blowing core fibre, but it is all on a smaller scale so it is easier. The equipment is smaller, you don't need so many people, there are usually less problems.
It is the same physical process - a small machine which pushes fibre down the duct aided by compressed air. The fibre needs to be kept dry, but it is usually an outdoor operation blowing from the chamber to a set of houses in turn. This saves moving the set-up. Someone else, with a radio is running around between the houses.
It can be blown from the house end - for example a very long run on a hill will go better from the top end. Or if there is only one house to blow from a particular chamber then you have a choice which end to start.
The total kit fits inside a car. The B4RN caravan can also be fitted up to perform the operation - if the caravan is being used for splicing at chambers then they may blow houses at the same time. Any problems about getting close to the chamber or house are solved by adding an extra tail to the orange duct.
When the very first section from your cabinet becomes live, then you may get several teams turn up at once and a lot of things will happen in a large operation. After that house blowing and core blowing may well occur on different occasions.
House fibre has less problems than core fibre - the most likely problems will be sticking at a joint or water in the duct, damage from rocks is not likely.
The machine is fairly easy to use, some groups do their own house blowing. One person is all that is needed at the machine end, the fibre should self-feed. The operator is controlling the speed of the machine, waiting for a radio call from the other end, and ready to ask for assistance if the fibre stops unexpectedly.
The place for a volunteer is at the house end. Possibly assisting a B4RN person, but it is not a difficult job, they can quickly learn the whole procedure. A local person should be there to liaise with the house owner in any case.
The Whole Kit
This shows the whole house fibre operation at the chamber.
The chamber is round to the back left. The bullet is up there on the left of the shelf. It has been opened up and the white plates are ready to fuse in the house fibre. The 7mm orange spur has been pulled out of the chamber and is attached to the blowing machine on its tripod. Fibre comes out of the round drum, assisted by a guiding arm and into the orange duct . Blue Hyundai compressor drives the blowing machine. A couple of kitbags and a wheelie bin for tidying up afterwards.
This is the simplest machine. Drum of fibre. Toolbag. Add compressor. That's it.
Set up from the house, you work from the gas block cover.
The fibre can be blown from inside a car (must have been a wet day) from near the chamber.
Set-up at the horse-box.
Frank is in the horse-box watching the speedometer to watch for any faltering, or more likely looking for the chance to crank the speed up.
He is in radio contact with someone at the house end, who will say when the fibre gets there.
At the gas block Bruce is checking that the airflow is okay, or he might have his finger over the end to stop the fibre when it arrives.
He radios back to the guy at the blower. The blowing stops when Bruce has got a long enough length to allow for a spare metre or so at the router end inside the house.
If the householder is in
then the splicing could be done at the backplate, otherwise a spare metre or so of fibre is wound round inside the backplate ready for a splicer to turn up.
The router can be fitted at the same time as the house blow, if the right person is available.
Orange handbag contains the splicing equipment.
A competent person could be trained to do the splicing, but it would mean having the (expensive) splicing gear available.
Silverdale B4RN volunteers have been trained and do it themselves.
If the householder is out - (Blowing to the outside)
If fibre cannot be blown all the way into the house (householder not in, or house installation not quite finished), then spare fibre is left outside at the gas block cover.
That's how fibre gets left at the house wall, if nobody is in. It is inside that orange coil. This coil is just a temporary casing, it is joined on to the black 7 mm duct which has already been cut to its correct length before the fibre arrived. A gas block is usually left attached to the white duct for convenience when the connection is completed.
In this picture, the fibre has been extracted from its casing and is ready to be fed through into the house. First you must have the white duct cut to the right length inside and outside the house. The gas block has to be there, attached to either the black or white duct. If you are on your own you have to go inside the house and see that the fibre can freely feed through. Also tell any occupants that that is what going to happen. A second volunteer inside the house can help ease the fibre through (without really pulling).
There is a slightly delicate part of the operation when the gas block is about to be joined up, to avoid kinking the fibre.
When the block is pushed on it can finally be screwed up tightly to make the seal.
This is how you would expect to find the spare fibre left at the outside of the building.
The feeding through to the inside could be done when the FTU is going to be spliced. But it saves a lot of time if a volunteer can feed the duct through well before the splicer arrives.
In this case it was 10 foot up a wall and a ladder had to be found.
It often relies on a local person to be able to source such things, B4RN do not arrive with a set of ladders. They are resourceful but it's easier if this job has been sorted before they arrive.
And, out of interest..
You can blow fibre from the house end to the chamber, which usually means blowing from the garden and pushing an extra length of fibre back through the house wall.
However you could blow from inside the house all the way to the chamber. You connect the gas block outside (don't tighten it....), make sure your white duct is the right length inside and blow away.
You have to use another gas block as a connector to change the duct diameter back to 7 mm (white duct is 5 mm)
It would be unusual to do it this way. But the weather would probably be better inside.
Can you blow house fibre down a 16mm duct?
The first question is why would you want to, but then you can think of a situation or two where it might be useful. The answer is not really - in a 7mm tube the airflow is impeded by the fibre so it pushes it along - in a 16mm duct the airflow doesn't notice the fibre so much. But sure enough, someone has succeeded (presumably over a short distance). - tie a small sponge to the fibre end and then blow it.
