With summer right around the corner, it is a great time to go over some tips to protect your property’s fiber optics when having work done on your home or yard, keeping your Highlands Fiber Network (HFN) service running smoothly.
While HFN’s fiber optic cable is maintained by the HFN management team, residents are responsible for protecting the fiber in their yard and home. In the past, unsuspecting residents have discovered simple projects damaged the fiber in their homes or yards, resulting in costly repairs. While these situations don’t happen often, awareness of potential fiber damage can help you avoid any problems. Damage to fiber in your home or yard is not only expensive to repair but will also usually interrupt your internet service and your HFNVoice service.
Wiring in Home Repairs and Remodels
One potential source of damage to fiber optic cable comes from service providers who install or repair wiring in the media cabinet inside your home. If not careful, they can tear out or damage the fiber optics. It is a good idea to point out to any technicians who work on the wiring in your walls or media cabinet that you have fiber optic service that should remain connected and operational. If damage occurs, HFN technicians can come to your home and correct the issue. In most cases, if the service provider damages your fiber network, you can bill the service provider for the necessary repair work.
When you remodel your home, it’s also a good idea to make sure any structural changes will not damage network wiring in your walls or crawlspace. HFN Customer Support can remotely help locate damaged wires so your low voltage contractor can replace them.
Floods
Flooding in your home can cause problems if water gets into connections or inside the media cabinet. If you have overflowing water, be sure to check it has not flowed into the walls and damaged wires or connections or that no water has gotten into your media cabinet. If you think your electronics have water damage, contact HFN Customer Support to test and possibly schedule a repair.
Landscape Upgrades
Landscaping changes can be another potential source of wiring damage. Digging in the yard can break your fiber and lead to unforeseen expensive repairs. Burying service access points can also be a problem. The search for buried services access boxes by utility companies has cost some homeowners hundreds of dollars. From installing or repairing sprinklers and planting new garden areas to installing play equipment — any activity that involves digging or bringing in large amounts of dirt and rocks should be done carefully.
Before breaking ground, be sure to call 811, a free service that locates all utility services in your yard.
Jeremy Fallt is the HFN general manager and a Central Park resident.
