Fiber Optic Cleaning Guidelines

Fiber Optic transmitters and receivers are extremely susceptible to contamination by particles of dirt or dust, which can obstruct the optic path and cause performance degradation. Good system performance requires clean optics and connector ferrules.

1.Use fiber patch cords (or connectors, if you terminate your own fiber) only from a reputable supplier; low-quality components can cause many hard-to-diagnose problems in an installation.

2.Dust caps are installed at IMC Networks to ensure factory-clean optical devices. These protective caps should not be removed until the moment of connecting the fiber cable to the device. Should it be necessary to disconnect the fiber device, reinstall the protective dust caps.

3.Store spare caps in a dust-free environment such as a sealed plastic bag or box so that when reinstalled they do not introduce any contamination to the optics.

4.If you suspect that the optics have been contaminated, alternate between blasting with clean, dry, compressed air and flushing with methanol to remove particles of dirt.