It’s almost guaranteed that if you look behind any desk or piece of furniture in most homes and businesses, you’re going to find a veritable snake pit of messy cables and wires coiled up and begging for someone’s attention.

From the cords and cables feeding entertainment centres, to countless transformer-powered devices like laptops and phone chargers, our living and work spaces are awash in wires. And as unsightly as these tangled cables can be, hiding them behind the furniture or under the carpet creates its own problems.

Cables and wires radiate heat, and piling them into areas where they’re prone to building up resistance and overheating can be costly and dangerous. With good cable management though, you can convert oodles of unappealing cable into attractive, professional-looking bundles, as well eliminate the potentially combustible predicament. You need the right supplies, however; and fortunately, the right supplies are just a click away.

Cable Management Basics

Let’s be honest: although it’d be nice to simply do away with all the extra wires and cables, making them vanish isn’t an option. Extra wire can certainly come in handy whenever you need to move a device, but that doesn’t mean those wires can’t be better organized in the meantime. This is where having adequate stock of cable ties and other cable management supplies can give you the upper hand in keeping your cables under control.

What’s typically lost in the discussion about cable management is that it’s not just about cleaning up cable clutter. Cable management is also about safety, and in addition to aiding in cable cooling, taking advantage of low-cost cable ties, cable tape, and assorted fasteners are also going to let you:

• Reduce the probability of cables and wires being crushed or damaged;
• Minimize the risk of accidents and electric shock hazards from errant cables and wires; and,
• Lessen the chances of an entangled cable leading to expensive equipment damage.

There are also performance gains to be made by using cable zip ties to rein your cables in, including:

• Improving your ability to troubleshoot technical and electrical problems;
• Ensuring the integrity of your data cables isn’t being compromised by interference; and,
• Making sure you’re not throwing away cable performance due to impedance.

And yes, aesthetics matter too. Whether it’s at home or at work, a well-organized, neatly arranged cable installation with high-quality zip ties and cable mounts is going to leave you feeling better about your surroundings. People notice good cable management too, and you’ll be surprised how much of a difference it can make in the attitudes of your guests, as well as your employees and customers when they see the emphasis you put on proper cabling. 

It Begins With Cable Ties

Cable ties are the cornerstone of cable management, and there are 2 main types of ties that are both reusable and can be grouped together to increase their length and tensile strength.

Nylon Ties

UV stabilized nylon ties are available in black and natural clear colours, and are the most common type of cable ties available. These fasteners are designed for indoor and outdoor use, and their lengths and thicknesses can vary from miniature-sized 100mm x 2.5mm cable ties for sub-assemblies, up to massive 710mm x 9mm heavy-duty zip ties for cable conduits. Their ability to secure cable bundle diameters from 22mm – 209mm, and tensile strengths ranging from 8kg – 80kg make them extraordinary fasteners though, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more practical, or cost-effective solution for any type of cable management.

Stainless Steel Ties

Although not as common as nylon ties, 304 and 316 stainless steel cable ties are also available. These extra heavy-duty cable ties come in sizes between 201mm x 4.6mm and 300mm x 4.6mm, and are normally used when tensile strengths above 100kg, as well as exposure to extreme temperatures or other environmental considerations, are involved. Ultimately, if you have an indoor or outdoor project that goes beyond just routine cabling, then stainless steel cable ties are the way to go.

Adhesive Cable Tie Mounts

Adhesive-backed cable tie mounts provide a low profile, solid base to attach your cable ties to. These 4-way mounts are also manufactured from UV stabilized nylon in black and natural clear colours, and are suitable for indoor or outdoor uses.

Base and height dimensions are a major consideration with cable tie mounts because they can impact the amount of working space you have on the mounting surface. Base dimensions ordinarily range between 19mm x19mm and 28mm x 28mm, with heights ranging between 4mm – 5.7mm. When possible, you would want to buy your cable ties and tie mounts together to ensure there’s a suitable fit between them, along with satisfactory clearance away from the mounting surface for you to work with them.

Self-Adhering Cable Tie Tapes

Hook and loop style cable tie tapes are designed to put a clean, uniform look to your bundled wires and cables. They’re sold in rolls of 25m and 50m lengths, so they can be cut into usable strips and used in conjunction with nylon cable ties, or to securely wrap long cable runs in their entirety all at once. Cable tie tapes offer the benefit of being infinitely reusable, and can be instantly re-adjusted whenever you need to add or remove a cable from the bundle.    

Conclusive Cable Management

One of the great things about cable management supplies is that you can buy all of your cable tapes and cable ties online at any time. Before you buy, however, it’s helpful to have a plan in mind about precisely what you want to accomplish. Ideally, you only want to secure your cabling – not fasten it permanently to a mounting surface where you could end up damaging the cable or the surface if you decide to move it.

 A proper and conclusive cable management plan needs to incorporate the following:

• The simplicity that enables you to keep your new cable route clear of other obstacles;  
• The surety of having accurately identified and labelled each cable before securing it; and,
• The scalability allows you to easily modify your cabling whenever you want.

These are the keys to conclusive cable management; and once you’ve taken control of the cable confusion, keeping it under control is easy.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, practicing good cable management isn’t as difficult as it is necessary. Again, while no one wants to look at messy cabling, the problems that can occur due to heat build-up, along with the extra cost due to resistance and impedance, are completely avoidable simply by straightening up your cabling.  

Stocking up on cable ties and other cable management supplies can help you alleviate your unsightly cable dilemma once and for all. It’s an investment that won’t cost you much, but you’ll reap a great return on it.