Paul Ask What Up? What Up? Everybody? Welcome to another episode Let's
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com. All right, today's episode, we have something submitted to me,
and it looks like it's focusing on the most common wiring method out there in
the industry for residential You guessed it, non metallic sheet cable. So I'm
gonna read the question and then I'll go into a little a little more detail.
Greetings, Paul. I love your podcasts, love your videos. I
love what you do for the industry. Keep up the good work. I've
heard you talk from time to time about how important it is to understand non
metallic sheet cable, and many of us in the field take it for granted.
Can you please do a podcast explaining all the important nuances of non metallic
sheet cable and maybe even give us some tidbits. I like that tidbits,
tidbits of information that can help us grow in the field, to become more
knowledgeable. All my guys listen to your podcasts every morning before we go to
work. Keep them coming. Thanks in advance. Okay, great, wonderful.
I loved how that flowed. Very good question, and it's very broad,
all right, enough of that, very broad, very broad because you're
asking about nomata non metallic sheath cable. And you know what, if you're
new to non metallic sheet cable or you're like, what the hell is it,
it is probably what's in your home. Okay, So go to somewhere
in your home that is not covered by sheet rock and you have some wearing
in it. Unless you're dealing in the nineteen forties and fifties or whatnot,
chances are you're going to be having nonmetallics sheet cable. It is a sheathing
like an extrusion of PVC material over top of individual conductors inside that can be
flat or plexed means pre twisted, and it is the most common wiring method
used in the electrical industry for residential applications and even light commercial applications. Remember,
if you can build it out of wood, then chances are you could
use nonmetallic sheet cable at it. Obviously, the caveat is check your local
building rules and YadA, YadA, YadA. But again, chances are if
it's type three, four or five construction, then you're okay to use nonmetallic
sheet cable. So first of all, I guess let's kind of give a
scope of non metallic sheet cable it. You know, many people refer to
this as romax. Okay, So that's something that makes it a little easier
for you to remember or understand. Now, Romax is a trademark of south
Wire. Now Southwire is a leading manufacturer of non metallic sheet cable. So
is on Coal Wire Corporation. So is zero right? So is? I
think it's CME. So there's plenty of manufacturers that make non metallic sheet cable.
Now, all of these manufacturers, okay, there's something that I always
have to tell people. All of these manufacturers make it to the same UL
standard. So the UL standard that's Underwriter's laboratory, there's an ant CUL standard
that gives the manufacturers kind of the guidelines on production. That way, there's
a standardization we know it's safe, and that's UL seven nineteen if you've never
heard that before. Seven nineteen is the kind of the the creation guide that
all of the manufacturers use. So essentially, all of the non metallic sheet
cable that's produced, no matter who it is, is the same. It
works exactly the same. Now, what differentiates is different? Does that work
differentiass What differentiates companies is their level of service that they provide additional assistance,
how easily it is to obtain the material cost factors, which usually should be
about the same cost wise, because copper is a commodity, right, so
it kind of about the same. But really they're all produced basically exactly the
same. You know, some people have their little nuances. No, this
slides through the studs better than this and that and again. In most of
the time me is an electrician, I end up saying that's bullshit. You
know, it all pulls the same. Now, standards have changed a little
bit, or the expectation has changed a little bit, so you might see
that no metallity cables a little stiffer than it used to be. It's not
as soft. That is due to crushing impact and things that are changing in
the industry. But they're still compliant with seven nineteen, and all the manufacturers
are are still on board. Okay, there's nobody being rogue out there,
if you will. And so the one thing that I always tell people that
you know, Nomatology Cable is a listed product. Okay, it's required to
be listed by Dot six of the NEC. Now, remember the ANEC is
not an installation guide. Okay, it's not for the untrained. But we
know that if we install something in compliance with the ANEC, that it is
a minimum, a minimum safety standard. Right. I know, I know.
I've got my haters out there who say, Paul, it's not a
minimum safety standards. Damn If it isn't, it's a minimum. If you
do it less than the n EC, you're gonna get failed rejected. And
if I can you in a courtroom, I'm going to rip you apart because
it's less than the threshold. So it is a minimum standard. Those that
say that it's not are just blowing wind, blowing wind. It is a
minimum standard. You have to achieve it. Now, many people go beyond
the minimum, and that's great, you have that prerogative. But there's nothing
wrong with those that meet the minimum. It's still compliant. It's still fine.
But it is required to be a listed product. And the article that
we're talking about if you're in your National Electrical Code is three thirty four,
right, So article three thirty four is what gives us the guidance are the
minimum standards that we have to follow. And you know, if you're not
familiar with working with the National Electrical Code, it's it's an intimidating document for
many people. It definitely is. But once you learn the flow, the
techniques and how things work, and it becomes much easier to be able to
maneuver that document, especially under a stressful situation, maybe in the field the
inspector's breathing down your neck, or if you're preparing for an electrical exam.
It does become easier the more you work with it and use it. But
Dots six, which is a section within the article three thirty four, says
that in M and NMC, now the C deals with a corrosive environment.
Most manufacturers don't make that product today, the NMC. They just use uf
DA B as a alternative, right, and that's under three forty of the
NBC, so it can be used as an alternative to no metallic sheet cable.
Got some rules you gotta follow, but again it can it can be
as an alternative, and that is okay for corrosive environment, that type of
thing. So nobody makes the NMC really that I'm aware of, and I'm
pretty intimate in the in that industry, so I can tell you I don't
know of anybody that does that. Okay. Now, the interesting thing that
people ask me all the time, so this is kind of answering these these
questions, is where can I use non metallic sheet cable? Well, if
you go to dot ten, which is the section within three thirty four,
it will tell you where it's permitted. Now, this is not an all
inclusive list, but this is you're gonna have to work with you, HJ.
But this is the most These are the main lion share if you will,
of locations or applications where non metallic sheet cable is perfectly fine. And
you'll see that there's five listed in here, and it will cover some of
these myths that people have. Okay. Number one it says one and two
family dwellings and they're attached or detached garages and they're storage building. So this
allows you to use non metallic sheet cable in a one family dwelling, each
individual dwelling of a two family dwelling, okay, and to their detached garages
right or attached garages. So again people ask all the time, I've got
my house, I'm doing it a nonmetallic sheet cable, I'm build a garage
out back. Can I wire it in non metallogy cable? Absolutely you can.
It's associated with the dwelling and three thirty four dot ten, Item number
one gives me that permission, so it's no, it's not really a question,
go for it. The next thing is item number two, and it
says multi family dwellings and their detached garages are permitted. Garage is permitted to
be type three, four or five construction. So type three, four or
five construction is associated with wood, okay, whether it's heavy timber and type
four either way, it is is associated with a wood construction. So if
the building is being built and it is wood construction, like let's say a
multifamily dwelling, maybe it's four stories or five is sprinkled at, gotta be
familiar with the building codes and that or but if it's but if it can
be built out of wood, then most certainly the type of construction is going
to be type three, four or five. And if that's the case,
non metallic products are fine even up through the fourth and fifth floor. If
it's sprinkled on the fifth floor, if they're using wood, then you can
use non metallic sheet cable. It's perfectly fine. It's a listed product.
Now, I know there's haters out there who said, no, I gotta
use MC or no, I'm gonna pipe it all in, and I'm like,
okay, whatever you can pound your chest. Reality is, I am
an electrician. If it permits me to use non metallic sheet cable, and
I can finish that job in a three quarters of the time I'm using non
metallic sheet cable. I'm making sure that I bid at it. That okay.
But at the end of the day, if it's a listed product,
it works fine. It's been evaluated, it's been tested. You need to
put it in undamaged, do everything right, follow all the rules. In
three thirty four, I'm good to go, and so I can do any
of those individual dwelling units. And if I'm doing a multi family apartment complex
and they have separate detached garage units for each one of these apartments, then
I can most certainly do them as well in nonmeatoic sheath cable. That's what
it tells me three three four ten Item two. The third one says other
structures permitted to be type three, four or five constructions. So you can
have an office building, you could have a mini storage, you could have
other types of things on office building. Okay, a local business that's being
framed out of wood members, if it's type three or four or Type three,
four or five construction, then I am most certainly can use a nonmetomic
sheaf cable. Now, the only caveat here is it when it's another structure
other than what we just talked about one and two family or multi family.
Then it requires that those cables be concealed within the floors, walls, or
ceilings that provide a thermal barrier of material that has at least a fifteen minute
finish rating as identified in listing other fire rated assemblies. And it gives you
an informational note that'll kind of give you that information NFPA two twenty. If
you have link, you get it free, right, I mean, well
not free, but it's on the app. So that's why I tell people
as contractor I'm paying the one annually just so I can have link. Because
again I have I have the ability to go to that NFPA two twenty and
look, but that's typical sheet rock, drywall, gypsum would meet that,
right, not a problem. So and also just so you know, you
have informed an annexe, right, it's in your codebook, it's already there.
And that annexe is also going to give you a description of the different
building types with type one, type two, Type three, type four,
type five or maybe type one AB or two. Maybe it's it's kind of
all there. But if you're not a building person and you're not overly familiar
with the building construction, you're just electrician, you know, having to NFPA
two twenty there to give you the insight on the different types of building instructions
can be beneficial. And again if you have link, it's already there,
so use it. But informative NXE is a good start to get you there.
For me, all I had to do is find out what the building
was being listed as in the permitting and if it's type three, four or
five and it was wood, then I knew that I could use nonmetallic in
my bid reflected that that type of thing. So you know, all you
gotta do is ask, do your due diligence, and you'll find out whether
or not you can or you can. But again, obviously it's going to
be behind that fireberry or at least fifteen minutes. So she rocked jips and
things like that. I'd number four. And here's one that people question a
lot is can I put non metallic sheet cable in the cable trays? Well,
I am number four says cable trays in structures permitted to be type three,
four or five again wood construction, where the cables are identified for the
use. Now, when we say identified for the use, you gotta remember
that not all non metallic sheath cables printing on the outside of it. Remember
the conductors don't need to be printed on inside of non metallic sheath cable,
but it has to be printed on the sheathing. Okay, whether it's printed
on it, dot matrix, embossed, whatever kind of melted into it,
it has to be the information on it. And if it doesn't say CT
use on it, then you cannot put it in a cable tray. Okay,
you just you can't do it. And not all non metallic sheet cables
are marked for use in a cable tray, right, So just keep that
in mind. Now, if you do go that route and you do have
cable tray, you know they have some of them that are used in these
really large houses, they have a cable tray system. It's also important to
distinguish between what's called a cable tray and a cable management system. Not all
cable management systems are cable trays. So you might be able to put your
cables in a cable management system and the only thing you have to worry about
is bundling and making sure you're not having a bundling issue, and they might
not be cable trays, whereas you have certain restrictions with cable trays you have
to be aware of. Right. So again, it's really important to identify
the system that you're using. Don't be afraid to reach out to the manufacturers
of the system you're using, get clarity, don't try to wing it on
your own, be as don't be afraid to reach out and ask people.
That's all I'm saying. Okay, don't have to be you know, kind
of be humble in that we're just trying to get the job done. That's
all. The last one here is one that people tend to question about is
item number five. It says type one and two con juction where installed within
raceways for me to be installed in type one type of good construction. So
what does that mean? So you might have type one and type two if
you were to go back and look at the construction that's typically stealing concrete,
that type of thing as the predominant type of construction, and it required the
wiring methods to be like emt rigid, intermediate, whatnot. So people think
that I couldn't put no metaged cable and sleeve it in a raceway for some
type of application where the wiring method was required to be a raceway, but
for some reason I wanted to sleeve in a piece of nomatag sheed cable.
That's perfectly okay under this rule. And there's a lot of people that think,
WHOA, you can't put no metallogy cable in a raceway. That is
not true. Not true. There's many aspects of the NC where it talks
about cables inside. We get we get rules for raceway feel for cables treated
as a single conductor, Chapter nine, Table one, and the various notes
that are socia. There's mountains of evidence that allows us to put a cable
inside of a raceway. Even in three thirty four, when we think that
there's a possibility of physical damage, then it directly allows us to put a
cable inside of a raceway. So, and this is just another example where
it's flat out telling you if it's type one type two construction that happens to
be what you're in, and you happen to have a piece of non metallic
sheet cable handy and you want to use it, that's fine, perfectly,
Okay, still has to be the raceway that's designed for that type of building,
But this directly allows you to be able to put some non metallic in
there if you need it to, as long as again you follow raceway feel
and all that stuff, unless it's only for physical damage, and then the
raceway feel kind of gets ignored for that type of thing. But anyway,
you get the point. Now, those are the uses permitted, and then
you get into what's called a breakdown of additional items. There's a there's an
A and a B. Now we won't talk about B because that's NMC and
nobody really makes NMC. Like I said, that's where you're going to use
UF for that UNDERGRAMD feeder and branch an article three forty, you're gonna use
that, and that's probably what most people do because you're not gonna find NMC
from anybody again, C being corrosive. Now A is type n M.
You know, remember Type n M also covers this new stuff called nmpcs.
Okay, power control and signal all in one cable assembly. That's still just
NM cable. It's just it used to be NMS right with an S on
it, but a couple of cycles ago we got rid of that. Then
it's kind of funny because then that was before we came out with the nmpcs,
which is kind of part of my patents for the mc PCs, and
I have a bunch of patents for that, but it came out with it
also for the NM but is you know, it's kind of pointless to try
to patent that. I'm not worth it. But the same kind of concept,
whereas you have zero to ten volt signal and control cable inside of the
same cable assembly with the power and in order to get that separation under seven
twenty five of the NC, which is signaling control, you have to have
at least at thirty mills of sheathing around your power conductors. Then that as
acts as an adequate separation between the six hundre volt rated insulation and then the
conductors and all that are inside of this lower voltage zero to ten volt control
and signaling cable, So it allows it to do this, but that also
falls under NM okay, so you're not going to see nmpcs here. If
that's what you're using. It's just all m right, you know. Nomatology
cable again referred to by many people as romex trade name for Southwire gum,
but it's still just non metallic sheet cable. It states the permitted use.
It says it for both exposed and concealed work in normally dry locations steps as
prohibited in three through thirty four Dot ten three and of course three was the
applications for other structures, and those applications okay, whereas obviously it can't be
exposed because it said it had to be behind what a fifteen minute fire rating,
so that's why it makes that statement. But if you're not in other
structures, you're in one family, two family. People say, can I
run non metallic sheet cable exposed? Absolutely you can. I mean it specifically
allows you to do it. Right there in three thirty four dot ten A
right says it in black and white. Now it is a dry location only
product. So that brings me to the next question that people ask me about
installing it in crosspaces is in Look, I'm here to tell you that ninety
nine percent of the crawl spaces that I've ever been in, and I was
from Virginia, I've been in my share of crass spaces, they were dry
locations. They were inside the building envelope. There was no Brooker stream running
through the crawl space. You know what you have to look at is if
you're in that crawl space and you have regular floor joists that you see above
you, you have regular insulation, all this type of then you've got a
dry location. Now I get it. HJ can make whatever ruling they want.
People can sit there and say, well, humidity and moisture whatever.
I mean. I could say the same thing about a bathroom, but I
can promise you that the light over the vanity does not have to be wet
location rated or damp location rated just because it's in the bathroom. You get
me get you feel when I'm laying down. So anybody can let their mind
wander if they want to. But the majority of the crawl spaces that I
have been involved in, I can honestly say that I would not call them
a wet location. Whether it's a damp puddle in there or not, that
doesn't mean that it's all of a sudden going to jump up and the cable
is going to be submerged in it or whatever. You know what I'm saying.
And if I look around and I've already see that it's not treated flooring,
it's not it's within the building envelope, if you will, then I
at the end of the day, I have a hard time believing that that
would be anything other than a dry location. I'm just saying again, you
have to deal with your HJ and sometimes the minds can wander and they can
think what they want, but that's the reality of it. The next item
that's permitted is that in him can be installed or fished in air voids in
masonry, block or tile walls. So there is occasion where the blocking in
your wall might be a great path, not in new construction because you would
not fish it in new construction. You would not install it in these voids
because you couldn't meet the securing and supporting requirements of DOT thirty. But is
it allowed to be done? Sure? So I'm coming back to do some
remodeling, some retro work or something like that, and I need to get
into these air voids for masonry block or maybe it's a tile wall, and
I need to fish it from A to B. Hopefully you're electrician, you
know what we're talking about. Fishing, not with a fly rod, not
out on the lake, but you know what I mean. Then it's perfectly
okay. Now, the code doesn't give a distance that people ask me,
not so much about NM cable, but asking me about the phishing allowance for
MC for example, and they say, well, what's the maximum distance?
Well, the code doesn't give you a maximum distance. It's kind of a
common sense thing. This is not an installation guide, you know. But
you are allowed to fish it in those voids. Now, you gotta remember
that even when you do this, you're not going to fish it in these
voids that are on a wall that's subject to moisture and dampness. And all
that type of stuff. So again you still have to maintain that this is
a dry location. And people say, well, Paul, I don't see
that in that rule, but that's going to be picked up in the US
is not permitted, so don't worry. So I'm just saving you a little
grief from being inspection issues. Right. So those are uses pretty now.
Dot twelve of three thirty four is uses not permitted, uses not permitted.
It is not an all inclusive list. It's going to be again subject to
the h J, but it is the most common applications and we'll just go
over them really quickly. Item number one says in any dwelling or structure that's
not specifically permitted and three thirty four dot ten one, two, three and
five that's what we talked about. If it's a dwelling or structure that's it's
one of those that we permitted one family, two family, multi family,
and other structures as long as it's behind fifteen minutes. If there's any other
dwelling or structure that would fall under this that is not covered by what we
just talked about in three thirty four dot ten, then you could not use
nonmetallog sheet cable. You just can't use it, use something else right straightforward.
People get confused in this and I'm just going look, is all you
gotta do is is your dwelling or structure is it meeting three thirty four dot
ten, one two, three and five. If the answer is yes,
then you can use nonmetallicg sheet cable. If the answer is no, then
you can't use nomatology cable. Should be pretty straightforward. Also non metallic shet
cable. I do't Number two is it can't be exposed within a dropped or
suspended ceiling cavity in other than one and two family and multi families. Okay,
so basically commercial. Fine, And this is where it brings me.
Commercial. No, you can't use it or get it. Fine, you
can't use it in commercials above dropped or suspended ceilings, but one and two
family and multi family dwellings. The actual dwelling unit we can if it has
a drop ceiling. Now here's where I get a lot of questions about what
if it's an apartment complex in the common halls are drop ceiling, then no,
that's not the dwelling unit. That's the common hall that falls on the
commercial side. Of the building. So no, you couldn't use it in
above those drop ceilings, but you could inside the individual dwelling units perfectly fine
for that. At a number three service entrance cable, obviously you can't use
it in for service entrance cable. I mean, why would you. It
only goes up to a certain size anyway, it's not really applicable to the
installations. So that's common sense, So you wouldn't use it as service.
And we've got so many other options we you know. The next is in
commercial garages having a hazardous classified locations as divined in five eleven dot thirteen.
So obviously you're not going to use it in a commercial garage. Makes sense
obviously if it's hazardous classified locations, a no brainer. The next one,
number five in theaters or similar locations except where permitted in five eighteen dot four
c. So you're not going to use it in the portions of the theater
or similar that are places of assembly. Okay, we'll have over a hundred
people and that type of thing. You're not going to do that. But
when it makes reference except as permitted in five eighteen dot fourteen. See,
now you do have some areas that are maybe administrative some other areas of this
place of assembly that that are not going to meet that hundred over one hundred
person threshold. That are maybe just the offices for maybe the clergy or maybe
an office manager or whatnot. That's different. So you could have a building
that has, you know, different classifications all within the same building, and
the places of assembly under five eighteen is going to have certain wiring methods that
are permitted there, but you could have outside of that area again just offices
that are framed up in wood. No problem with using no metallic sheet cable
in those areas, Okay, so you might have to use two different wire
methods for them. The next one is motion picture studios. Obviously can't use
it there. Storage battery rooms again, possible vapors and corrosive caustic things can't
be in there. Eight in hoist ways or on elevators or escalators, no
brainer. Nine embedded and poured concrete, cement or aggregate. I do get
this question a lot. Can you embedded Obviously you can't put nomatadic sheet cable
in the ground, but also obviously can't embedded in cement, concrete aggregate.
That just yeah, you should know that by now you just can't do that.
And at number ten obviously hazardous classified locations except where specifically permitted by other
articles in this code. Again, it might be you have an area,
let's say you have an aircraft hangar, and then you have an adjacent room
or adjacent area that is, you know, not part of the classified it's
a non classified area. And you have whatever in place to create that non
classified area, whether it's exchanges of air ventilation, positive ventilation or positive pressure
or whatever, whatever, it's an unclassified area. And if it's framed up
wood and all that, then it's probably going to meet the allowances in three
thirty four dot ten probably three other structures, and it's probably going to be
in the walls behind the sheet rock fifteen fifteen minute fire rating. Then you're
good to go. So it's so important to understand these things. And I
think non metallic she cable is so misunderstood, so misunderstood one of the things
that I think about about non metallic cable in general. And I kind of
throw this out to a little tip because this is libable to be a long
podcast, and I get it people don't like my long podcasts. I'm sorry,
but I don't do multiple takes. Y'all know me. I've been doing
this thirty two years. I'm probably the one of the only educators in the
country who would just turn the mic on and just start talking code. I
don't need to rehearse, I don't need to study. I don't need to
do multiple takes. If it comes out of my mouth, I believe it.
You can agree to disagree. I don't. I don't waste time on
the bullshit. I give you the facts, and I've got so much up
in this wicked head that I just try to give as much as I can,
and sometimes I never know where to start. It doesn't make me great
than anybody else. Look, don't it's not a holier than that thing.
Folks. Don't. Please don't be hitting the thumbs down because of that,
Because I got that one guy who thumbs down, and I know who he
is because I can see him every time he does it. I guess he
doesn't have a YouTube channel because he doesn't know I can see those things.
But anyway, I see it, and that's fine. But I tell you
these things because it's just the facts, the facts. I don't have to
edit stuff that doesn't make me smarter than anybody, Absolutely not. You know,
Mike Coult's probably forgotten more stuff than I know. Okay, Ryan Jackson's
probably forgotten more stuff than I know. I don't know. But I do
my best to give you what I can give you. And I'm a one
take guy. I don't like to do multiple takes of any damn thing.
I don't have the time for that. Because some people can appreciate that.
Some people can. But one of the little tidbits the things that I tell
people is when you think about non metallicy cable and you think about how important
it is to the industry, how many of you know what the dash B
means when you go by non metallic sheet cable and you know the NM,
but do you know what the dash B? And if you're the select few
out there who know what the dash B is, kudos to you because you
know, at the end of the day, it's amazingly important, amazingly important.
So let me let me kind of tell you the history here. The
dash B came about in nineteen eighty four. It was an effort to that
you will put together. It was an effort because we had issues of insulation
on the conductors that were inside of the older type of NM being only rated
sixty degrees C. Now you all know that today you still can't exceed the
ampacity values of sixty degree even though you can use a ninety to adjusting correct
and I'll explain why. Back then, what was happening is luminaires were expanding
more wattage. People wanted more lighting, more intricate. People were putting up
luminates. It had that insulation in their People were ripping out the insulation.
Anyway, heat rises, and you were having problems with the transition between the
leads from luminaires to the existing building wire which was rated sixty and the new
wires and leads were rated ninety. And anyway, the breakdown was coming from
the wiring that was part of the dwelling at the time created problems. So
the industry changed. In the dash be simply signifies that the insulation on those
conductors that are inside of that sheathing, no matter who the manufacturer is.
By the way, the insulation on those conductors are rated ninety degrees C.
Now you can only use that ampacity on table three ten sixteen for that ninety
degrees C for the adjustment or corrective purposes. Okay, so if you have
four more current conductors, you're using three ten fifteen C one, then you're
gonna do You're gonna do an adjustment. If you have an ambient temperature that
is other than thirty degrees celsius eighty six degrees fahrenheit, you're gonna use three
ten fifteen B one one table. So what's significant for people is they talk
about bundling and the importance of having that dash B is so important because it
allows me to do an adjustment or a correction from a higher level of ampacity.
So if I've got there's a picture I posted on I think it's LinkedIn.
No sorry, sorry sorry. I posted on TikTok, and I don't
do a lot on TikTok weird little platform. But I posted on TikTok and
I posted on Instagram the two vertical platforms, and I do less of anything
thing on but I you know, they know people seem to be very active
on those, so I posted two questions. The feedback I got from people
is really all over the place. Only very few called out the actual issue
that was in the picture, which is a supporting issue but I got a
lot of people call out the bundling, and I wanted to explain to people.
One of the things to remember is that when you have the non metallic
sheet cable, you could have up to nine current carrying conductors and still be
okay. So you could have four twelve twos bundled together, even if it's
more than twenty four inches bundled together, and it's still gonna be okay for
a twenty amp over current device. If you didn't have that dash b then
you would have to do that adjustment from the sixty degree column, and if
you did that, you're gonna end up with conductor it's not worth anything,
and you're gonna have to jump up in size. But the importance of that
dash fee means I can start from the ninety So let me give you an
example. Let me give you an example. Twelve two under three ten sixteen
under the ninety degree column is thirty am peers. Now, we all know
it's twelve gauge. It's good for twenty small conductor rules to forty four D
protects it at twenty. We all get it. We know that. But
if you look at three thirty four eighty, it tells you that you're permitted
to use the ninety for adjustment of corrective purposes as long as the end value
doesn't exceed that of the sixty degree. So all we're trying to do is
to make sure that after that adjustment of correction, which is basically a condition
of use, whatever you're placing the cable in a certain condition, whether it's
ambient temperatures or a certain number of current current conductors, will it still have
the ability to handle the load in question, or is it going to be
equal to or greater than what's in the six augree column. So that we
don't have to do anything different, we can just follow our normal plan and
our normal sizing. Everything we normally do. Well, if you think about
this, if I have four NMB's stacked bundled, if they're bundled, okay,
more than twenty four inches bundled. Let's say and I go to three
ten fifteen C one, and you'll notice that when you have this case,
will be four cables, two conductors in it, a black and a white,
both are current current conductors. In this scenario, that's eight current current
conductors. Then I'm going to be reducing it by seventy percent, okay.
So you look at it that way and you go, okay, if I'm
producing it up to seventy percent, because the eighty percent four to six and
things like that, I believe I'm going off memory up. So if it's
by seventy percent, basically you're dropping it thirty percent. So we say seventy
percent de man factor, it's really reducing it thirty percent. So if I
took the thirty and I'm multiplied by seventy percent, okay, then that gives
me twenty one amps. So those conductors, even though they're bundled, because
of the benefit of starting at the higher ampacity, because that insulation can handle
a higher ampacity, it's still good for twenty one amps. Well, that
means I can totally ignore anything and say, look, it's a twelve gage.
It can be protected at twenty amps, and I can focus on the
load and I don't have to worry about it. Even if I've got four
cables bundled together, I'm perfectly fine. If I did not have that dash
B or that didn't come into play back in nineteen eighty four, then I
would be starting from a lower value twenty amps. Under the sixty. If
you do twenty times seventy percent, that drops it down to fourteen amps.
I'd be damn if I'm gonna have a conductor that's supposedly good for twenty amps
and all I can do is only now it's only good for fourteen as because
of bundling, which just means I'm gonna have to bump up the size of
the cable and the conductors. So dash B is a beautiful thing, and
I think people overlook that in the industry and they don't understand the significance of
it. And so that's kind of the history, a little tidbit for you
that explains the importance of that dash B in the everyday life. That what
you do because you because you are going to be installing these cables in insulation,
you're going to run into a bundling situation. As long as you keep
it to nine current carrying conductors or less, whether it's ten gage, twelve
gage, fourteen gays, and you're gonna still be okay, right, still
gonna be okay. Just keep it to nine current carry conductors, maybe a
fourteen three and three fourteen twos or you know, four fourteen twos. You
know whatever, just keep it to nine or less then you're gonna be okay.
Okay. So that's kind of the history of the dash B. That's
the importance of the dash B. And again, I just wanted to make
sure I threw that little tidbit out there, whether you like it or not.
And that's sorry I had to throw it forty something minutes into the podcast.
But hey, those that listen, those that watch, get a benefit.
Now when we talk about exposed nomatolic sheet cable, people say, oh,
can it be exposed? Can it be exposed? Absolutely, it can
be, but it has to follow the surface of the building structure means following
the framing, or on a running board means you run it a flat running
board and you actually mount it to that, so it is actually running with
the running board. That's all covered in three thirty four fifteen exposed work.
Now, if there is an area where it makes it subject to physical damage,
and again very subjective because we don't have any definitions of what that is.
We have no definitions of physical damage. Nobody's presented it. It's been
it's well, it's been presented to the code panel, but it's always rejected
in the code we talk about physical damage, severe physical damage, and so
far it's just nobody I guess has submitted something that makes the code panel happy
enough to accept it as as part of a minimum standard. Yet so again,
AHJ's have to have to be the ruling here and make that call.
But if you're going to be installing it in somewhere where you know somebody rules
it's subject physical damage, then it clearly states in three thirty four fifteen B
the different wiring methods that you can install it in. So again, for
anybody that says you can't install noomatology cable in a race way poppycock? Can
I use poppycock? Is that is that today? But yeah, it's it's
you can perfectly okay to do so. Also, it is perfectly okay to
install it in under unfinished basements and in cross bass. You just have to
follow all of the rules that are given to you in three thirty four dot
fifteen C. Okay, And I sat Ryan people, I am in the
twenty twenty three edition of the Nationalgical Code. Anybody ever asked what edition are
you in? If you don't tell me when you submit something, I'm always
going to go to the latest edition, right, always going to go to
the latest edition. Right, let's see your I hope I'm answering all the
questions that people that you know, kind of want to talk about. The
next thing that people ask me about no metallic sheet cable is is there a
bending radius? And obviously those that are familiar with the dot twenty four of
most of the wiring cable I shouldn't said wiring cable cable articles know that that's
pretty much the area where you're going to see bending radius minimums maintained bending radius.
And so that's now exception for no metallic sheet cable. The radius of
the inner curve, of the inner edge or the bin it shall not be
less than, okay, less than five times a diameter or the cable it
bending at any tighter than that causes the conductor's inside of it to have one
side of the cable crinkle up. We call it caterpillaring. And then the
outer edge of it gets elongated and it weakens the insulation. Okay, and
in black insulation will happen as it'll get opaque or you can see where it's
kind of been stressed and damaged. Might not have cracked, but it's stressed
man, and that's going to affect the reliability of the insulation. Yeah,
I remember the insulations. The conductor can handle way more current probably than what
we list in table three ten sixteen, But it's the insulation that is the
de volatile part. And if you break down that insulation, everything else goes
to crap. Okay, everything else goes to crap. Now, when thinking
about that five times the diameter of the cable, and it has to be
at least that that creates kind of a more uniformed bend. There is now
guidance in twenty twenty three because people said, well, do you use the
width or the diameter the flat part or the major or minor portion of the
cable. There's two different values when it comes to a flat cable like a
fourteen two flat with black white and and equipment ground. So you have the
long dimension in a side short dimension when you're trying to come up with that
five times. And they clarified this in the twenty twenty three code. It
says for flat cables, the major diameter dimension of the cables shall be used,
and that's the widest part. That's the major diameter of the dimension.
For the cable shall be used to determine the bending rays. So you're obviously
this makes sense from a manufacturer of iron cable. The more that we can
get you to make your bins more radial then puts less stress on the innerconductors,
then that's better. If we let you use the short dimension, then
that would be an awful tight bend, right. But prior to the twenty
twenty three it was kind of debated which do you use. All of us
in the industry always wanted to use the major diameter, but it wasn't clear.
And I think that, you know, I remember something, I can't
remember an episode or Ryan or Ryan Jackson. If y'all haven't checked out Ryan
Jackson's channel, guys, you need to check out his channel. Just go
to YouTube and search for Ryan Jackson. An amazing resource to the industry,
great guy and a lot of useful information he provides, does a great job
at it, does a lot of stuff for the iec IS. We also
share his content over on fast tracks Tube because he's an amazing educator. But
I think for years he was making the argument on which which do you use?
You know, and without it being defined, you know, it's gonna
have to be somebody's interpretation. Now, what usually would happen is an inspector
would say, get with the manufacturer, and as a manufacturer, we would
say, we want you to use the major. But it wasn't in writing
anywhere. Well now it is. Now it is, and being that you're
going to use the major, that's gonna make for a more nice, uniformed
bend rather than a real tight bend. And I've seen people take in him
cable, go over a box, go down and then turn right away three
sixty no a one eighty, not three sixty one eighty, and go straight
back up into the box. And then they want to be neat and they
tighten it all down. And I've even seen them throw a staple over the
one where it's going down and coming back up. So two cables under the
staple, and then you've got this really tight Q tip type bend at the
end, and it obviously exceeds it's tighter than five times. So that's that's
not good. Long term, that's not good. So we have those rules
in there, so you make sure you follow. Now. Of course the
next thing would be securing it supporting. We all know the rules for securing,
for supporting, we're gonna secure them every well, we're gonna support it
every four and a half feet, right, that's the golden rule for no
metallic sheet cable, right, and we're gonna secure it within twelve inches of
every cable entry to an enclosure such as junction boxes, cabinets and whatnot as
well. Now we also understand that we do have some other rules. Where
we have a box, for example, that does not have a clamp on
it, or does not have any type of clamping means, then we're gonna
have to secure it. What We're gonna have to secure that within eight inches.
Now, that is an example of where where people say, well where
do I Where do I see that? Where do I go to find that
rule? And that is an exception under three fourteen dot seventeen B two.
Again, remember I'm in the twenty twenty twenty three editions, so may not
be the edition you're under. Well, that one's when you have a box,
for example, that's not larger than two and a quarter by four simple
nail up box, right, simple carlon, car Carlon, what's the other
cantacs or whatnot? Maybe Fayette Fayette is that how you say, at Fayette
or Fiat, their brand just simple nail on boxes that are gonna be two
and a quarter by four. Then in those then they don't have a connector
built into them, or they don't have something that secures the cable to the
box. That case, then you'll need to secure that NM cable within eight
inches, right. So, but in general, if it has a clamp,
then you're gonna go up to twelve inches. So remembering the four and
a half feet and the twelve inch ro is what typically people will remember the
most about non metallic sheet cable, right makes sense, So that's the part
that you kind of kind of emblazing you in your mind that type of thing.
And also I always remind people too that obviously, if you're running through
the framing members, it's considered secured and supported. You don't have to do
anything extra. But once it comes out of those board holes or punched holes,
if you're using it in metal studs, which you can use in metal
studs, as long as you put a gramt in there, it's a full
inclusive grammet okay or bushing that covers the entire opening so that you don't have
any chance of damaging the sheathing as you're pulling it as long as once it
starts going horizontal, then you're gonna have to fall into your securing it every
four and a half feet. If it's running horizontal, well, if you
come out and go vertical with the framing member a parallel with it, then
you're gonna have to follow the securing and supporting rules. If it's running horizontal
through the board holes, then it's considered secure and supported anyway. And you
probably all know that that probably is not something I need to tell you,
but it might as well just throw it out there. Lastly, when we're
talking about the ampacities of the importance of nomatallogy cable, i'll just cover and
obviously this is not an all inclusive everything about non metalloghy cable. Trying to
cover as much as I can, and I think again, I think people
misunderstand the importance of it because you use it so often. You look at
it and you think, a crap, this is just conductors in a sheathing.
The nuances behind it. One of the areas I tell people to really
focus on is three thirty four dot eighty ampacity because it tells you that the
ampacity shall not exceed sixty degree see or one hundred and forty degrees hair and
Rady conductor. But it then in the next sentence it says the ninety degree
c rating shall be permitted to be used for ampacity adjustment and correction calculations,
provided that the final calculated ampacity does not exceed that of the sixty ye rec
rating conductor. So in our example, we took a twelve at thirty and
after the adjustment of correction it's twenty one amps, and you're thinking, doesn't
that exceed the sixty No, what that really means is you can't use it
as twenty one amps. You still have to follow the values under the sixty
which is the twenty amps, but you still have a conductor that is more
than adequate to use. If I had done that adjustment of correction it ended
up being dropping it down to eighteen amps. Then you have a problem,
especially on all those circuits that require a minimum of twenty amp circuit like your
small appliance brand circuit, your laundry, your bathroom, those type of things.
You're going to have a cable that the conductors that are not rated for
twenty that's going to be a problem. So again it's so important to understand
the usage, so important under stand where we can make adjustments and corrections from
and not just take it for granted in the field, because many people just
take those things for granted. Okay. It also goes on to say the
ampacity of type N N n MC cable installed in cable trays again where they're
listed for that marked for that shabby determined in accordance with three ninety two dot
eighty A. Three ninety two is the article four cable trays. So you're
gonna get some guidance up there as well, So keep that in mind.
And then the next two paragraphs are and I had a hand in it,
and the twenty twenty three I had my change was in there added to it
dealing with three fourteen dot fourteen A two and not being able to use the
ten foot ten percent rule. You can't use it. And that's when you
have maybe an area where the elevated temperature and then an area where it's not
elevated, and if it's not more than ten foot of ten percent of the
ten percent of the overall run, then you get to discount the higher area
that has the higher impacity restriction in other words, a lot more heat,
so you don't have as much amps in the conductor because higher heat less amps.
Well, you could discount that and throw it away if it wasn't more
than ten foot ten percent of the overall run. Well, that doesn't apply
to non metallic sheet cable. It can be it can be a lifesaver for
race ways, it can be a lifesaver for certain applications, but for NM
cable, it's it's not going to benefit you. So that's what we got
that added in there. And so so it's important that you do take some
time, especially if you're a residential person, that you actually do spend some
time in article three thirty four and look at the ampacities because if you have
more than two M cables, they contain two or more current carent conductors.
In any fourteen two is going to have two current carent conductors. So I
am not aware of any non metallic sheet cable it's not gonna have at least
two current carent conductors in it. Okay, at least two. I'm just
not a I would know. I wouldn't know when you would have that application.
The black and white they're always the white's going to carry the same amount
of current as the black, so obviously it's current carrying, right. So
where there's more than two so three n M cables that contain two or more
current conductors are installed without maintaining spacing between them. Between the cables through the
same opening in wood, like maybe the top of a panel where you're going
through the top plate or whatnot, that is to be sealed with thermal insulation,
calk, ceiling foam, you know, filling that gap, and a
lot of times we just would put the pink insulation in there to seal it
those type of things, And then later I started using the great stuff pro
the orange because you also have to maintain the rating of that assembly. Okay,
I think three twenty two and all that kind of good STUFFE. But
if you're going to do that and you've got three or more non meatology cables
going through that same board hole, then you're going to have to apply the
adjustments in three ten fifteen C one. And this is where that dash B
might save your ass. I'm just saying. Okay, so keeping that in
mind, fourteen twelve tens, you're pretty much gonna be okay, as long
as you don't exceed nine current caring conductors. Now, the second one,
okay, that was the that was through holes, right, that was the
wood framing members. Notice that only talks about wood framing members. Okay,
not mettle framing members, the wood framing members. Ironically enough, the next
would be where more than two, so three or more NIM cables with two
or more current carent conductors. So pretty much any NM cable are installed in
contact with thermal insulation without maintaining spacing between the cable. So at any point
they're touching and they're in contact with thermal insulation, then you're gonna have to
do the exact same thing, and you're gonna have to potentially, if you
have four or more current Carrent conductors, then you're going to have to do
some type of adjustment. Again, the beautiful thing that people don't think about
is you can use the ninety because of the dash B to do your adjustment
and corrected purposes. And you're just lucky enough to be in a world where
as long as you don't have more than nine current Carrent conductors and you're dealing
with twelve, fourteen, ten, let's say then you're not going to have
to do anything, but you at least should know that that's a benefit.
That's why the dash B is so important. It's those little nuances that separate
you from everybody else as a contractor, right, that little extra level of
knowledge that you have that other people don't have. Now, lastly, you
know, I'll just lastly end up on this. If you ever want to
know how NM cable is constructed, go to part three of article three thirty
four. You can see the minimum sizes. It'll become very evident why you
wouldn't use it as service equipment obviously, I mean service entrance cables or anything
like that comes pretty evident. It tells you that the equipment grounds could be
insulated, cover or bear. Most manufacturers and non metallity cable do bear.
It does not mean they couldn't insulate it if they want it, but most
of the time it's bear. And then also in three thirty four, Dot
one twelve is where you get the insulation and it reminds you that it's ninety
degrees c and then there's an informational note that kind of says the dash B
meets this requirement and so that's what the dash B is all about, and
so I kind of gave you the history on that, but that's you go
look at three thirty four dot one twelve and you'll kind of you'll kind of
see that. All right, Okay, guys, I don't know how much
more. I'm the only guy in the world that can do an hour on
no metallic sheet cable. If I board the shit out of you, I'm
sorry. This is my world, You're just living in it. So I'm
gonna do as I want, and hopefully that I answered your question. Give
you a little more insight about non metallic sheet cable. If you liked episodes
like this where I go kind of a little more in depth on the different
wire methods and different things and give you some of my insight and things like
that, by all means, please let us know, give us a thumbs
up, share it. Oh oh wait a minute, I do have one
other thing that I do have to share about no metallic sheet cable that I
get all the time. I get this all the time. Can you strip
the individual conductors out of a non metallic sheet cable and use them in another
race way or some other application like liquid twite, liquid tight did I say,
liquid twite, liquid tight, Can I do that? And the answer
to that is absolutely not. Most of the conductors inside I would venture to
say all manufacturers the conductors that are inside of no machine nomatology cable are not
marked one because they're not required to be okay by their standard. That's why
the markings on the sheathing, because it's supposed to be used as a complete
cable assembly. Now, if there were markings on the conductor's insulation or whatever
inside of it, then you could do that, but they're not typically,
so you have to use it as it is, okay, So you can't
strip it out. The next question people ask, can I install it in
liquid tide or whatever outside? Absolutely not. Inside of a raceway is still
a wet location. It can only be using a dry location, So absolutely
not. You can't do that. Let's see, there was one more question,
and now I'm drawing a brain fart that people ask. I'm trying to
remember what it is so I can share it with you, because I wanted
to end on all these little tidbits. Oh yeah, I remember, I
remember. Now, Okay, So when you're doing an installation of non metallic
sheet cable and you accidentally tear the jacket. Remember the jacket brings no insulating
value, it's just a protective sheathing. However, it is damaged, so
you have to repair it with something that obviously the HJ is gonna feel adequated
with. If you just rip it and it comes up, but you can
lay it back down, then I would say electricians tape. You elisted electricians
tape, not the kind you buy it. As much as I love Harbor
Freight, I don't ever buy their electrical tape. It's typically usually not you
elisted that. I might be wrong, but I don't ever check, even
though you can buy a big log of it for hardly nothing. I always
go with the nice tape, whether it's three M or whatnot. It seems
to be a little thicker, then you can repair the sheathing. Now,
if it's wholly removed and those conductors are exposed, then I would recommend that
you have to go with a cable repair tape. Three M makes a great
cable repair tape, and you can replace the sheathing. What you can't do
is replace insulation. Now I get it. You're in the field, you're
working, you've damaged something, you've stripped off the insulation, you've damaged it
and now copper is showing. My advice to you is just replaced that piece.
Just replace it. I know the price of non metallity cable has gone
up in the industry, but is it really worth it. Just replace it.
Really, it might be a twenty foot run, ten foot run,
five foot run. Just cut it, just replace it. I'm just giving
you my advice because if something ever did happen then and they can find it
and follow it back. And trust me, if you've removed sheathing and insulation
and when it burns up and things melt away, and if for evaluation,
we will be able to tell whether or not it was damaged prior. I
know you find that hard to believe, but it will. The discoloration on
the copper is totally different if it had to if it was insulation under insulation,
or it was bare when it was exposed. And I'm not going to
give you all the little nuances, but you don't want to be in the
in that end of an issue. And if it can happen, it can
happen. Yeah it is. You know, never say never in this industry.
Okay, so remove it, replace it. But if it's just the
sheathing. Evaluate it. You know, if you want to contact the manufacturer,
they'll usually tell you that you can use electrical tape. If you haven't
lost any of the sheathing, it's just cut or nicked, it's fine.
Electrical tape should be fine. But if there's actually removal of jacket, then
we recommend a repair tape. It might not look that pretty, but it's
going to maintain the integrity, so kind of keep that in mind. So
that's just some little tips I wanted to give you as an a parting thing
about non metallic sheet cable. I'm always here to answer your questions. Do
me a favor. If you've got something you want me to talk about,
just go to Paul Abernathy dot com. Submitted through that portal. Don't email
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So that's it until next time. Stay safe, God bless and uh,
you know, get out there and uh and make some money peace as as ask