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#1
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Mixing high & low voltage wires in electrical conduit?
Is it allowed to run both 110v wire (either THHN or Romex) and low
voltage alarm wire (e.g., 4 conductor 22 gauge) in the same 1/2" rigid metal conduit? I probably will have one 2-conductor #14 Romex wire for overhead garage light plus a couple of alarm cables for the window, door, and heat sensors. Thanks |
#2
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No. I think the code is you must run the same guage wire for the
highest voltage running through the conduit. So if your running 14 guage Romex for your HV, you must also run at least 14 guage for the LV. Thats what I did for my garage. I ran 14 guage for the electrical, then I ran 2-14 guage for my alarm circuits. |
#3
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blueman wrote:
Is it allowed to run both 110v wire (either THHN or Romex) and low voltage alarm wire (e.g., 4 conductor 22 gauge) in the same 1/2" rigid metal conduit? I probably will have one 2-conductor #14 Romex wire for overhead garage light plus a couple of alarm cables for the window, door, and heat sensors. Thanks I think the insulation on the low voltage has to be rated to insulate the highest voltage in order to do what you want to do. |
#4
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I'm not an electrician but some thoughts... unless there is a risk of
the conductors becoming overheated for some reason I don't see why not. I think when you have two or runs of NM in any kind of conduit what you want to avoid is the cables pulling the same voltage, or you might have inductive heating problems? I think the NEC goes into detail about not pulling two cables through conduit that will be on the same circuit??? If I am correct I think you would be OK with what you described. |
#6
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wrote in message
news I'm not trying to be a usenet cop or anything but speculating about electrical issues does no one any good. If you know the answer, great, post away. If you don't know the answer, then just let someone who does post it. Agreed. The NEC dictates a lot of things that wouldn't be obvious to the average person via speculation. And this goes to pretty much everyone in the thread, not just this reply. If you can't cite the proper code, you probably shouldn't respond. -Tim |
#7
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"blueman" wrote in message
... Is it allowed to run both 110v wire (either THHN or Romex) and low voltage alarm wire (e.g., 4 conductor 22 gauge) in the same 1/2" rigid metal conduit? I probably will have one 2-conductor #14 Romex wire for overhead garage light plus a couple of alarm cables for the window, door, and heat sensors. In my city you can't, and Brinks (who's brand alarm I have) wouldn't install in the same conduit as line voltage. There's probably very good reasons for this, the main ones I'm thinking of is interference with the low voltage devices, and inexperienced do-it-yourselfers getting zapped by the line voltage wires by mistaking them for the LV wires. There are at least three things I can think of to do what you want. You can use wireless alarm sensors. Not my favorite idea, but many folks like them. You can run another conduit specifically for low voltage devices. That's what I did when I renovated my patio, using 1" conduit. I can run CAT 5, coax, alarm, LV, and anything else I want except line voltage, which has it's own conduit. You can run the low voltage wires underground without conduit. You can use either low voltage or line voltage wire that's rated for underground burial, and use metal conduit from underground to inside your house and garage, which should make any code inspector happy. The last two depends on the construction around your garage, of course. If you can do both, I suggest the separate conduit, where in the future you can run additional wiring with ease, and they'll be protected from moisture and such. Pagan |
#8
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Because there is always one answer to every question.
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#10
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Pagan wrote:
"blueman" wrote in message ... Is it allowed to run both 110v wire (either THHN or Romex) and low voltage alarm wire (e.g., 4 conductor 22 gauge) in the same 1/2" rigid metal conduit? I probably will have one 2-conductor #14 Romex wire for overhead garage light plus a couple of alarm cables for the window, door, and heat sensors. In my city you can't, and Brinks (who's brand alarm I have) wouldn't install in the same conduit as line voltage. There's probably very good reasons for this, the main ones I'm thinking of is interference with the low voltage devices, and inexperienced do-it-yourselfers getting zapped by the line voltage wires by mistaking them for the LV wires. There are at least three things I can think of to do what you want. You can use wireless alarm sensors. Not my favorite idea, but many folks like them. You can run another conduit specifically for low voltage devices. That's what I did when I renovated my patio, using 1" conduit. I can run CAT 5, coax, alarm, LV, and anything else I want except line voltage, which has it's own conduit. You can run the low voltage wires underground without conduit. You can use either low voltage or line voltage wire that's rated for underground burial, and use metal conduit from underground to inside your house and garage, which should make any code inspector happy. The last two depends on the construction around your garage, of course. If you can do both, I suggest the separate conduit, where in the future you can run additional wiring with ease, and they'll be protected from moisture and such. Pagan Sounds like good advice. Asuming the National Electrical Code applies, this is not permitted with separate wires. With cables it is up to the Authority Having Jurisdiction (ispspector) who, I think, would not be happy. As noted the line voltage circuit could produce noise in the LV cable through capacitive and inductive coupling. Bud-- |
#11
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You can also read all the messages in this short thread
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#13
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You can be ignored too, zipperhead.
Apparently not in your case. |
#15
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Whoa there... let me get this straight...
And this goes to pretty much everyone in the thread, not just this reply. If you can't cite the proper code, you probably shouldn't respond. So you're saying that it's not OK for me to speculate from the viewpoint of risk avoidance in inductive heating in electrical circuits (which I made pretty clear I was doing, because I'm not an electrician), bit it **IS OK** that he should be doing his own electrical work when the OP seemingly doesn't know where to find or how to open an NEC manual or other suitable reference to determine requirements for running conductors in conduit??? Who gives a rat's ass about citing the correct code chapter and verse if you don't know what the hell you are doing to begin with??? I'm going to bake a cake and I don't know how to turn the oven on. The mixing spoon is too cracked and I'm short three eggs. If the OP insists on doing the work himself and comes to usenet for help, well... that's his problem. For the OP, www.nfpa.org sells residential wiring textbooks and inspector checklists for the uninitiated for about $60 each. They are based on the NEC. Easy to follow and read. They expire every three years. 2005 is a good time to buy since the NEC was recently revised. |
#16
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I didn't want you to get lost again
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#18
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Electrical workers in US make decent wages compared to banana pickers in
Guatemala. |
#19
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An electrical switch needs to be rated for the application.
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#20
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Electrical workers in US make decent wages compared to banana pickers in
Guatemala. Then if the OP is a banana picker in Guatemala the US NEC is probably not enforced in his jurisdiction. He can shove damn well anything through that conduit and hope for the best. |
#21
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G Henslee wrote:
wrote: I didn't want you to get lost again Who are you talking to this time? We have to remember that some people have no idea how news browsers can be set -- that is, so that they do NOT display already read items. Also, other posts sometimes get between others and make it impossible to follow a thread without some context! -- Phil Munro Dept of Electrical & Computer Engin Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio 44555 |
#22
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"Pagan" writes:
"blueman" wrote in message ... Is it allowed to run both 110v wire (either THHN or Romex) and low voltage alarm wire (e.g., 4 conductor 22 gauge) in the same 1/2" rigid metal conduit? I probably will have one 2-conductor #14 Romex wire for overhead garage light plus a couple of alarm cables for the window, door, and heat sensors. In my city you can't, and Brinks (who's brand alarm I have) wouldn't install in the same conduit as line voltage. There's probably very good reasons for this, the main ones I'm thinking of is interference with the low voltage devices, and inexperienced do-it-yourselfers getting zapped by the line voltage wires by mistaking them for the LV wires. There are at least three things I can think of to do what you want. You can use wireless alarm sensors. Not my favorite idea, but many folks like them. You can run another conduit specifically for low voltage devices. That's what I did when I renovated my patio, using 1" conduit. I can run CAT 5, coax, alarm, LV, and anything else I want except line voltage, which has it's own conduit. You can run the low voltage wires underground without conduit. You can use either low voltage or line voltage wire that's rated for underground burial, and use metal conduit from underground to inside your house and garage, which should make any code inspector happy. The last two depends on the construction around your garage, of course. If you can do both, I suggest the separate conduit, where in the future you can run additional wiring with ease, and they'll be protected from moisture and such. Pagan Actually, my situation is the reverse. I already have the low voltage alarm wires run in rigid metal conduit up the garage wall and across the ceiling to a centrally located heat sensor. I was hoping that maybe I could use that same conduit to also run cable for a ceiling light that I need to relocate. Of course, I could add a parallel run of conduit, but I was hoping to avoid the racecourse look of multiple conduit runs snaking across my ceiling (in my mind, one is more than enough visually . |
#24
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#25
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There is a difference between not knowing basic electrical code and
wiring vs. not knowing a specific and rarely used detail such as in my question. I asked the question here to expand my knowledge and at least get some directional pointers to the right answer -- who knows, maybe my question has a simple and unanimously agreed upon answer or maybe it doesn't in which case I will need to look elsewhere... I agree with you blueman, I was actually trying to help with my limited knowledge of using conduit and what I've read in the NEC about inductive heating, might be something you can look into and expand your knowledge of electrical. I hope you didn't mistake me for a real electrician and inadvertently burn your house down while reading my original response to your post. I wasn't seriously suggesting that you couldn't open a book. But I do think it is rediculous for individuals on usenet to tell others to keep their thoughts to themselves in a prevelently DIY forum. The free flow and exchange of ideas must not be impeded. And I say that because I am now more knowledgeable of cabling requirements in conduit. I only had a part of the story with voltage issues and inductive heating. Perhaps you were not aware of inductive heating issues and therefore a mutual exhange may have occured. Good luck with your project blueman |
#26
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"joe" wrote in message .. . blueman wrote: Is it allowed to run both 110v wire (either THHN or Romex) and low voltage alarm wire (e.g., 4 conductor 22 gauge) in the same 1/2" rigid metal conduit? I probably will have one 2-conductor #14 Romex wire for overhead garage light plus a couple of alarm cables for the window, door, and heat sensors. Thanks I think the insulation on the low voltage has to be rated to insulate the highest voltage in order to do what you want to do. Right on. You will pay dearly for that stuff rated at 300 volts. Available, even at 600 volt insulation By the way romex typically is not rated to be in conduit. |
#27
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On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 13:31:10 GMT, blueman wrote:
Is it allowed to run both 110v wire (either THHN or Romex) and low voltage alarm wire (e.g., 4 conductor 22 gauge) in the same 1/2" rigid metal conduit? I probably will have one 2-conductor #14 Romex wire for overhead garage light plus a couple of alarm cables for the window, door, and heat sensors. Thanks According to the NEC, you can only have signalling voltage and line voltage in the same enclosure if it's a listed assembly. (Furnace, air conditioner, etc.) Short answer, no! Dan |
#28
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So if I am reading the code English properly, what I am asking is not allowed even if the 110v (Class 1) wires are enclosed in Romex cabling unless there is some additional "barrier" between the power and alarm wires. Right? This is not allowed. SQLit had the answer some time back... Romex does not belong in ANY conduit to begin with... It is not required to be in conduit unless protecting it from physical damage, I would 'suppose' it would exceed the fill requirements of the conduit you are proposing to use, and it should not be mixed with low voltage or alarm signaling wiring because of the insulation rating differences. Many alarm panels use semiconductor inputs, which sense either a opening or closing of a circuit. Placing the wiring within close proximity to other wiring can cause interference, and the alarm may either trip for no reason or fail to trip when it's needed. There is no need to place your romex in conduit. If you must use conduit, use a separate one and THHN wire. You can also use flexible BX cable with the appropriate fittings. Jake |
#29
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SQLit wrote:
"joe" wrote in message .. . blueman wrote: Is it allowed to run both 110v wire (either THHN or Romex) and low voltage alarm wire (e.g., 4 conductor 22 gauge) in the same 1/2" rigid metal conduit? I probably will have one 2-conductor #14 Romex wire for overhead garage light plus a couple of alarm cables for the window, door, and heat sensors. Thanks I think the insulation on the low voltage has to be rated to insulate the highest voltage in order to do what you want to do. Right on. You will pay dearly for that stuff rated at 300 volts. Available, even at 600 volt insulation By the way romex typically is not rated to be in conduit. better off running separate conduit, eh. |
#30
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"blueman" wrote in message ... "Pagan" writes: "blueman" wrote in message ... Is it allowed to run both 110v wire (either THHN or Romex) and low voltage alarm wire (e.g., 4 conductor 22 gauge) in the same 1/2" rigid metal conduit? I probably will have one 2-conductor #14 Romex wire for overhead garage light plus a couple of alarm cables for the window, door, and heat sensors. In my city you can't, and Brinks (who's brand alarm I have) wouldn't install in the same conduit as line voltage. There's probably very good reasons for this, the main ones I'm thinking of is interference with the low voltage devices, and inexperienced do-it-yourselfers getting zapped by the line voltage wires by mistaking them for the LV wires. There are at least three things I can think of to do what you want. You can use wireless alarm sensors. Not my favorite idea, but many folks like them. You can run another conduit specifically for low voltage devices. That's what I did when I renovated my patio, using 1" conduit. I can run CAT 5, coax, alarm, LV, and anything else I want except line voltage, which has it's own conduit. You can run the low voltage wires underground without conduit. You can use either low voltage or line voltage wire that's rated for underground burial, and use metal conduit from underground to inside your house and garage, which should make any code inspector happy. The last two depends on the construction around your garage, of course. If you can do both, I suggest the separate conduit, where in the future you can run additional wiring with ease, and they'll be protected from moisture and such. Pagan Actually, my situation is the reverse. I already have the low voltage alarm wires run in rigid metal conduit up the garage wall and across the ceiling to a centrally located heat sensor. I was hoping that maybe I could use that same conduit to also run cable for a ceiling light that I need to relocate. Of course, I could add a parallel run of conduit, but I was hoping to avoid the racecourse look of multiple conduit runs snaking across my ceiling (in my mind, one is more than enough visually . Pull the alarm wires out of the conduit and run them alongside it. Then use the conduit for the power line. |
#31
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In article , "SQLit" wrote:
By the way romex typically is not rated to be in conduit. Wrong. Not only does the NEC *permit* running romex in conduit, where needed for protection from physical damage the Code _explicitly_requires_ it. -- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com) It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again. |
#32
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In article pdZye.139658$xm3.49327@attbi_s21, Jake wrote:
This is not allowed. SQLit had the answer some time back... Romex does not belong in ANY conduit to begin with... False. There is *nothing* in the NEC that prohibits running Romex in conduit. -- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com) It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again. |
#33
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wrote in message ups.com... So you're saying that it's not OK for me to speculate from the viewpoint of risk avoidance in inductive heating in electrical circuits (which I made pretty clear I was doing, because I'm not an electrician), bit it **IS OK** that he should be doing his own electrical work when the OP seemingly doesn't know where to find or how to open an NEC manual or other suitable reference to determine requirements for running conductors in conduit??? Correct. He has asked for help here in this newsgroup. The fact that he's asking and not just cramming as many as he can in the conduit shows that he wants to do it right. Not everyone can/wants to understand the code books. On the other hand, if you're going to reply to his response, you should know what you're talking about. Replies like "this should work" or "I don't think that would be a problem" are of little help when the code says Yes or No directly. -Tim |
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