I have come across a NM type wire in my kitchen project I am not
familiar with. It is a heavy (1/2") cable that is feeding the fridge
and one counter outlet. The issue is the thickness of this
wire...which I have to reroute in the ceiling.

The wire is about twice as thick as current 12-3 NM cable...the
printing on the wire says :
Type NM Phelps Dodge PBX 12-3 - W - G 600 volt

Is this just the way they made 12-3 wire in the 70"s...or is this some
type of "special" wire ? Can I extend this within a properly grounded
electrical box with the current type of 12-3 NM wire ?

Thanks, TR

In article . com, "tr" wrote:
I have come across a NM type wire in my kitchen project I am not
familiar with. It is a heavy (1/2") cable that is feeding the fridge
and one counter outlet. The issue is the thickness of this
wire...which I have to reroute in the ceiling.

The wire is about twice as thick as current 12-3 NM cable...the
printing on the wire says :
Type NM Phelps Dodge PBX 12-3 - W - G 600 volt

Is this just the way they made 12-3 wire in the 70"s...

Yes, and even into the mid-80s, three-conductor cables typically included
three "ropes" of twisted paper or polyester fiber spiraled with the
conductors. It gave the cables a fairly smooth surface, instead of the
rope-like surface that's typical now. 14-3 cable used to be about the same
outside diameter that 12-3 is now, and 12-3 was pretty darn fat.

or is this some
type of "special" wire ?

Probably not.

Can I extend this within a properly grounded
electrical box with the current type of 12-3 NM wire ?

I don't see any reason why not. What you describe is pretty well normal for
the older 12-3 cables.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

That's just the way they made it back then. compare the individual
conductors insulation to the new stuff. It's three times as thick.


--
Steve Barker



"tr" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have come across a NM type wire in my kitchen project I am not
familiar with. It is a heavy (1/2") cable that is feeding the fridge
and one counter outlet. The issue is the thickness of this
wire...which I have to reroute in the ceiling.

The wire is about twice as thick as current 12-3 NM cable...the
printing on the wire says :
Type NM Phelps Dodge PBX 12-3 - W - G 600 volt

Is this just the way they made 12-3 wire in the 70"s...or is this some
type of "special" wire ? Can I extend this within a properly grounded
electrical box with the current type of 12-3 NM wire ?

Thanks, TR