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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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Shop Wiring Questions (Longish)
I finally got a new service hookup done for the house, and there is a
nice new breaker panel in the corner of the shop with the lathe & mill. Both run off 110V. The way my old shop was wired, I had both sides of the 220V & a neutral run to some quad outlet boxes. That way I could wire the boxes as 220V, or split things up and have 2 duplex outlets, each on a separate breaker. I never used the 220V option, but having dual 20 amp circuits was nice. I'd like to do something similar now. The trick is how to run the wires in a clean fashion. The basement is somewhat finished, and there is wainscotting running around about 3 feet up the wall. It is made of tongue & groove stained pine, nailed to 2x3 studs and contains some insulation. At the bottom, there is a metal baseboard for hot water heating. I can run a conduit down from the breaker panel through the top of the wainscotting, which is capped with a 1 1/2" thick stained & varnished moulding. From there, I need to go about 8 feet horizontally. That's where things get tricky. There's no way to cleanly go horizontally through the studs in the wainscotting, and the tongue & groove paneling is nailed together well enough that it would make a real mess of things if I tried to take a piece out. The cap is screwed down, with the screw holes plugged, stained, & varnished. My theory at the moment is to go down to behind the baseboard, drill a hole in the metal back, and then run the wires out and horizontally below the baseboard element. I can then drill another hole to run the wire up to where I want the outlet. I'll make sure there is a bushing of some sort to protect the wire coming through the sheet metal. I'm planning on running Romex, and the wire will be pretty well protected below the baseboard. I'm not sure if code would require running the wire in any sort of conduit for further protection. Does anyone know the rules for something like this? I've certianly seen plenty of cases where Romex runs exposed for short distances going from conduit or a box into a wall or ceiling. Also, does anyone know if there is a table for running Romex in conduit? I'd like to be able to use a big enough conduit for two cables for future expansion, and I doubt I can physically get two runs of 12x3+ground through a 1/2" piece of EMT. Even if I could, I don't expect it's to code. I could run individual wires (THHN), but then I'd need a junction box someplace to switch to Romex for the rest of the run. The problem is that I only have a hickie for 1/2", and would need to get a bigger one for making the offset to get from the top of the wainscotting up & into the breaker panel cleanly. I only need to go about 2 feet, and I suppose I could use plastic conduit. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Doug White |
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On Sat, 9 Jul 2005 9:35:06 -0700, Doug White wrote
(in message ): The trick is how to run the wires in a clean fashion. MAJOR SNIPS I'm planning on running Romex, and the wire will be pretty well protected below the baseboard. I'm not sure if code would require running the wire in any sort of conduit for further protection. Does anyone know the rules for something like this? Also, does anyone know if there is a table for running Romex in conduit? Doug White Many juristictions adopt the National Electrical Code in total, but some modify and/or add to it. You should talk to your local electricians/authorities for the final say on what is legal in your area. Running Romex in conduit is almost never done and the NEC does not directly address this issue,IIRC. IMHO, running Romex behind the metal baseboard would not require any additional protection (other than grommets, as you mentioned). Another option you might consider is "Surface Raceway". Hope this helps. Roger in Vegas |
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#4
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In article , Bruce L. Bergman
says... Make it easy on yourself - don't fight ripping he walls open, just run EMT tubing on the surface. Practice with the bender so the bends are all neat and pretty, clamp it down well with straps to the studs or joists so it wont move, and then paint it to match the room. The paint will make it all but disappear. This of course is the correct way to do the job. Run it in pipe. The only time I see NM cable ("romex") in EMT is where it has to run over brick or stone and needs some mechanical protection. THe electrician who wired a couple of circuits in my house did that in the basement - NM cable that drops out of the overhead, crosses over brickwork, and ties to a box on the wall. He slipped pieces of EMT over the cable to provide mechanical protection. Jim -- ================================================== please reply to: JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com ================================================== |
#5
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snip
The trick is how to run the wires in a clean fashion. The basement is somewhat finished, and there is wainscotting running around about 3 feet up the wall. It is made of tongue & groove stained pine, nailed to 2x3 studs and contains some insulation. At the bottom, there is a metal baseboard for hot water heating. I can run a conduit down from the breaker panel through the top of the wainscotting, which is capped with a 1 1/2" thick stained & varnished moulding. From there, I need to go about 8 feet horizontally. That's where things get tricky. There's no way to cleanly go horizontally through the studs in the wainscotting, and the tongue & groove paneling is nailed together well enough that it would make a real mess of things if I tried to take a piece out. The cap is screwed down, with the screw holes plugged, stained, & varnished. My theory at the moment is to go down to behind the baseboard, drill a hole in the metal back, and then run the wires out and horizontally below the baseboard element. I can then drill another hole to run the wire up to where I want the outlet. I'll make sure there is a bushing of some sort to protect the wire coming through the sheet metal. I'm planning on running Romex, and the wire will be pretty well protected below the baseboard. I'm not sure if code would require running the wire in any sort of conduit for further protection. Does anyone know the rules for something like this? I've certianly seen plenty of cases where Romex runs exposed for short distances going from conduit or a box into a wall or ceiling. Also, does anyone know if there is a table for running Romex in conduit? I'd like to be able to use a big enough conduit for two cables for future expansion, and I doubt I can physically get two runs of 12x3+ground through a 1/2" piece of EMT. Even if I could, I don't expect it's to code. I could run individual wires (THHN), but then I'd need a junction box someplace to switch to Romex for the rest of the run. The problem is that I only have a hickie for 1/2", and would need to get a bigger one for making the offset to get from the top of the wainscotting up & into the breaker panel cleanly. I only need to go about 2 feet, and I suppose I could use plastic conduit. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Doug White Doug, Why go low? What is on the ceiling? If the ceiling is finished, could you possibly run wires behind a nice molding that runs along the wall/ceiling intersection to the areas you want to access? The cove moldings are made in various sizes and will have a void area behind them which may give you room to run the conduit. HTH Ken. |
#6
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"Doug White" wrote in message ... I finally got a new service hookup done for the house, and there is a nice new breaker panel in the corner of the shop with the lathe & mill. Both run off 110V. The way my old shop was wired, I had both sides of the 220V & a neutral run to some quad outlet boxes. That way I could wire the boxes as 220V, or split things up and have 2 duplex outlets, each on a separate breaker. I never used the 220V option, but having dual 20 amp circuits was nice. I'd like to do something similar now. The trick is how to run the wires in a clean fashion. The basement is somewhat finished, and there is wainscotting running around about 3 feet up the wall. It is made of tongue & groove stained pine, nailed to 2x3 studs and contains some insulation. At the bottom, there is a metal baseboard for hot water heating. I can run a conduit down from the breaker panel through the top of the wainscotting, which is capped with a 1 1/2" thick stained & varnished moulding. From there, I need to go about 8 feet horizontally. That's where things get tricky. There's no way to cleanly go horizontally through the studs in the wainscotting, and the tongue & groove paneling is nailed together well enough that it would make a real mess of things if I tried to take a piece out. The cap is screwed down, with the screw holes plugged, stained, & varnished. My theory at the moment is to go down to behind the baseboard, drill a hole in the metal back, and then run the wires out and horizontally below the baseboard element. I can then drill another hole to run the wire up to where I want the outlet. I'll make sure there is a bushing of some sort to protect the wire coming through the sheet metal. I'm planning on running Romex, and the wire will be pretty well protected below the baseboard. I'm not sure if code would require running the wire in any sort of conduit for further protection. Does anyone know the rules for something like this? I've certianly seen plenty of cases where Romex runs exposed for short distances going from conduit or a box into a wall or ceiling. Also, does anyone know if there is a table for running Romex in conduit? I'd like to be able to use a big enough conduit for two cables for future expansion, and I doubt I can physically get two runs of 12x3+ground through a 1/2" piece of EMT. Even if I could, I don't expect it's to code. I could run individual wires (THHN), but then I'd need a junction box someplace to switch to Romex for the rest of the run. The problem is that I only have a hickie for 1/2", and would need to get a bigger one for making the offset to get from the top of the wainscotting up & into the breaker panel cleanly. I only need to go about 2 feet, and I suppose I could use plastic conduit. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Doug White Go over to your friendly electrical supply and ask about some stuff called "WireMold." It is a finished conduit intended to be run on the surface of a finished wall and still look nice. You run separate wires inside of it (not Romex). It will hold about 3 10AWG or 5 12/14AWG wires. Jerry |
#8
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On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 14:59:51 GMT, RoyJ wrote:
Question for Bruce: I sgree that **SEPERATE** breakers are bad but how about running the same setup (2 opposite side hots, neutral, and ground) off a **220** breaker? Overload on circuit 'A' will trip that side and the other side 'B'. Just fine, AFAIK. As long as you don't get a half-trip situation. -- Bruce -- -- Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700 5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545 Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net. |
#9
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Square D QO breakers
Bruce L. Bergman wrote: On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 14:59:51 GMT, RoyJ wrote: Question for Bruce: I sgree that **SEPERATE** breakers are bad but how about running the same setup (2 opposite side hots, neutral, and ground) off a **220** breaker? Overload on circuit 'A' will trip that side and the other side 'B'. Just fine, AFAIK. As long as you don't get a half-trip situation. -- Bruce -- |
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