Identify Wire?

[Duane Bozarth]

14/3 w/G Romex (or 12 if not 14). It's almost certainly a carrier between two 3-way switches. Also almost certainly you're correct that the brown is actually red.

[Dick]

I have to get an electrician to lengthen a section of wire as we are moving a wall. (I told the electrician that I would supply the materials) The wire is a black insulated roundish wire (running in our living room wall) with no markings on it. There are 4 wires encased under the black sheathing: 1 black, 1 brown(possibly very faded red), 1 white & a ground. I'm guessing that it's 14 gauge but it may be 12 gauge. Just for my curiosity...any ideas on what it is?

[PipeDown]

Get #12-3w/gnd romex wire and be done with it. You can extend #14 with #12 but not the other way around. #12 Romex seems to come in a yellow jacket these days. Get the other sizes too if you are not sure, you can always return the unopened packages.

[John Grabowski]

I agree with Edwin. I've had customers who thought that they could save money by going to the supply house to get materials and pay for it themselves. I give them a material list and give them the addresses of the suppliers. When I get to the job they don't have all of the materials I requested, because the supplier was out, or there was a communication problem between the counterman and the customer, or they couldn't get everything in their car, etc. It winds up with them running to the supply house while I am on the job waiting (With the meter running) for them to come back with the right materials.

Since you have no idea what you need, you might as well let your electrician provide the necessary materials. You may wind up paying for a full roll of wire when all that is needed is a few feet.

John Grabowski

[Amun]

Do you really think the electrician can't get the right wire ? Do yourself a favor and just call him up and tell him to get what he needs.

If you can't trust him not to overcharge you for the wire, you should phone someone else.

AMUN

[Stretch]

Sure sounds like a bad way to save money. Let the electrician do the whole thing. Otherwise if there is ever a warranty problem with the job, it may be your problem.

Stretch

[PipeDown]

3 cond wire is often also used to carry 2 branch circuits to another room in the house. This is permissable as long as the two branches go to opposite phases in the panel.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

It's a dumb idea. If you don't know what the wire is, how do you know if it is the correct wire? Rather than try to save $4, let the electrician, who is a licensed professional, do the job the right way.

[Toller]

And last, and most likely, it carries one constant hot and one switched hot. In short, it could be any damned thing.

[Terry]

Agree; the fact that it is "black roundish" and is perhaps #14 AWG is worrying. Maybe it needs replacement? It also betrays that the poster may get the wrong or inadequate materials which may well include other electrical bits and pieces; an electrician will know what to get. No point getting into the middle of the job and then finding that a 'octagon box' , wire nuts, cable anchors etc are needed.

[evodawg]

Let the electrician deal with this. It sounds like it could be a 220 line, or high voltage (stove, oven, etc.) or a switched plug. You're talking a minimal amount of money.

Rich