Assume that I have 5 circuits, all using 12/2 wire and and each supplying various plugs and switches throughout a workshop. I drill a hole through all the studs in order to get the wire to the respective terminals. Can I just drill one hole in each stud and thread 5 12/2 cables through it, or do I have to drill 5 holes, making swiss cheese out of them? I guess I'm concerned about what amount of heat 5 cables running together would generate.
Tks
JC
Short answer. No. Long answer. You're right, heat and them moving around each other because they will never have equal load and expansion will be different They have been known to actually rub each other bare in a tight hole. That's the old romex though, the new plastic probably would not. . However, drill your holes above one another in the center of the stud a few inches apart and the stud will not be affected at all
Can you provide one reference to this ever happening? Sounds like urban legend to me. There is no problem running multiple Romex cables through the same hole in a stud. You can even run Romex through a conduit.
Matt
I agree. If that is true how do they run multple circuits in conduit? Lou
Hey no problem with me. Do that in KC MO though and the inspector will not pass it until you tear it out. Course he was an ass hole too. He once made my electrician add a plug because although it was the 12' apart code called for, there was a 4 inch boxout over a drain on the wall and he measured around it, ie 4" out and 4" back and that made the plug over the allowance by 8". You can only put one wire in a romex connector into the box too or you tear it out. Been there and done that.
Two in a 3/4" hole is my rule. so for your example, 3 holes will do. Like someone else mentioned, keep them in the center above one another.
The way the inspector measured around that box out is just the way the code states it should be done.
and 2 romex are allowed in a 3/8 box clamp.
Thanks to all. I'll take your advice.
JC
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