Greetings,
What is the best (cheapest/quickest?) NEC compliant way to join two wires within a wall that will NOT later be accessible without disturbing the building finish?
The current method I most often see utilized in past construction is to strip an area of insulation off of a wire without cutting it, twist another wire around this wire with many loops and finally apply electrical tape generously.
Thanks, William
NEC compliant??
I think you are out of luck. Someone correct me if I am wrong but doesn't the NEC say any join between two wires must be within an approved and accessible j-box?
Greetings,
Please find a counterexamples at:
Hope this helps, William
PS: I don't know what the NEC says about using underground connectors NOT underground but the point is that the NEC doesn't require ALL connected wires to be in junction boxes. Perhaps I am SOL inside a wall.
Connectors which allow connections within masonry / concrete without a junction box might also be helpful.
There is no code-compliant way to make an inaccessible join, by definition.
You can make the join in a single- or double-size outlet box (which is properly mounted at the wall surface, as if you were going to put an outlet there) and cover it with a blank rectangular cover, which you can then paint or paper to match the wall, or hang a picture over.
Or if the location makes sense for it, you could make the join in an octagonal box and mount a wall sconce fixture or an AC smoke alarm (though the latter would technically need to be on its own 14/3 circuit interconnected with other alarms in the house, I believe.) There are no "pretty" blank covers for octagonal boxes.
In any case the box needs to be bonded to the circuit's ground wire.
Yeah, we've all seen that, as well as switches and fixtures mounted in holes in the wall with no box. I don't think it was ever code for romex, and is the sign of shoddy work. I don't know if it was code in in knob-and-tube days.
Chip C
Definitely DO NOT just twist the wires together and wrap with a lot of tape!
I thought there was some connecter that was listed for use where it is inaccessible. Can't remember where I saw this or remember the manufacturer....
I tried a google search but didn't run across what I was thinking of. Anybody else know what I might be thinking of?
Ken
When I had a situation like that in my basement, I just joined the 2 cables in a double gang box and made an outlet. So if I ever need access to it I can.
Specific to outdoors/underground applications. I guess the assumption is outside you can always dig up anything that gets screwed up.
Indoors however different story with respect to destruction of finished surfaces.
Just curious, would/could this practice lead to a fire caused by inductive heating?
two wires
Those aren't "counterexamples" at all of what you asked about.
The NEC require all in-wall connections to be accessible and in a junction box accessible w/o having to mar the finish. What is allowed underground or external has no bearing on the question posed.
Sounds like a great place for a receptacle ;-)
There is a device used in the manufactured home industry that can be buried in a wall (the AMP Enerflex) but NFPA plugged up the hole in the code that allowed them to be used in a regular building. At one time AMP even referenced 1996 NEC 336-21, an article that makes it "hold your nose legal". Most inspectors would still have rejected it.
They do not make this reference in their instructions anymore. They only refer to modular homes now.
I did a lot of remodeling and wiring in my house. I had to change a lot of existing circuits. I often used switched box, either metal or plastic with cover. Many times the switch box is inaccessible when I don't have way to connect two wires in assessable box. Inspector never told me anything about inaccessible boxes and I don't understand why they cannot be used. Otherwise I had to rip off entire house to get to the accessible box where one piece of wire starts.
there must be an accessible junction box (hence the name) of some sort.
no alternative except to pull both cable segments out of the wall and replace with single segment.
bill
Whatever the case, electrical tape has no business being used for anything except a temporary connection. To me, that means a connection you have to protect while you run out to the hardware store because you ran out of wire nuts. Or, even better, top quality crimp connectors. Yeah...I know. People have used electrical tape successfully. But, it's still a cob job.
Sasha, If the box was hidden, the inspector probably didn't know it was there. By the way, the NEC was written by "The National Fire Protection Association". There is something in that name that makes me want to follow the code as closely as possible, so I can live as long as possibly. The life I save may be my own. (You may save your own too!) Not a good place to save money.
Stretch
There's not an NEC compliant way to do it. If you want to do it safely but not compliant, do what you said but then silver-solder the connection and wrap with rubber splicing tape. Regular solder isn't good enough, you'd have to either weld it (and copper is hard to weld) or use silver solder with a high silver content (like 40%.) It would be a real pain-in-the-ass to do, and a half-assed job when you were done. HTH
Best regards, Bob
That and dirt generally won't catch fire, unlike a stud wall.
There is no way to do it without being accessible. Look at the fiasco of things like aluminum wire for a good example. Any time there's a connection made you need to have access to it. As has been suggested, pull the wires into a single gang junction box and put a wall outlet in it. Accessible for any future needs and potentially useful in the room. Otherwise just put a blank faceplace on it.
Then you're not looking at something that would pass code.
Simply twisting together two or more 12 or 14 gauge solid wires does not guarantee a solid connection. Having the junction inside an accessible box assures the following:
- Room for a clamping device (e.g. wire nut)
- Accessibility for future inspection or repair
- In the event of a connection failure the likelihood of fire spreading outside the box is reduced
One ought to follow the NEC, but the way you said is not the really the safe way. Wires are joined all over the house and in box and are safe. An inaccessible box can't be inspected but that doesn't make it unsafe. In fact, if one wires inaccessible boxes just like the accessible ones, one is no more unsafe than the other. But if I were doing it, which I wouldn't, I would make sure I used a box that clamps on the romex. The problem with an inaccessible box is when some yahoo starts pulling on the wires, the wires are not stapled as required, and the wires pull partially apart. You can stop that by using boxes with clamps.
I think this is all nonsense anyway as you should never need to use an inaccessible box. Just use an accessible box that is in full view or hidden behind a door, a hinged cover, a picture, etc.
In addition, I have never seen a spark ignite dirt.
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