I nicked the sheathing on some NM pulling it through a run. The wires are fine, its just the sheathing that's damaged. Do I really have to go back and re-run the wire, or could I possibly junction box it and salvage the current run? Could I use electrical tape to repair it (or its equivalent)? Its basic 12 guage NM. Only reason why I'm asking is because the bulk of the run is behind finished walls that were put into place a long time before.
Electrical tape is perfectly acceptable for repairing a nicked jacket. It's even acceptable for repairing nicked insulation on the actual wire. What is not acceptable is repairing a physical break in the wires within the wall cavity. Repair of a physical break in the wire requires a junction box just like any other splice or junction does.
on 8/25/2007 8:25 PM Eigenvector said the following:
You'd be surprised how much nicked cable is left in houses by electricians. I don't know if the code allows it, but I would just tape it, or if you can, slip a piece of heat shrink tubing over it.
I'm not sure if the electrical tape repair is a good or a bad thing. I was actually being (badly) funny in suggesting it. I didn't actually thing it was used in practice. Well, given the options I'll take tape then, the nicks aren't huge or anything.
Shrink tubing isn't a bad idea, not a bad suggestion at all.
If you can slide it over the end and all the way to where the nick is located.
My electricians use electrical tape on nicks all the time and they have passed inspection. Of course, the inspectors know my electrician and know that he would not allow electrical tape if there were an actual break in the wire itself.
Wouldn't be able to put it on an already in place run though.
steve
No of course not. This isn't an existing run - it's in process. I snagged the sheath on a nail trying to wrestle the wire down a hole. The loose end is about 10 feet from the nick.
I'd probably wrap a turn or two of *friction* tape around it (if I did anything to it at all.) Friction tape stays stuck better than electrical tape.
Bob
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Heat shrink is great. Great for splices too of course.
If it were in place already, silicon tape, or maybe it is also called shrink tape, is great too. See my post above.
The Cold Shrink Tape (Scooter Products) someone mentioned looks a lot like the roll I liked, black on white plastic, but I thought mine is meant to be stretched as it is put on. It works well that way. The blurb for the scooter stuff refers to stretching it over unuusallly shaped stuff.
As usual the home depot page stinks, failing to find anything for shrink tape. And for tape, finding only one regular vinyl electrical tape and all the rest are measuing tapes, plus drywall corners (which I guess get taped later.)
Searching on shrink, I get not a single hit. I hate hd's webpage.
Maybe they don't sell it anymore.
It was a lot cheaper than the scooter stuff, but I never actually saw it. I go to a lot of hamfests where this stuff is not for sale, so look>
Heat shrink is great. Great for splices too of course.
If it were in place already, silicon tape, or maybe it is also called shrink tape, is great too. See my post above.
Is the damage at a place where an outlet might conceivably be useful in the future?
Well, better than cheap electrical tape. Use good 3M Super 33+ and you'll have no problem. If you want to be really fancy, get the 3M 35 colored tape for a color matched repair.
I understand that commercial electricians make mistakes and cut corners, and use electrical tape to cover nicks. And I understand that in a protected location it isn't dangerous. (of course, just doing nothing wouldn't be dangerous in a protected location either; but no one gave that as an alternative). But it is either allowed or forbidden by code?
Explicitly, neither; but falls under the "workmanlike fashion" clause...
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Great product, and the 3M Super 88 is thicker.
I had two options on the table, I didn't mention the other one because I was more interested in the ruling of repair. Since you broached the subject why not. I have to junction box the wire at some point regardless as I need to tie outlets and a switched light to a single circuit. Spur the outlets and light switch from a junction box - say at the break in the sheathing, then run a short wire to the light switch from the junction box - problem solved. The break in the sheathing just happens to be about 9 inches from where the light switch is. So I was looking at it wondering if it was worth the risk to repair the sheathing and go straight in to the switch box, and tie the outlets in from another circuit nearby.
Basically I've got 4 existing outlets daisy chained on a single 15A breaker, and 4 wall lights on another 15A breaker. I was going to wire the next set of outlets and lights from the circuit powering the lights as it has a very low load on it. But I can just as easily tie in with the existing outlets for the new 2 outlets and power the lights with this circuit. It would eliminate the need for the junction box, but require me to repair the sheathing. 50/50 toss up so far as I'm concerned - although keeping the outlets and lights on their respective circuits makes much more sense to me.
That could be takem two ways. I'm sure you mean it is permitted under that clause.
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