NM cable in garage?

[stryped]

Can type NM cable be used in a detached garage with no interior walls?

[charlie]

what did your building inspector say after you called him and asked?

[Pete C.]

I suppose that would depend on if the OP has a building inspector where he lives. Folks here seem to forget that not all areas have oppressive codes and inspectors.

[fftt]

In many areas yes, in some areas no....

Independent of local code requirements I recommend either

1) pulled wire in EMT or flex

OR

2) NM drilled through the studs with nail plates where indicated. This would be in preparation for sheathing the interior of the garage with plywood (actually 7/16 - 1/2 OSB is the lowest cost sheathing) followed by drywall. A very nice way to "finish out" a garage and can be done as time & money permits.

that said, my neighbor did his garage (bare studs / no interior sheathing) in NM a couple years. His is hardworking garage; tool usage, storage, painting, construction.....no problem with the exposed NM.

cheers Bob

[IGot2P]

Pete, I totally agree with what you said and have been intending to say it for a long time.

In the county that I live in you don't even have to get a permit to build a new home in the county (in the communities, you do). You can build what you want, where you want, and when you want. OTOH, If you are putting in a septic system you must have a permit for it.

Recently, there was a law passed that states that the utility company must report your structure to the state before they can hook up the power to the structure. Once it is reported then an electrical inspector (note, only electric) does come around and look things over. As you can imagine, this new law is not going over well in the rural areas and individuals are looking for ways around it.

....and no, I do not live in a 3rd world country.

Don

[Steve Barker]

yes

[charlie]

you need to research who this person is. try looking at his posts and responses in rec.crafts.metalworking.

[Wayne Whitney]

Starting with the 2002 NEC, this was disallowed. Section 334.10 of the 2008 NEC reads:

334.10 Uses Permitted. Type NM, Type NMC, and Type NMS cables shall be permitted to be used in the following:

(1) One- and two-family dwellings.

(2) Multifamily dwellings permitted to be of Types III, IV, and V construction except as prohibited in 334.12.

(3) Other structures permitted to be of Types III, IV, and V construction except as prohibited in 334.12. Cables shall be concealed within walls, floors, or ceilings that provide a thermal barrier of material that has at least a 15-minute finish rating as identified in listings of firerated assemblies.

(4) Cable trays in structures permitted to be Types III, IV, or V where the cables are identified for the use.

Section 334.12(A) prohibits other uses. Since a detached garage is not a dwelling unit, usage in the garage is governed by 334.10(3), which require the NM to be concealed.

Cheers, Wayne

[Pete C.]

No, I don't really. My point stands just fine regardless of the OP.

[Limp Arbor]

Your question was already answered here:

Others may have forgotten but I haven=92t that you keep asking over & over again until you get the answer you want like here:

[DGDevin]

When someone proposing to do wiring has to ask what kind of cable to use, the existence of building codes (and inspectors) don't seem like such a bad thing.

[Doug Miller]

He occasionally infests rec.woodworking, too, with similar questions.

Yes, you do really, and no it doesn't. Stryped won't take the initiative to find out *anything* on his own -- questions that he could easily answer with a minimum of effort, he brings to the newsgroups. Over and over and over.

And Stryped *does* live in a jurisdiction with Code inspectors.

[gfretwell]

Most AHJs still consider garages on residential property part of the dwelling so they can enforce things like 210.52(A)(2). What you bump up against is, NM "subject to physical damage" needs to be protected. and that opens up the can of worms, what is "subject to physical damage". You can't even get inspectors to agree on that within the same county unless there is a published interpretation. I have seen it range from, everything has to be in pipe, everything below 6' 6" in pipe, ENT is OK or just you need it on running boards across masonry walls. Another issue is anything below 18" may be called a classified location (explosion hazard) so outlets are usually mounted high on the wall compared to the house.

[John Gilmer]

If exposed and "accessible" the general answer is NO.

Heretofore, I didn't use armored cable but I bit the bullet and picked up

100' of #12 Al armored stuff.

I ended up buying a $29 gadget that makes it easy to cut the armor. After that, it many respects it's just as easy if not easier to use than the romex! You get the right "connectors" and don't forget the bushings (tiny little red sleves) and the cable clamps and you are ready to go.

My next purchase will be a roll of #14.

I had to connect some "boxes" on my basement wall. One was a relay transformer box and I couldn't find fittings to line up the knockouts on the relay box with the openings in the other boxes. Run the armored stuff and NO PROBLEM!

In larger sizes (#10 and larger) it might not be practical but for #12 it's very easy to use. If that problem comes up, I suspect I will use plastic conduit.

[clare]

I used to like AluSheath cable - can't seam to buy it any more. A lot nicer to work with than BX.

[gfretwell]

Make that 210.8(A)(2)

I just have 210.52 on my mind today ... another story

[Wayne Whitney]

210.8(A)(2) specifically talks about accessory buildings, so it seems to me it applies whether or not you consider the accessory building as part of the dwelling unit. Do you have another example?

Cheers, Wayne

[Rick]

Add alt.engineering.electrical...and I see the "stab" question at sci.electronics.basic and sci.electronics.design posted by "moi"

Were you around for the "how do I level dirt" and pole barn sagas?

[gfretwell]

As AHJ you have 2 choices. You can say a garage is part of a dwelling and be able to enforce 210.8(A)(2) or say it is something else and lose the GFCI protection, just to require a 15 minute finish over the NM It is a lot easier as the AHJ to use the "subject to physical damage" clause and require that the NM gets sleeved in a raceway, typically up to 6.5 feet or to the ceiling. There are other codes here you also have to deal with. If this is not part of a dwelling (a residential garage) the fire protection and ventilation requirements might be onerous for the builder All that said, I would not second guess what any AHJ might say. As I said, just the physical damage question runs the whole gamut from no protection needed to all pipe all the time.

[Doug Miller]

No, missed those, I think. Is it worth the time to Google them? Any laughs in store?