Rewire 220v to 110v Color question

[Guy Noir]

Question: I have installed central air and I no longer need to 220v window AC outlets.

They are wired with romax and the colors of the conductor insulation are Black, Red, and White. With the current cost of copper, I hate to replace these runs.

Standard color codes are of course black, white, copper/gnd. If I rewire this for 110v what colors should I put where? I read somewhere in the code that you can re-identify a cable with colored tape (green for instance for the wire used for ground)

So, should I use black-hot white-neutral and red-green taped at each end for ground? Does this meet NEC code or at least come close??

Thanks in Advance, as always!!

-A

[Doug Miller]

No bare wire??

That is not correct. Grounding conductors larger than 6AWG are permitted to be re-identified in that manner, but not 6AWG and smaller. [2005 NEC, Article

250.119]

No.

[John Grabowski]

Yes, you'll be fine. Make sure the green is continuous and no red is visible. Isn't there an equipment grounding conductor in the box now?

[Guy Noir]

Unfortunately, no there is no bare or green conductor.

-A

[Chris Lewis]

I'm talking from the perspective of absolutely strict code compliance from the perspective of an anal inspector:

Legally, you can't use a black or red wire as neutral, but you can use white for hot (with suitable marking). You can't use any of them as ground, nor can you use a bare ground for anything else.

In other words, you could make the black hot, white neutral, but you can't use the red as a ground (or neutral).

Also, new/revised work has to be grounded (or equivalent).

"Or equivalent" is your back door:

1) Abandon both ends of the red conductor (cap or tape it off - someday in the future you might need that red wire again - so don't cut it off.) 2) use a GFCI outlet. 3) use black for hot, white for neutral on the "line" side of the GFCI.

[Puddin' Man]

I'd be interested in hearing about exactly what Mr. Guy plans to do at -each- end of the "run" before commenting on color codes.

P

"Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens!" -Friedrich Schiller

[Pete C.]

I'd recommend the OP check more carefully to see if there is indeed a bare ground conductor in that Romex, perhaps one that was clipped flush with the jacket for some reason by the original installer.

If the Romex has a PVC jacket vs. cloth, there should certainly be a ground conductor in it. The print on the PVC jacket should indicate something like 12-3 with ground. If the Romex is old enough to have a cloth jacket then perhaps it really doesn't have a ground, though I've seen a lot of cloth jacketed Romex that has the expected bare ground conductor.

Pete C.

[dpb]

Pete C. wrote: ...

And I've seen a lot of plastic-jacketed romex w/o the ground, too. It certainly wouldn't be at all hard for all the wiring except the ends coming out of the handy box and in the panel to be inaccessible to check, but if can be seen, that would tell OP if he can't tell. But, if the original installer cut it off so short he can't even tell there was one there, it really won't help much any way, will it? :)

--

[Pete C.]

It depends... If it's original construction and it doesn't have a ground he's out of luck.

If it's original construction and the ground was clipped short he's out of luck unless he has some ambition for more work.

If there is a ground that was clipped short and it's in a remodel box he can pull the box and potentially have enough slack to reterminate the box with the ground.

If it really doesn't have a ground, but it was pulled into a remodel box he may be able to use the wire to pull in new appropriate wire.

Pete C.

[Toller]

How exactly could using a red as a ground hurt anything? The absolute worst senerio is that someone in the future will be working on the circuit and find the red isn't hot like he expected, and that the ground is missing. If he isn't bright enough to put the two together (and the green tape has fallen off the red wire) he will have to fall back on your suggestion, but there is no way any harm can result.

[Doug Miller]

At some other point in the circuit, somebody may someday decide to connect a hot conductor to it, perhaps.

I'll agree that it's unlikely, but as they say, never say never. Categorical statements are always false.

In any event, whether harm can result or not is moot. It's specifically prohibited by the NEC.

[Guy Noir]

Thanks for all of the suggestions and comments folks. I truly do appreciate the input. To answer a few questions....

The outlet, and the feed to the outlet at the breaker panel, no. The sub panel is grounded (New sub panel with proper neutral seperation, ground, etc)

No, it's a remodel job that was done and AFAIK, the ground was not clipped, it's just not there.

The wire appears to be cloth covered, however the conductors appear to be PVC sheathed.

The only thing I could see in the future would be if someone were to tap into the line somewhere under the house where there would obviously be no markings. I'm more concerned about a house inspector dinging me on this if I ever go to sell the house.

Thanks again

-A

[Terry]

How about making a bare out of the red?

[Noozer]

You're going to pull the red wire from the sheathing, strip it, and stuff it back in?

[SparkyGuy]

It looks like you've got lots of help with your question about wire color.

I presume that the 220v circuit was protected with a 30A breaker, or such? Be sure to replace that with an appropriate-sized breaker for your new outlet. If it's a 20A or 15A receptacle, use a proper breaker of that rating for the re-purposed circuit.

Good luck, Sparky

[Doug Miller]

Nope, that doesn't meet Code either, unless you have some way to strip *all* of the insulation off of it, from beginning to end.

[Doug Miller]

Irrelevant -- if he truly does not have a bare wire, he cannot make a Code-compliant installation with this cable. Period.

[John Grabowski]

Since this post began I have read 250.119 twice. I see no specific limitation on taping the red wire green regardless of the size. In fact

250.119(B) specifically permits it under qualified supervision

[Doug Miller]

"Unless required elsewhere in this Code, equipment grounding conductors shall be permitted to be bare, covered or insulated. Individually covered or insulated equipment grounding conductors shall have a CONTINUOUS outer finish that is either green or green with one or more yellow stripes except as permitted in this section." [2005 NEC, Article 250.119 (emphasis added)]

IOW -- if it's insulated at all, the insulation must be green, or green with yellow tracer(s), from beginning to end. A wire with red insulation, either remarked as green at the ends, or stripped bare at the ends, does not qualify because it does not "have a continuous outer finish that is green or ...".

250.119(A) provides an exception for conductors larger than 6AWG, permitting them to be reidentified as equipment grounding conductors at the time of *installation*.

The exception in 250.119(B) applies, in the first place, "where the conditions of maintenance and supervision ensure that only qualified persons service the installation." These conditions do not exist in a residential setting.

In the second place, that exception, like the one in 250.119(A), applies at the time of installation *only*. In no case does the Code permit remarking of a conductor as an equipment grounding conductor in an *existing* system.

[John Grabowski]

I'd do it anyway because I think the inspectors would find it acceptable. I remember back in the eighties many companies were specifying isolated ground receptacles. The contractors were installing 3 wire BX and Romex with the r ed wire re-identified with green tape and they passed inspection. At that time the wire marking code references were less liberal than they are now. Now of course hospital BX and MC cable are readily available with insulated grounding conductors.