Strain Relief Question

[tev9999]

I had a "mystery" wire running through a wall I needed to remove for my kitchen remodel. I say mystery since I could not figure out why it went from the attic to basement and what it was controlling. Rather than spend a ton of time tracing it, I just killed the main breaker and put two junction boxes in - one in the attic, one in the basement (both accessable) - and moved it to pass through the wall that was not getting torn out. It got me thinking - is there a code requirement on how many pieces of romex can be fastened with one strain relief? I used standard 4X4 metal boxes with the round strain reliefs in a side knockout (not the ones with the built in dual clamps on the bottom of the box). For the attic run I used two strain reliefs with the wire entering and exiting on opposite sides - the same way it was running. In the basement I fed them both through one knockout because I only had one left. It's standard 14-2 romex.

[SQLit]

Most people do not use strain relief connectors on romex. The two screw connector is more common. This connector is round and attaches to a knock out hole. Yes there are limits to the number of cables that can be run through the connector. Check the connectors listing for amount and SIZES of cables that are allowed.

Two 14-2 are probably ok

[Joseph Meehan]

It is possible to put a signal on a circuit and trace any of the wires on that circuit without tearing out walls. I think I would take that approach first. You can buy such a tool, have someone come out and trace it for you or maybe you can rent one. If you buy one don't expect the cheap ones to really do the job.

[tev9999]

I already had the wall open as part of the remodel, along with the wall I was moving it too. It had to be moved, so the only advantage of tracing the circuit would have been to turn off a single breaker instead of the main, or avoid splicing a dead wire. Since it appears to be original wiring I am 99% sure it is powering something somewhere. Didn't feel like moving insulation or basement ceiling tiles to figure it out.

The two screw clamp connector is the type I used.