I wanted to put an outlet on the outside of my deck next to the pool for the pump and timer. The deck is attached to the house. Can I run UF cable from my basement under the deck, fastened to one of the joists, then mount an outlet box on the outside wall of the deck? The cable will not be buried.
*Yes. Do not run the cable across the underside of the joists. Drill through them if you must take that route. Use a GFI receptacle that is rated for wet locations (It should have a "W" on its face) with an in-use (Bubble) cover.
Actually the cable would run parallel to the joists. So would it be better to staple along the side of the joist, or directly under the joist where it would be better protected from the elements?
If it's under the joist then you'll have to put a protector over it. Put it on the side; it's UF-rated so it's designed for exposure to damp and under a deck it doesn't have much UV to worry about.
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Interesting, you would figure under a joist it would be out of the sun and rain. I wonder why it requires protection for that.
It doesn't. It needs protection from physical damage. That's why you staple it to the side of the joist, not the bottom.
OK, assuming no one ever goes under this deck, which is 4 feet above the dirt ground and enclosed with 5/4X6 boards all the way around ( with the exception of an access door), any reason why I can't staple to under the joists? Or am I still better off on the side?
It won't meet code.
Yes: it's a Code violation.
Yes. That's what the Code requires, and it's considerably easier to install that way anyhow. Why are you so set on running it under the joists? There is
*no* reason to do that, and plenty of reasons not to.
Because when it rains, water can still get into the floorboard spaces and get the wire wet, whereas below the joist it would not get as wet. Just a thought I had. But I have no problems mounting it to the side.
You can't say that and have it be true forever. What abouut the next owner? That's why the code says staple it to the sides of the joist. I'd also try to get it close to the underside of the deck surface.
The UF rated cable is DESIGNED to be buried in the ground...
The ground gets wetter and stays wet than your deck will ever be during a rain event... As long as you are not doing damage to the wire as you hang it with the staples it will be fine...
It is protected from mechanical damage by being hung up on the side of the joist rather than on the bottom, as anyone climbing underneath the deck at a later time could get caught on the wire or damage the wire if it was run along the bottom edge of the joist...
If you are that worried about the UF cable getting wet then perhaps you should hire someone who knows how to do this and have them run some type of conduit for you...
~~ Evan
It needs to stay 1.25" from either edge of the joist.
Wayne
OK, its going on the side of the joist.
As far as the UF connectors, I plan on using one coming up from the bottom of the box as this is the prefered way, right?
You may put it under the deck, but after 5 years, it may be necessary to bury the deck.
_So what_ if it gets wet. UF cable is rated for use in wet locations, including direct burial in soil. It's OK to get rained on. It won't hurt it _at all_.
On 5/5/2010 10:30 AM Mikepier spake thus:
Yes, to avoid rain getting into the box. You can put connectors anywhere on the box, and they're raintight, but putting it on the bottom makes it even more so.
it doesn't matter if it gets wet. It does matter if something hits it.
Actually the cable would run parallel to the joists. So would it be better to staple along the side of the joist, or directly under the joist where it would be better protected from the elements?
*You could staple along the underside of one joist. You just cannot go from joist to joist on the underside. I think that you are better off running it along side of the joist.
If the OP cleans the spaces between the deck boards with a hacksaw blade like I do to keep it clean, he might hit the wire if it is mounted on the side, but code is code.
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