Wiring Question: Metal Conduit Needed ?

Yep. That's fine.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Just staple along the wide sides of the studs and joists -- no conduit required. If you have to cross any studs or joists, you'll have to drill holes -- wire along the exposed edges is a major no-no. Since the basement is unfinished, any duplex outlets have to be GFCI protected.

That's absolutely true according to the most recent published code. That doesn't mean your locality will accept it. It might be worth a call-

Dan

Guys-

The OP is a retired engineer, they usually like do things way above code level (remember it's a minimum standard)

How about suggesting steel flex or EMT followed by THHN/THWN 12 gage (that's my preferred method in my DIY and "help a friend" projects).

cheers Bob

I just helped one of my wife's students (he's also my painter) wire his garage before he drywalled it. We used steel flex. Flex is fast but IMO looks like messy unless you cover it. I suck at EMT offsets.

Tips? Only do it, if you enjoy the process & the result.

Romex is much faster but doesn't lend itself to changes downstream

Maybe the wiring thing is ny my blood, my grandfather was an electrician in the 30's before he became a bookmaker fulltime. :)

cheers Bob

I like emt, just looks good after it's all installed. Hmmmm.... EMT with 12 awg thhn, must be reading my mind for wiring up my unfinished basement.

Any tips? :-P

later,

tom @

This will depend on your local code. Here in NYC, it would need to be in EMT conduit.

Steve Manes Brooklyn, NY

My family lives in brooklyn. Since all houses seem to be row houses, they are all considered 'places of assembly" by definition. So NM is not allowed to be used by the NEC, even without looking at the local codes.

So very good point steve!

later,

tom @

I could buy classifying them as multiple dwellings, in the absence of fire walls between them, but calling them public assemblies is weird even for New York city.

-- Tom H

"Places of assembly"? That's news to me and I own a Brooklyn row house. My CO is for a single-family dwelling.

What I meant is that NYC electrical code forbids exposed wiring, even in basements (with some minor exceptions). It's got to be in conduit.

Steve Manes Brooklyn, NY

First, I didn't say public.

When you look at the houses, they are designed such that you share everything. These houses are old, so the common wall between occpancies, have mixed electrical and plumbing running through it, and I dont' think they met fire wall definiation when built in the early

So, to me, it istantly looks like a place of assembly, so I would guess I would have to instantly adhere to strict code requirements.

One way my dad described it with the codes, each house is treated as an apartment in a large block sized building. So, I guess that way, it's considered offically as multi-family dwelling.

hope I clarified what I ment, sometimes the connection betweent the brain and keyboard is fouled up. :-P

later,

tom

I can't speak for every row house in Brooklyn but my 1906 house

These old houses were, if anything, overbuilt compared to more modern condo-type row houses.

Steve Manes Brooklyn, NY

Well not professing to be an expert, just remembering what I see and hear when I'm at the house. When the wall was torn down(just plaster and surface junk, there were server drain lines visible. I asked about them, wondering how mainy toilets there were upstairs and my dad commented how he believes(since there were many drainlines) some of them are from the next door neighbor. So it appears the wall would be penitrated. As for hearing, it seems like you can hear your neighbors conversations and activities well.

Joke is in the neighbor hood, your neighbors know how many times you use the rest room, better than you do. ;)

But I have to admit, there are somethings about the house that seem over-enginered. One being the columns and supports, and foundation walls.

Steve, I have a question, I've always wondered this, and this lends to my belief it's all common construction between the houses lending to the idea is't more a place of assembly of smaller unit, are the attic(roof areas) seperated? I mean as a kid, I remember seening a block of row houses burnt down because the fire traveled between the drop floor ceiling and under the roof. Fire was obvious it started in one house, and then as the fire fighters fought it, you could see fire erupt in the ajacent homes, like a domino effect.

later,

tom

And, depending on who you ask, has to be armored even inside the walls (BX). I've had seemingly real electricians and engineers give me different answers to that question. I play it safe and use armored cable.

Greg G. Queens, NY

In the case of my house, as is the case with almost every classic brownstone I've seen, there are no attics. The top floor ceiling is about a foot below the roof rafters and stuffed with mineral wool. The brick party walls extend about 18" above the roof line.

What's sort of interesting about the original construction on these houses is that they were usually built in groups, like ten or twenty in a row. If you strip the plaster off the brick on the top floor you can see what was obviously a passage way between the houses, albeit bricked up now of course. The builders evidentally used them. From what I've been able to learn, each house also served a different purpose during construction. One was where all the masonry was warehoused, one was for lumber, one was a window construction shop, one was a shop where the mouldings were actually cut on site, etc.

Steve Manes Brooklyn, NY

Me too. I've been *told* that Romex is legal in single-family dwellings in NYC now so long as it's completely enclosed. But I frankly find BX to be easier to work with anyway. It's one less wire inside the box and I feel a lot safer pulling BX through nail-strewn plaster walls.

Steve Manes Brooklyn, NY

Amen

Fine if you going to cover it with sheetrock or paneling.

Not good if its an exposed area.

OP asked if was to code. It is (NEC, anyhow). Additional protection is at the OP's discretion.