Damaged NM cable sheath

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jimmy_mcquade

Member
Hi everyone,

i was helping dad last week and i noticed there was a nick / flaw in the protective coating of the NM cable in the house.
it must have occured when the wiring was put in. there is no evidence of any damage to the wiring.

my question is, can i wrap the area with electrical tape ?
will it raise any flags with anyone?

thanks,
jimmy
 
dhalleron

dhalleron

Senior Member
Location
Louisville, KY
Whenever I used to fix romex with black tape I always felt I was cheating and tried to hide the repair if I could.

Later I read somewhere that it is actually ok and some manufactures explain that in their paperwork.

Maybe someone else can explain it better with some facts.
 
480sparky

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
Remove enough of the sheath to inspect the insulation of the conductors. If they're undamaged, tape the sheath up.

Reference: Gil Moniz of NEMA and Dave Mercier of SouthWire Corporation stated during an IAEI meeting.
 
resistance

resistance

Senior Member
Location
WA
480sparky said:
Remove enough of the sheath to inspect the insulation of the conductors. If they're undamaged, tape the sheath up.

Reference: Gil Moniz of NEMA and Dave Mercier of SouthWire Corporation stated during an IAEI meeting.
Click to expand...
This is what I do.
 
J

jeremysterling

Senior Member
Location
Austin, TX
When I was in school, I was taught that cable assemblies were made with a sheath that was designed to protect the conductor's insulation during installation.

I understand that to mean that the sheath will incur scrapes, scratches and scuffs as it fulfills its protective role.

If the outer sheath needed to retain "like-new" appearance, it should be made with another extra outer-outer sheath.:p
 
readydave8

readydave8

re member
Location
Clarkesville, Georgia
Occupation
electrician
jeremysterling said:
When I was in school, I was taught that cable assemblies were made with a sheath that was designed to protect the conductor's insulation during installation.

I understand that to mean that the sheath will incur scrapes, scratches and scuffs as it fulfills its protective role.

If the outer sheath needed to retain "like-new" appearance, it should be made with another extra outer-outer sheath.:p
Click to expand...
Yes, but what if extra outer-outer sheath gets scrapes, scratches, and scuffs?:D
 
electricguy61

electricguy61

Senior Member
Location
Remotely running business in Bay Area, CA from Med
In a somewhat similar vane, our company recently failed an inspection because we had used a short piece (perhaps 6 inches) of new cable sheath from 12/2 romex to sheath existing romex so it would reach into the panel (the individual conductors were plenty long enough, but the outer sheath was too short. (it was a panel upgrade job).

The inspector made us install a junction box above the panel, and splice the old romex to a new romex. Seemed pretty petty and dumb to me, but sometimes it's not worth arguing about.
 
T

T-Stripes

Member
Location
Chimacum,WA, Jefferson
Factory spec

Factory spec

I had been taught that the tape-over must replace the original sheath over the break to the extent that it meets the original thickness of the outer jacket-- I don't have the mil specs, just approximate it and use the color-coded phase tape if you are self-conscious. That's real pretty!
 
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