Look at the workmanship I ran into today

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don_resqcapt19

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
retired electrician
I see it all the time, and surprisingly it doesn't dissolve into the dirt or explode or do anything nasty other than violate the Code.
It will last a long time. I worked on the replacement of a feeder for the lights at a football field that was three single directly buried 1/0 THW conductors....it lasted some 35 years and was likely done in by a lighting strike.... at least that is what our invoice said:)
 

mgookin

Senior Member
Location
Fort Myers, FL
It will last a long time. I worked on the replacement of a feeder for the lights at a football field that was three single directly buried 1/0 THW conductors....it lasted some 35 years and was likely done in by a lighting strike.... at least that is what our invoice said:)

Sports fields, parks & billboards rank tops for where I used to run into conditions which could immediately kill.

Many ballfields are run by volunteers who change from year to year. Every time someone new gets there "oh, this is normal".

Billboards are where the only guy there is the paper hanger. He's paid to hang & run.

Parks? Not sure why but I was at a concert and saw an 8 year old playing INSIDE the outdoor switchgear because the cabinets were rotted away. Dealt with shocks and electrocutions in parks and heard of many more. In a park you're supposed to watch out for the mugger, not the amperage.

OP: what kind of facility is that picture from?
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
what article is it where NM (Romex) can be buried?
It is a dry location cable, anything buried is not considered dry.

It is not intended nor is it tested or listed for anything but dry locations. Doesn't mean it won't work or stand up to damp or wet conditions, just plain and simple is not intended for them.
 

alive wire

Member
Location
Phoenix, AZ US
Sports fields, parks & billboards rank tops for where I used to run into conditions which could immediately kill.

Many ballfields are run by volunteers who change from year to year. Every time someone new gets there "oh, this is normal".

Billboards are where the only guy there is the paper hanger. He's paid to hang & run.

Parks? Not sure why but I was at a concert and saw an 8 year old playing INSIDE the outdoor switchgear because the cabinets were rotted away. Dealt with shocks and electrocutions in parks and heard of many more. In a park you're supposed to watch out for the mugger, not the amperage.

OP: what kind of facility is that picture from?
Bingo, this feeds a monument sign at a commercial property

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
 

chicar

Senior Member
Location
Lancaster,Pa
The person who did this do show some skills. At least they marked the gray wires in case of future troubleshooting. Gotta love it....
 

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
Hack work no longer fazes me. Once you do this for a while, you've pretty much seen it all. I fix it if I'm in a position to do so, otherwise I walk away and life goes on.
 

wwhitney

Senior Member
Location
Berkeley, CA
Occupation
Retired
NM has a jacket. UF has to have an integral or overall covering that meets certain criteria the NM jacket does not have to meet.
Can you be more specific? What criterion does UF have to meet that can't be satisfied by a jacket?

Cheers, Wayne
 

mgookin

Senior Member
Location
Fort Myers, FL
Can you be more specific? What criterion does UF have to meet that can't be satisfied by a jacket?

Cheers, Wayne

UF is molded which I believe prevents air or water from being in there. UF is more rugged too; It's a different polymer.

NM just has a sheath.

Cut a cross section of the two and look.
 

wwhitney

Senior Member
Location
Berkeley, CA
Occupation
Retired
Cut a cross section of the two and look.
I understand the difference, I've used both.

What I'm asking is why UF has the full encasement, and whether a cable manufacturer could design a cable that would meet the listing requirements for UF that only has an overall jacket.

Thanks,
Wayne
 
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