Re-tasked "White | Gray" conductor

[donf]

Other than as part of a switch loop or a two wire conductor being used to feed a 240 appliance, when can a "White/Gray" be re-tasked as an ungrounded conductor.

I am editing an electrical book and the author has an image of a correctly run wires inside of EMT. The bottom shot shows a "Code violation" in that the EGC is run outside of the cable, but strapped to it. Within that image, the white conductor is shown with red bands at either end, which says to me it is re-tasked.

I flagged that as an additional violation and was told it is fine. Is it? Just as an FYI - this book is written against the 2011 edition of the NEC.

 

[Gregg Harris]

Other than as part of a switch loop or a two wire conductor being used to feed a 240 appliance, when can a "White/Gray" be re-tasked as an ungrounded conductor.

I am editing an electrical book and the author has an image of a correctly run wires inside of EMT. The bottom shot shows a "Code violation" in that the EGC is run outside of the cable, but strapped to it. Within that image, the white conductor is shown with red bands at either end, which says to me it is re-tasked.

I flagged that as an additional violation and was told it is fine. Is it? Just as an FYI - this book is written against the 2011 edition of the NEC.

A red stripe would be re-identifying
200.7 Use of Insulation of a White or Gray Color or with Three Continuous White Stripes. Changed From 2008

?

200.7: Combined requirements for identifying white colored conductors in cable assemblies used as ungrounded conductors to supply utilization equipment or in switch loops. Clarified that marking tape is permitted as a method to re-identify conductors with white colored insulation

 

[fmtjfw]

Use of a white wire with a red tape for other than a neutral in other than a cable is in violation of 200.7(A) in 2011/2014.

200.7(C) allows you to do it when using cable.

Exception for less than 50V.

There is NM cable made with black, red, white white/red, bare. The intent is to match the white/red with white/red as its neutral.

I'll admit that I have re-identified a white wire with tape when changing a feed to an A/C outlet from120 to 240 in conduit, but it doesn't make it right.

 

[augie47]

With very limited exceptions, the conductor on the outside of the raceway is a violation of 300.3(B) also.

 

[suemarkp]

Is the EGC outside of the cable a violation when the cable originally had no bare or green wire? I know when you're retrofitting an EGC to old ungrounded circuits, the EGC can take any path and doesn't have to follow the original cable. One wonders why the cable is not replaced if you can run a new wire next to it though.

 

[480sparky]

Technically, "Gray" conductors were supposed to be ungrounded until the 2002. Only then did the term Natural get deleted and gray (commonly used in 277v systems in the US) became a legal color for grounded conductors.

 

[donf]

Thanks!

Thanks!

A red stripe would be re-identifying
200.7 Use of Insulation of a White or Gray Color or with Three Continuous White Stripes. Changed From 2008

?

200.7: Combined requirements for identifying white colored conductors in cable assemblies used as ungrounded conductors to supply utilization equipment or in switch loops. Clarified that marking tape is permitted as a method to re-identify conductors with white colored insulation

The references to 200.7 are spot on. Thank you. However, the only place I can find the definition of a "Cable" is in article 800, which would not apply to article 200.

The artist, not the author anymore, is saying that since the wires (single conductors) are inside the EMT they can be considered to be a cable "assembly". I said "dirty word", you are wrong, yet I cannot point to a spot in code within the first four chapters to prove that conductors within a raceway are not a "cable assembly". No wonder this guy is an artist, he sure is creative!

 

[Smart $]

The references to 200.7 are spot on. Thank you. However, the only place I can find the definition of a "Cable" is in article 800, which would not apply to article 200.

The artist, not the author anymore, is saying that since the wires (single conductors) are inside the EMT they can be considered to be a cable "assembly". I said "dirty word", you are wrong, yet I cannot point to a spot in code within the first four chapters to prove that conductors within a raceway are not a "cable assembly". No wonder this guy is an artist, he sure is creative!

"Cable" is not defined because it is a wiring method. In chapters 1 thru 4 wiring, a cable must be a type specified in Chapter 3 under an article heading.

Cables are permitted to be run inside of conduit and other raceways... but they must also be properly terminated cable. That is, a cable connector must be used to terminate the sheath, where the cable enters enclosure (or raceway) where the sheath will be removed and individual conductors exposed for termination, splicing, or tapping. I bring this requirement up because single conductor cable does exist. However, as it happens, sheath termination requirements are debatable for dual purpose single conductor/single-conductor cable?not very common but it too does exist.

 

[iwire]

... but they must also be properly terminated cable. That is, a cable connector must be used to terminate the sheath, where the cable enters enclosure (or raceway)

Sometimes ...

 

[Gregg Harris]

The references to 200.7 are spot on. Thank you. However, the only place I can find the definition of a "Cable" is in article 800, which would not apply to article 200.

The artist, not the author anymore, is saying that since the wires (single conductors) are inside the EMT they can be considered to be a cable "assembly". I said "dirty word", you are wrong, yet I cannot point to a spot in code within the first four chapters to prove that conductors within a raceway are not a "cable assembly". No wonder this guy is an artist, he sure is creative!

The wires inside of the conduit is not a cable assembly. A cable assembly is from a manufacture and shiped as a cable assembly.

 

[Smart $]

Sometimes ...

Must always be properly terminated, but I can only think of two instance where a cable connector is not required, and both involve Type NM if my memory serves me well this evening.

 

[kwired]

Technically, "Gray" conductors were supposed to be ungrounded until the 2002. Only then did the term Natural get deleted and gray (commonly used in 277v systems in the US) became a legal color for grounded conductors.

Well before 2002, just what was the difference between "gray" and "natural gray"? What is natural in this application? Maybe conductor insulation with no intentional coloring pigment added? Like the average installer will know what the natural color is without no additional coloring added.

The references to 200.7 are spot on. Thank you. However, the only place I can find the definition of a "Cable" is in article 800, which would not apply to article 200.

The artist, not the author anymore, is saying that since the wires (single conductors) are inside the EMT they can be considered to be a cable "assembly". I said "dirty word", you are wrong, yet I cannot point to a spot in code within the first four chapters to prove that conductors within a raceway are not a "cable assembly". No wonder this guy is an artist, he sure is creative!

Some NEC recognized cables are NM cable, AC cable, MC cable, SE cable, tray cable, and others.

 

[iwire]

Must always be properly terminated, but I can only think of two instance where a cable connector is not required, and both involve Type NM if my memory serves me well this evening.

That is what I had on my mind as well.

 

[Smart $]

Well before 2002, just what was the difference between "gray" and "natural gray"? What is natural in this application? Maybe conductor insulation with no intentional coloring pigment added? Like the average installer will know what the natural color is without no additional coloring added.

"Au naturel" color can vary with insulation material. Natural was very likely a dated term from when mostly rubber, paper, and cloth were used. The advent of thermoplastic insulation brought several colors into the scope, including but not limited to clear, translucent of practically any shade, and off-white. It appears no one bothered to propose a change until 2002. JMO

 

[kwired]

"Au naturel" color can vary with insulation material. Natural was very likely a dated term from when mostly rubber, paper, and cloth were used. The advent of thermoplastic insulation brought several colors into the scope, including but not limited to clear, translucent of practically any shade, and off-white. It appears no one bothered to propose a change until 2002. JMO

Makes sense, except most rubber conductor insulation I have ever seen on older installations was black, but something also tells me that was not the natural? color of rubber.

 

[Smart $]

Makes sense, except most rubber conductor insulation I have ever seen on older installations was black, but something also tells me that was not the natural? color of rubber.

Rubber's natural color is white. Around the turn into the 20th century, it was discovered that adding charcoal black to rubber increased its wear properties dramatically... and that's how rubber tires got to be black.

 

[n1ist]

What about identifying it as a specific neutral of many (like in the 12-2-2 NM or instead of Brady labels) or as one neutral in a system with multiple voltages? In either of these cases, the neutral may have a red tape on it but still be a neutral.

/mike

 

[kwired]

What about identifying it as a specific neutral of many (like in the 12-2-2 NM or instead of Brady labels) or as one neutral in a system with multiple voltages? In either of these cases, the neutral may have a red tape on it but still be a neutral.

/mike

I like the idea of identifying a white wire with red tape to designate it goes with a red ungrounded conductor. Unfortunately many will balk at it being re-identified and being used improperly in that manner But they wouldn't say anything about a red trace in the insulation, number/letter marking labels, brady labels or equivalent.

 

[Smart $]

I like the idea of identifying a white wire with red tape to designate it goes with a red ungrounded conductor. Unfortunately many will balk at it being re-identified and being used improperly in that manner But they wouldn't say anything about a red trace in the insulation, number/letter marking labels, brady labels or equivalent.

I prefer putting the tape around both [or all] conductors of each circuit. Neat, simple, mitigates confusion, and technically is not re-identifying the white conductor. Mostly use plain ol' black tape, but do use phase tape on occasion.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Without seeing the picture or the context. You can get white or gray wire with any color stripe you want on it, that way you can identify which ungrounded conductor the neutral is to be used for. Black stripes/black conductor, red stripes/red conductor, etc.