A blue 10 AWG nonmetallic sheathed cable in a older dwelling.

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JJWalecka

JJWalecka

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New England
A peer mentioned that he noticed a blue 10 AWG nonmetallic sheathed cable in a older dwelling.
Was it not a recent amendment that pertained to color coating the outer sheath of Nonmetallic sheathed cable? White 14 AWG, Yellow 12 AWG and Orange 10 AWG.
Perhaps someone has seen or installed this wiring method.

Justin J. Walecka
 
I've seen some older NM cables that have a bluish tint to them. Some UF cable out there is blue in color as well.

I don't believe the recent coloring is an actual amendment to a code or standard, but more of a marketing ploy.
 
j_erickson said:
I've run into lots of light blue romex in older dwellings. It's not just 10, 14 and 12 too if I remember right.
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I too have seen different types of NM cable that was a light blue color installed in homes about the early seventies.

Chris
 
I wired a little house / storefront for a budding architect back in the late seventies. This student architect's home was built in the early '20s and the storefront was a second building attached along the side of the house extending past the front of the house all the way to the sidewalk.

Being a budding architect, the guy did some very creative things combining the store and the house into one living space.

In one area, he left the original framing exposed for the visual effect.

When I wired the new lighting in the exposed areas he was excited beyond words to learn that not all NM was white or black.

For whatever reason, the manufacturers of NM in the '70s, had cable sheaths of varying hue and color. Besides white and black, we identified Cream, Tan, Brown, Grey and Blue.

I had a couple different colored cables, and he agonized over them for a few days, until he settled on the right "match" to his design.

In an effort to help my client, I made the request of my electrical wholesaler as to what other colors of 14/2 and 12/2 might be in back. You should have seen the look on the sales guy's face.

I didn't hear the end of that for months. :D
 
In 1988 I needed to run a romex exposed in a small post and beam style house on a slab. The beams were stained so dark they were almost black. For the previous few years romex was coming mostly black, but hadn't been for the previous few months. When I phoned asking if they had any black romex left the counter man said "is that a real question?" LOL.
 
Saw some older degree gray NM. Faked me out for a moment I thought someone did a whole attic in UF ;->
 
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