Approved wiring for under-cabinet lights

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goldstar

goldstar

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New Jersey
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Electrical Contractor
I believe this has been discussed here in the forum in the past but I couldn't find an answer in the archives. An EC friend of mine asked me what type of "in wall" wiring is approved for LED under-cabinet strip lights. He said he ran two # 14 NMC whips into the basement for switching and the LED driver would be located there. The wiring to the LED strip lights will be 12 volts. Is there a structured cable that is now approved for "in wall" use for this application ?

Thanks.
 
The wire I use is rated Class 2 and 3 but I believe it needs to be class 2. Technically, nm cable is non compliant which seems odd to me
 
Honeywell Genesis Cable 52525506

Here is the Honeywell Cable # 800-222-0060

I have both the 12/2 and 14/2. In most cases the 14/2 should be fine
 
Dennis Alwon said:
Because if you are using a class 2 trany then , my understanding you must use class 2 wiring. If you use chapter 3 wiring methods then you must install it in a chapter 3 approved means.
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411.6(D) (2014 NEC)

(D) Insulated Conductors.
Exposed insulated secondary circuit conductors shall be of the type, and installed as, described in (1), (2), or (3):


(1) Class 2 cable supplied by a Class 2 power source and installed in accordance with Parts I and III of Article 725.


(2) Conductors, cord, or cable of the listed system and installed not less than 2.1 m (7 ft) above the finished floor unless the system is specifically listed for a lower installation height.


(3) Wiring methods described in Chapter 3
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NM cable falls under (3).
 
Dennis Alwon said:
Yes but you have to use jb's etc. That was what we were told by a cmp member. Besides I never said you couldn't use nm...:)
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Are you saying you could "open splice" CL2 cables but if you had same setup but used NM cable those same splices must be in a junction box?
 
Dennis Alwon said:
Yes but you have to use jb's etc. That was what we were told by a cmp member. Besides I never said you couldn't use nm...:)
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Probably one of the ones that think AFCIs work.

No. If you use NM in a CL2 circuit you certainly can open splice- and cut the ground wire off to boot. But why would you use NM when there are lots of CL2 listed cables that can be concealed within the walls.

The only time you need to use a Chapter 3 wiring method like NM is when you have something larger than CL2 or CL3. The power supply label will either say nothing or Class 1 wiring must be used. THEN the installation has to comply with Chapter 3 including J boxes, connectors, support, etc.

-Hal
 
hbiss said:
Probably one of the ones that think AFCIs work.

No. If you use NM in a CL2 circuit you certainly can open splice- and cut the ground wire off to boot. But why would you use NM when there are lots of CL2 listed cables that can be concealed within the walls.

The only time you need to use a Chapter 3 wiring method like NM is when you have something larger than CL2 or CL3. The power supply label will either say nothing or Class 1 wiring must be used. THEN the installation has to comply with Chapter 3 including J boxes, connectors, support, etc.

-Hal
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You say that with authority. I have been rejected for it in an area where the inspectors are on top of things. I suspect they are correct. I believe Iwire also stated as much a long while ago.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
You say that with authority. I have been rejected for it in an area where the inspectors are on top of things. I suspect they are correct. I believe Iwire also stated as much a long while ago.
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They are wrong. Ask them to show you where what they say is in the Code. The NM isn't being used as a Class 1 Chapter 3 wiring method. Maybe they are getting confused and thinking it's reclassified CL2. The Code doesn't say you can't use a Chapter 3 wiring method for CL2 therefore it doesn't address what to do if you do other than if you RECLASSIFY, which in this case you are not doing.

kwired said:
Because I only need 5-10 feet and already have NM cable readily available.
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That's probably the main reason. Nothing wrong with that. :thumbsup:

-Hal
 
I usually use jacketed in-wall-rated speaker wire. It's available in different gauges and is colored for D.C.
 
hbiss said:
They are wrong. Ask them to show you where what they say is in the Code. The NM isn't being used as a Class 1 Chapter 3 wiring method. Maybe they are getting confused and thinking it's reclassified CL2. The Code doesn't say you can't use a Chapter 3 wiring method for CL2 therefore it doesn't address what to do if you do other than if you RECLASSIFY, which in this case you are not doing.-Hal
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If you choose to use NM cable as allowed in Article 411, you would have to follow all of the rules in Chapter 3 including 300.15 which requires NM cable splices to be installed in boxes. I think that is what Dennis is getting at. Just my opinion.
 
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