conduit in apartments

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wigi

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A G.C. is building an apart. complex each unit is consist of 8 dwelling per unit ,He want to use NMS Romex which is allowed to use it in a TypeV construction by the N.E C. but the city has a local ordinance that req. apartment complex to be in conduit. My question is why would be the reason for this ordinance.
 
A lot of cities here in CA have that ordinance. Some don't allow NMC anywhere. Many cities, ours included, treat multifamlily dwellings as commercial projects, again many cities don't allow NMC in commercial buildings.

The other reason may be that it is easier to install Flex or MC cable than to figure out if something is passing through a rated wall and how it has to be firestopped. Also having no NMC make for less toxic smoke in case there is a fire in the building.

I've never figured out why cities make it so that you can't have NMC installed in a small commercial building, but you can install it in a 300 unit apartment building.

This is just my opinion.
 
I don't think there is any question that EMT is a step up in safety from Romex and I see the question as: " Why isn't EMT required in all dwellings?"
 
wigi said:
A G.C. is building an apart. complex each unit is consist of 8 dwelling per unit ,He want to use NMS Romex which is allowed to use it in a TypeV construction by the N.E C. but the city has a local ordinance that req. apartment complex to be in conduit. My question is why would be the reason for this ordinance.
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There are many reason this might be. A few that come to mind are:

1. A legitimate concern that conduit is safer than NM.

2. The ECs and other interested parties have enough political clout to make this happen in their economic interests.

Which one do you think is what really happened?
 
Bob

While I don't have them in front of me, I recently saw statistics on home fires in Chicago vs. the rest of the nation. Chicago, along with almost all of the surrounding suburbs, requires EMT, and has far fewer fires resulting from the electrical distribution system than rest of the country.
 
finhead said:
Bob

While I don't have them in front of me, I recently saw statistics on home fires in Chicago vs. the rest of the nation. Chicago, along with almost all of the surrounding suburbs, requires EMT, and has far fewer fires resulting from the electrical distribution system than rest of the country.
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Or is it just that when they can't figure out the source of a fire it is harder to say it was electrical if it is in EMT???????
 
I like the idea of emt in these situations. It keeps out the unskilled labor stringing romex and puts more money in my pocket because I will be on the job longer putting in the pipe versus roping the romex.
 
travis301 said:
I like the idea of emt in these situations. It keeps out the unskilled labor stringing romex and puts more money in my pocket because I will be on the job longer putting in the pipe versus roping the romex.
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That same unskilled labor that could be taught to pull romex could be taught to bend pipe.That it takes longer is a fact and cost more for materials.As to it being safer ,sure it is.
 
travis301 said:
I like the idea of emt in these situations. It keeps out the unskilled labor stringing romex and puts more money in my pocket because I will be on the job longer putting in the pipe versus roping the romex.
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Goes back to point 2 that I made earlier. Of course, I am a bit of a cynic as far as most everything government does.
 
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