Copper Prices.....oh my!

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peter d

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
I'm sure everyone has noticed that copper prices have shot up recently. In some cases they have surpassed the record levels they were at a year ago!

Since I primarily do residential, I have noticed the price of "romex" has gone up about $5-10 per 250' coil just in the past few months.

Adding to the situation is the high price of crude oil, which of course is a key component in compounding wire insulation.

But I'm not complaining, I'm just going to run more multiwire circuits!!! :D :p
 
Re: Copper Prices.....oh my!

Multi-wire circuits in residential. Those have never been popular with the inspectors here ( Atlanta area ). It's been some time since I've seen a multi-wire circuit in a house. I guess being able to use the 14/2 was kind of a trade off because some areas don't even allow that. I'm not sure I would trust the homeowners and other jack legs to keep the phases straight. Scott may have a point about outlawing such wiring methods. What happens when some numb nuts sticks both hot legs on a tandem breaker. I'd think about it, could be more trouble than it's worth.
 
Re: Copper Prices.....oh my!

Originally posted by growler:
..What happens when some numb nuts sticks both hot legs on a tandem breaker...
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What happpens when some dumb person swims in the ocean with sharks. What happens when some dumb person feeds an alligator in their back yard. What happens when some dumb person stands on the top of a ladder to reach for something.

I personally don't think we should do anything to protect dumb people.
 
Re: Copper Prices.....oh my!

Originally posted by bphgravity:
I personally don't think we should do anything to protect dumb people.
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That's pretty close to the way I feel about it. Call it the Darwinian approach to residential wiring.
 
Re: Copper Prices.....oh my!

Someone has to clean the gene pool occasionally!

In fact, it's overdue around here.
cwm.gif
 
Re: Copper Prices.....oh my!

I agree! The code only protects consumers from what they plug in, If they get into a panel whats to keep them from putting a 120 volt circuit on 240 volts? :( Multiwire circuits stay's!!!!!! :D

[ July 07, 2005, 09:34 PM: Message edited by: hurk27 ]
 
Re: Copper Prices.....oh my!

Just a couple months ago I had to pay over $6.00 Per ft for 600Kcmil XHHW. :eek:
The next order we were able to get just under $5. Thats the big contractor good guy price too.

The recycler near me is giving $1.35 for bright & shinny.
 
Re: Copper Prices.....oh my!

While we all know about making sure that each leg of a multiwire circuit gets hooked up to breakers on opposite legs,(at least most of us do,) I have witnessed where a well trained and competent journeyman mixed up the black conductor of a three wire cable with a black wire from a 2 wire cable. The black and red of the three wire cable ended up on the same leg of the load center. I caught the problem when I got a return call to the same residence 6 months later to fix something else- a gfi plug gone bad. Since then I have made it my habit and if anyone in my employ to do same - which is to twist up the red and black around each other right at the point of stripping the cable sheath at the panel. What I do is set my cordless drill to low speed and very light torque and then chuck the 2 wires into it and give a very light twirl to the wires. It makes it much easier to id the wires into breakers next to each other. Still won't help any if the underground POCO neutral gives out at the street box however.
 
Re: Copper Prices.....oh my!

Oh yeah back to the original post. If you think copper prices are high in your area, you should see what they do to us 2,500 miles out in the Pacific Ocean.
 
Re: Copper Prices.....oh my!

Originally posted by macmikeman:
Oh yeah back to the original post. If you think copper prices are high in your area, you should see what they do to us 2,500 miles out in the Pacific Ocean.
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Someone has to pay to get the stuff there.
 
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