Crawl space wiring NM-B or UF

[nizak]

I’m doing a new build with a crawl space.
- Floor poured concrete
-Humidity sensing / air quality maintained

AHJ is calling it a potentially damp location and wants UF cable run in that area.

I’ve already pulled my home runs and 10 or so travel thru the crawl.

Could see his point if the environment was different. I’ve never encountered this.

FYI . I’m an out of towner working in an area I’ve never been in before. He made reference to me being new to the area.

 

[hillbilly1]

FYI . I’m an out of towner working in an area I’ve never been in before. He made reference to me being new to the area.

There’s the reason. Been there, done that. Good ol’ boy network.

 

[Jraef]

AHJs around here consider crawl spaces as wet locations, no exceptions or circumstances.

 

[hillbilly1]

AHJs around here consider crawl spaces as wet locations, no exceptions or circumstances.

Flood plains?

 

[nizak]

AHJs around here consider crawl spaces as wet locations, no exceptions or circumstances

There’s the reason. Been there, done that. Good ol’ boy network.

I would pay to be able to view a newly wired crawl space in that Township that was wired by one of the “local” guys..

My money is on it being all Romex…

 

[farmantenna]

"Potentially damp location"? If the humidistat or dehumidifier fails? Because you said it's a conditioned space. I've seen such crawl spaces very dry and some old cottages with sand floor and no insulation disgustingly wet.

you have no choice with this inspector. Feel sorry for you. You'll probably go back on the finish and observe a beautifully dry crawl space.

 

[Hv&Lv]

If you're not going to go back to that area burn that bridge.
Go to the state level and have them enforce code only.

 

[wwhitney]

AHJs around here consider crawl spaces as wet locations, no exceptions or circumstances.

Really? What part of the SF Bay Area?

My experience is only Berkeley, and they take the reasonable view that crawl spaces are dry. Calling it a wet location is crazy, if it's raining in your crawl space, you have huge problems.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[david]

The residential building codes have required ventilation of crawl spaces.

When warm humid outside air mixes through vents to the outside with the cooler air in a crawl space you have condensation.

I've been in crawl spaces where the fiber class insulation in the floor joists where soaking wet and the water dripping all over you.

Lately the building codes have allowed sealing these spaces and having the air conditioned in them the same as you would other livable areas in your home

This approach is said to deal with the condensation issues in a crawl space

 

[nizak]

The residential building codes have required ventilation of crawl spaces.

When warm humid outside air mixes through vents to the outside with the cooler air in a crawl space you have condensation.

I've been in crawl spaces where the fiber class insulation in the floor joists where soaking wet and the water dripping all over you.

Lately the building codes have allowed sealing these spaces and having the air conditioned in them the same as you would other livable areas in your home

This approach is said to deal with the condensation issues in a crawl space

It will have a system in place to deal with humidity issues. Not certain of the brand/ model, etc.

 

[david]

It will have a system in place to deal with humidity issues. Not certain of the brand/ model, etc.

Havnt talk to the building inspector about this in a few years, but I think here you eather vent the space with outside air or you insulated it and have your duct work for your furnace/air into that space. I think the other option was insulated and open to conditioned interior spaces

 

[kwired]

AHJs around here consider crawl spaces as wet locations, no exceptions or circumstances.

Which is stupid. If it is wet you likely will have mold issues, the idea is to make them so they will be dry unless something abnormal happens like a pipe bursting, but that is a temporary condition then it supposed to get dry again.

 

[curt swartz]

AHJs around here consider crawl spaces as wet locations, no exceptions or circumstances.

Which AHJ's? I have never run into any. What do they require for floor framing, sub floor, insulation and duct work?

The dirt may get wet but not the framing above. If the floor structure above is wet you have much bigger problems than NM cable getting wet.

 

[acin]

I’m doing a new build with a crawl space.
- Floor poured concrete
-Humidity sensing / air quality maintained

AHJ is calling it a potentially damp location and wants UF cable run in that area.

I’ve already pulled my home runs and 10 or so travel thru the crawl.

Could see his point if the environment was different. I’ve never encountered this.

FYI . I’m an out of towner working in an area I’ve never been in before. He made reference to me being new to the area.

can you box it with wood or plywood ?

 

[hillbilly1]

If he considers it a wet location, the floor joists must be pressure treated! LOL!

 

[nizak]

If he considers it a wet location, the floor joists must be pressure treated! LOL!

I spoke with the head of inspections for the Township and he overrode the inspectors call .

I said I hoped his reason for not approving my work was because I was not a local contractor.

He smirked and said I don’t think it was..

 

[rc/retired]

I spoke with the head of inspections for the Township and he overrode the inspectors call .

Yay!

Ron