green m.c

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wire monk

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Green m.c. cable (AP) is coming with a larger bare grd wire.. I was told you just cut it off is that true?? It is just for grounding the jacket??? It use to be a small grd wire and people would twist it around the jacket but this wire is to large to do that. Can it be cut off and be up to code??
 
Yes, you can just cut off the #10 aluminum bond wire where it exits the jacket.

The jacket of MCAP cable is listed as an equipment grounding conductor.

Chris
 
as stated above, the sheath is the ground, follow manufacturers instructions for proper termination.
 
In addition to reiterating what the folks have already said about following the manufacturer's instructions, make sure you are using fittings that are specifically listed for use with MCI-A (MCap or MCMP) HCF (Health Care Facility) Cable. Just because a fitting looks like it would work with this type of cable, does not mean that it is actually UL listed for that type of cable.

Do you know what fittings are you going to use on this job?
 
electricalperson said:
i never used mc-ap before it looks pretty cool. kind of reminds me of armored cable. i guess the jacket is not as strong as AC thats why its still MC
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The sheathing is not interlocked like most standard MC, but it is the same material, and has to pass the same UL1569 tests. Many folks can't get used to the fact that the full sized bare aluminum conductor inside the sheath is able to carry the required ground fault current without blowing up. I have run current tests in our lab that exceeded the requirement without problem.

The differences between AC and MC are not just the sheathing, but rather the entire construction. They look similar, but they are not.
 
LJSMITH1 said:
Many folks can't get used to the fact that the full sized bare aluminum conductor inside the sheath is able to carry the required ground fault current without blowing up.
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As with old AC/BX, the sheath itself could carry the current. The problem was the spiral construction, which added enough impedance to limit the current. The bonding strip merely created a turn-to-turn shunt.

The full-sized aluminum makes the gotta-be-a-certain-size NEC-thumpers happy.
 
Dumb question here, (maybe) but...

What about the oxidation of the AL conductor "bonding" the sheath?

I'm sure things look good up front, but how about 10yrs from now?


Regards,
Doug S.
 
wire monk said:
Green m.c. cable (AP) is coming with a larger bare grd wire.. I was told you just cut it off is that true?? It is just for grounding the jacket??? It use to be a small grd wire and people would twist it around the jacket but this wire is to large to do that. Can it be cut off and be up to code??
Click to expand...

On every roll of the MC ap cable there is an instruction sheet. You will need a rotosplit for sure. I believe Southwire has an online instruction also, and they will supply you with a list of approved fittings as well. I like the quick lock type they just snap in and snap into the box. 10x's faster than AC cable was.
 
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