ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
I rewired a school built in the 30s, I believe. The lead coverd cables were installed inside of RMC. Talk abouta capital B to pull out. We needed that raceway.
Help identifying wiring method.
- Thread starter EricHL
- Start date
- Status
packersparky
Senior Member
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- Inspector
This. :thumbsup:
jumper
Senior Member
- Location
- 3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
I don’t care what that groundskeeper keeps telling everyone, I maintain my innocence for lack of evidence............besides I missed him by at least 3 feet.:angel:
Coppersmith
Senior Member
- Location
- Tampa, FL, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Probably should cut back on licking your fingers while working. You might need those brain cells later.
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
The "ALS" Aluminum Sheathed cable I've seen and dealt with was more oval shaped on the small stuff, like Romex, and didn't show up until I think the 60s, so I guess it might depend on the age of the building. If the building wasn't built until the 60s, then it's likely Aluminum. But if it's older than that, it won't be.
EricHL,
If you or your customer are concerned and want to know for sure, you can get some "Lead Test Swabs" at Home Depot and rub it on the sheath. If it's lead, you might want to suggest to them that they have you remove and dispose of it to avoid liability issues once they are made aware of it. Lead is not quite as bad as asbestos in the workplace and I don't think you need a haz-mat "bunny suit" to deal with it, but it's getting there.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-LeadCheck-Instant-Lead-Test-Swabs-2-Pack-LC-2SDC6/203313743
Tony S
Senior Member
- Location
- Resting under the Major Oak UK
Lead sheathed VIR (vitreous india rubber) cable was common in the UK during the 30’s and 40’s.
This may give you chuckle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLvj-PvPPZI there are four reels in the series and I can’t remember which one making LS-VIR is in.
This may give you chuckle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLvj-PvPPZI there are four reels in the series and I can’t remember which one making LS-VIR is in.
Tony S
Senior Member
- Location
- Resting under the Major Oak UK
Just looked LC-VIR is on reel three.
I remember my father in law helping me reset some railing posts that had rusted in two just above the concrete.
We cleaned out the holes in the concrete, used some tube stock to extend the railing posts, and filled the holes with some lead he got from some old plumbing pipes. He melted pieces of the lead pipe in a metal ladle with a propane torch and poured it into the holes around the posts.
So if you can melt it with a torch, I'd say its lead. If it doesn't melt, I'm not sure if that means its not lead, or if it just has a mix of other metals included.
We cleaned out the holes in the concrete, used some tube stock to extend the railing posts, and filled the holes with some lead he got from some old plumbing pipes. He melted pieces of the lead pipe in a metal ladle with a propane torch and poured it into the holes around the posts.
So if you can melt it with a torch, I'd say its lead. If it doesn't melt, I'm not sure if that means its not lead, or if it just has a mix of other metals included.
electrofelon
Senior Member
- Location
- Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
- Occupation
- Electrician
I'm remembering more about the time I ran into it. It was an underground single phase service, ~300 feet. The conductors were big, maybe 500. It was rgs, down the pole, and rgs poking into the house, but I'm not sure if the pipe was contunions the whole way. We tried briefly to pull them out, but to no avail. I took what went up the pole for scrap. I may still have it, in fact I'm pretty sure I do otherwise I think I would remember trying to figure out how to strip it.
mtfallsmikey
Senior Member
If memory serves, the older stuff had asbestos insulation on the conductors, like K&T
EricHL
Member
- Location
- Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
So glad you have seen it! I found some information on another forum. (Please don’t call me traitor!) There is a user named Telsa (not Tesla) he said:
“MC was originally made in three different 'wraps.' Raw economics has driven everyone over to the one design we now all know and love.
[Interlocking metal tape ]
The smooth and corrugated metallic sheath MC types faded in the market place. The winding machines that lay on the interlocking metal tape were so much quicker at producing MC that they stole the market. ( They can also shift from one wire group// size to another with virtually no set-up headaches. )
As you might imagine, there was a hope at one time that the other styles would have some niche applications -- say food processing. It did not transpire. ( Dang if Sealtite didn't steal that niche. Today's PVC coated MC is a prospective solution for such an application. )”
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
drcampbell
Senior Member
- Location
- The Motor City, Michigan USA
- Occupation
- Registered Professional Engineer
I enjoyed watching them assemble and erect transmission-line towers with muscle power alone, without a crane. (reel 5)
EricHL
Member
- Location
- Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
I looked up MC cable in my old 2008 code book. They still recognize the three types of MC cable even though only one seems to be manufactured. It is interesting that they have larger minimum bending radius for smooth type MC NEC Article 330.24
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
EricHL
Member
- Location
- Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Tony, I sure enjoyed watching the five parts to that old documentary. I was especially interested in the part pulling the underground cable without a tugger and also the underground high voltage splice.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Status