LV lighting wire in cinderblocks

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Buck Parrish

Buck Parrish

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I am installing some LV and 120 volt lights. I will use PVC under a slab. I am useing UF #12 and LV wire for the low voltage lights.

I would like to run my PVC under the slab then 90 up in to where a cinderblock wall will be. With connector and bushing on the end of the conduit. no box. Then go from their pull the wires up through the hollow parts of the cinderblock.To the 120 and the LV lights.

The wires will not by encased in concrete. Can I run UF and LV wire in the hollow parts of the cinder block? The uf will go in to the back of a box. The brown LV wire I will drill a hole through the block and stub it out for surface mounted lights.
 
buckofdurham said:
I run UF and LV wire in the hollow parts of the cinder block? The uf will go in to the back of a box. The brown LV wire I will drill a hole through the block and stub it out for surface mounted lights.
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I will use the same conduit for both lv and 120
 
Buck I don't know what kind of LV wire you are using. The underground stuff is not permitted inside the house and I think the lv cable is only rated 150 volts therefore it cannot occupy the same junction box or raceway, I believe, as the 600 volt rated wires
 
Thanks, I didn't think so. I,m useing the brown kind of LV wire it looks like a extension cord with out the ground.

The UF should be okay in the block though, hey?
I'll use uf under the house.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
Buck I don't know what kind of LV wire you are using. The underground stuff is not permitted inside the house and I think the lv cable is only rated 150 volts therefore it cannot occupy the same junction box or raceway, I believe, as the 600 volt rated wires
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No, the insulations need not match, they must each be rated for at least the voltage in use.
 
buckofdurham said:
I'm perplexed :-?
???
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I believe Larry is saying that both the insulations don't have to be rated the same as long as the 12volt insulation is as high as the UF cable. If the wire is rated 150 volts as I stated and the uf is only 120 volts then the install would be FINE in the raceway together. I think that's what he meant. :smile:
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I believe Larry is saying that both the insulations don't have to be rated the same as long as the 12volt insulation is as high as the UF cable.
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No, both cables must be rated at least as high as the voltage applied to the UF cable.

If the wire is rated 150 volts as I stated and the uf is only 120 volts then the install would be FINE in the raceway together. I think that's what he meant. :smile:
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Yes, as long as both wires are insulated to above the 120v in use, they are FINE. :D
 
buckofdurham said:
The uf will go in to the back of a box. The brown LV wire I will drill a hole through the block and stub it out for surface mounted lights.
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Is the low voltage wire listed for use behind the building surface? I know prior to the 08 a Chapter 3 method had to be used.

I seem to remember hearing of a possible change to this under the 08 but don't remember specifics.
 
Actually if your PVC conduit is a sleeve (which in this case it is) for the UF you can pull a LV cable through it also. This is the same as pulling both through a chase or putting them in the same bay in a wall. There is no restriction on the LV cable other than it must be listed for its use with the power source- CL2, CL3 or Class 1.

UF is a cable assembly not individual conductors which are restricted in the same conduit with LV. Even with the same insulation, the LV conductors would have to be functionally related to what the class 1 conductors are powering.

That said, the problem you still have is that LV and landscape wire is not listed so it cannot be used within a building. So just use UF for the LV also. It's a Class 1 wiring method also so you have all your bases covered.

-Hal
 
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