Southwire's FLATCABLE

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Pierre C Belarge

Pierre C Belarge

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Location
Westchester County, New York
Last summer, Southwire aquired a company called Decorp or something like that. The important issue here is the product they produce and that Southwire is getting ready to start selling.

Flatwire.
It is very thin and is being advertised as being installed on the surface of walls, with wall paper or taping compound covering it. No snaking up walls, etc...

I believe they are waiting for the 2008 code cycle and then it will be on the market.
I cannot imagine how peope will be wiring this product????

You can see this on their website, it is pretty interesting. Now we can get a roughing inspection after the walls are up!!! 8)
 
I've seen a product that is similar and designed to run under the carpet.

It's been years and it was still on the roll. I remember I found it quite interesting.
 
Pierre,
I don't think that there is a listing or standard for this product. I don't see how it will make it into the code unless there is a product standard. If it doesn't get a metal cover like is required for the under carpet flat conductors, I would not be in favor if it.
Don
 
I tell you I just can't wait to see what the DIY's are gonna try doing with that stuff if it becomes available. Oh and how about just let the Taper's wire it for you. Instructions are available on Saturday mornings at 9 at your friendly Home Depot store given by one of our electrical "experts" from isle #15.
 
If the code allows this cable, then it will have to get rid of the 1 1/4" set back and nail plates that are now required for other wiring methods.
Don
 
Don
If they have not already received the listing for this product, it is shortcoming. I spoke with a company rep at a IAEI seminar and they were pushing this product there.
I believe they are not selling this for installation within the walls, but on the surface of walls, etc...

I am not selling this stuff, so I really do not know much more than we already see - I just thought it is interesting to see. I did see how they interface with existing receptacles... I can see this being a real problem when hacks get their hands on it.
 
goodbye guys going into home depot buying 100' of lampcord to run receptacles (true story, i worked a 2nd job there)

hello guys going into home depot for some flatwire to run receptacles


dont worry, joe homeowner will still find new and inventive ways of igniting his house with what would normally be considered a safe product for its intended use.
 
Pierre,
Yes it is to be installed on the surface, but covered with paint or mayby wall paper so it is not visible. If it is not visible then it needs protection from driving nails or screws into it. If the code is not going to require protection for this product, then it will have to remove the required protection for other wiring methods.
Don
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
If the code allows this cable, then it will have to get rid of the 1 1/4" set back and nail plates that are now required for other wiring methods.
Don
Click to expand...

maybe this line of thinking helps you out.

1. It is surface mounted so there is far less chance of someone running a nail or screw into it since you can see it and avoid it.

2. If it does get damaged, you can see the damage, unlike something that is hidden inside the wall.

3. A surface mounted cable can be repaired/replaced readily. Something inside the wall is difficult to get at to repair so more care is needed to avoid damaging something that is hidden.

Personally, I would want to see this kind of cable only used on GFCI protected circuits.
 
Bob,
My understanding is that you can't really see it after it has been installed. The following is from the website:
Flat Electrical Cord can go unnoticed under rug, carpet or tile. On the walls and ceilings, it can simply be painted or wallpapered over.
... All of DeCorp's FlatWire Ready products are virtually invisible after installation.
Click to expand...
Don
 
I've heard of this product only once before. I think it was featured as part of an article on UL. The article was about all the steps they had to go through to get their invention to be listed. Otherwise, it would never be installed by anybody. The "trick" to getting it to pass was having a ground fault/short circuit protection that would be low enough to trip before it could hurt anyone. In essence, it had to be designed FOR someone to drive a nail through it. At the time the article was printed, they fell short of making their case.

So do I install these wires and ground fault unit only to replace it each and every time it gets damaged? Me personally, I just stick to snaking wires through the wall. Besides, I'm probably at my max number of receptacles per circuit anyway. :wink:

-Dale
 
Thank you very much Pierre for showing us this product. I had never heard of using ribbon cable outside electrical cabinets. It made me fall asleep thinking of the movie 'Brazil' after reading about it.

Accessed more information from their web site, by visiting their 'european store' area, which has a set of questions which indirectly address product design questions. It seems they have an answer for everything.

Connection: Propretary. By the way industrial equipment builders 3M IDCs are good. AMP IDCs no good.

Safety: All connections route through proprietary GFCI, I suppose this is the justification for allowing both untrained installation and relaxation of the 1 1/4 inch rule. They specifically address, 'what about nails,' answer, 'take nail out.'

Flexure: Use of anchor tip to provide radius suggested. No warning about hard creases.

Attachment: This is remarkable. The insulation does not burn, a real selling point for our Factory Mutual friends who normally permit new technologies before NEC adoption. Remarkable, as they must be constrained to using wallpaper adhesive - but their product, somehow, does not separate! And adheres to the plastic too! Yes a little sarcastically, they must have invented a new mousetrap?

Unlike alarm wires, which have followed 6 mA current limit rules from the early 80's, I've never placed unprotected wiring in residences. Myself, I'm very skeptical that any GFCI affords the same protection as current limiting. In fact, I don't believe it myself. Product liability here should extend beyond corporate monetary rewards to direct criminal action against product developers, yes for the very first instance that it causes bodily harm. Don brought up the real issue, doesn't permitting of this product imply that all 1 1/4 setback rules should be thrown out.
 
Years later..... Honey hang that picture right there zzzzzzaaaaaaaaapppppp,Oh honey I`m so sorry you got electrocuted......
 
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