SPRAY PAINT

[cjcrawfo]

All,

Can somebody point me to a place in the NEC where it talks about applying solvents to wire to change the insulation color. ie. Spray painting RHHW with black spray paint to change the color of the insulation.

Thanks all!!

Chris

[ December 09, 2004, 07:32 AM: Message edited by: cjcrawfo ]

 

[George Stolz]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

Unfamiliar with RHHW, but 200.7 mentions coloring wire wires, by painting or other effective means. Is that stuff white?

 

[cjcrawfo]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

No sorry doesn't fit this situation. 200.7 only deals with grounded conductors. This wire was red and it was painted black. Thanks anyway!!

Chris

 

[petersonra]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

A more common way of marking conductors is with bands of colored tape. Its hard to get larger size wire in certain colors, so we just mark it with colored tape and use all black wire.

 

[cjcrawfo]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

This is a DC application where the wires are Black and Red.

 

[612278]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

HI-

I agree with Bob with buying black thing. The only other place's I find coloring is NEC. 384-3-3E or 310-12C (1999).

 

[cjcrawfo]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

I found 310.11 and 310.12C. I feel that perhaps spray painting a wire would violate these two sections. What are your thougts??


Chris

 

[612278]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

HI

What is your concern? The paint or the I.D of wire? You can color the wire anything you want except green,white,orange,gray. As far as paint you might find an inspector that will say that paint might damage the insulation qualities.

 

[cjcrawfo]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

I have an EC telling the powers that be that it is ok to paint wires. I was looking for something in the NEC where I could show him that there is a problem with doing that other than the fact that paint is a solvent and the isualtion of the wire was not designed to be covered in a solvent.

I just found the above list sections a little while ago and I looking around for something else that painting ungrounded conductor will violate.

Thanks again
Chris

 

[612278]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

OK
The only other thing I could find is 110-11 (1999)NEC. "or other agents". Good luck on this one.

 

[cjcrawfo]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

Thank you very much!!!

I think they should get the picture now.

 

[paul]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

I don't see where 110.11 would apply. It's talking about the environment the wire is installed in. I don't see where spray painting would apply in this section, unless it's installed in a paint plant. Since the code says you can paint the wire for grounded conductors, one would probably correctly assume that you can spray paint other conductors, too. Ie. it's code legal to paint that wire white or grey, but not black?

What's your voltage for this DC cable? Being that it is black, is it grounded?

 

[websparky]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

310.12 Conductor Identification.(C) Ungrounded Conductors. Conductors that are intended for use as ungrounded conductors, whether used as a single conductor or in multiconductor cables, shall be finished to be clearly distinguishable from grounded and grounding conductors. Distinguishing markings shall not conflict in any manner with the surface markings required by 310.11(B)(1).

110.3(5) Heating effects under normal conditions of use and also under abnormal conditions likely to arise in service

I wouldn't allow the painting of wires! 200.7 is in reference to wire terminations not the entire length! 90C is equal to 194F

 

[George Stolz]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

I don't see a reason that you can't convince the powers that be just to tape the terminations black. What size wire are we talking about?

 

[cjcrawfo]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

George,

The wire size is #2. This was a sub that did this work and we were inspecting it. They felt that it is acceptable to paint the wires rather than taping. Thanks again for everyone's feedback@

 

[George Stolz]

Re: SPRAY PAINT

Three thoughts:
1. I wonder how similar spray paint is to house paint?
2. Our conductors get house painted all the time.
3. Anyone deal with a wire ate through by house paint over a long long long time?