Tray cable

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george t. everett

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New York
My area supply houses stock only tray cable that have all black conductors that are numbered 1-3. I want to use a 6/3 tray cable to feed a detached garage. Can I reidentify one of the conductors with white tape as the grounded conductor?
 
I presume that this is a residential application. In an industrial setting you could do this reidentification using 200.6(E) Exception 1 you could do so...but I doubt that the use of this exception would fly in a residential application :)

I am curious as to why you would use tray cable in a residential application. If you have sunlight and direct burial TC, it sounds to me like 'super UF' cable...but I would presume that it costs lots more than UF.

-Jon
 
In many places in Arkansas, Type TC is widely used for panel feeders, services, or generally anything where wire size exceeds what you can find in romex

Keathley Patterson, a Local supply house doesnt even stock Service Entrace cable because everyone will use type TC

it is nearly half the cost, which is why everyone uses it

BUT: Art. 336 (Type TC) says you cannot use it outside a cable tray, or underground as part of a cable tray installation.. basically NO RESIDENTIAL
 
izak said:
In many places in Arkansas, Type TC is widely used for panel feeders, services, or generally anything where wire size exceeds what you can find in romex

Keathley Patterson, a Local supply house doesnt even stock Service Entrace cable because everyone will use type TC
Click to expand...

izak it sounds like you live in an area that does not enforce the NEC.

As far as type TC being used as service entrance conductors it is a violation.

230.43 Wiring Methods for 600 Volts, Nominal, or Less.
Service-entrance conductors shall be installed in accordance with the applicable requirements of this Code covering the type of wiring method used and shall be limited to the following methods:
(1) Open wiring on insulators
(2) Type IGS cable
(3) Rigid metal conduit
(4) Intermediate metal conduit
(5) Electrical metallic tubing
(6) Electrical nonmetallic tubing (ENT)
(7) Service-entrance cables
(8) Wireways
(9) Busways
(10) Auxiliary gutters
(11) Rigid nonmetallic conduit
(12) Cablebus
(13) Type MC cable
(14) Mineral-insulated, metal-sheathed cable
(15) Flexible metal conduit not over 1.8 m (6 ft) long or liquidtight flexible metal conduit not over 1.8 m (6 ft) long between raceways, or between raceway and service equipment, with equipment bonding jumper routed with the flexible metal conduit or the liquidtight flexible metal conduit according to the provisions of 250.102(A), (B), (C), and (E)
(16) Liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit
Click to expand...

As you can see TC is not on the list.

It would be good to keep in mind that even if the inspectors allow it and 'everyone else' is doing it the installer is still on the hook if anything goes wrong.
 
Bob,

I know it goes against NEC to use it (TC) as service entrance cable, in fact, I CANNOT stand the stuff, and i DONT use it.

My point was that it is fairly common around here to see people using it, even though it is SO much harder to work with compared to Romex or SER...

I would rather string 100 foot of 2/0 Thhn in FLEX through an attic than use Tray Cable


but yes

I do live in an area where the NEC is largely not enforced, let alone understood
 
sorry to get off the subject

200.6 (A) says no, you cannot re-identify it since it is #6

basically anything smaller than #4 has to be insulated in white or gray

#4 and larger can be re identified with white or gray tape
 
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