Wet Romex Usable?

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I live at the beach in florida. If we get hit by a cat. 5 him or hurricane and my house floods with 8' of salt water then can we agree to replace the romex?:)
 
The Iceman said:
I live at the beach in florida. If we get hit by a cat. 5 him or hurricane and my house floods with 8' of salt water then can we agree to replace the romex?:)
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Na you paint like crazy and cover up all the water marks, then sell it to someone from up north.
 
Back in the 70ies, some Hi-Rise condos were wired with romex.. Before half of the floors were even poured, walls were framed & romex was pulled in place... Water made its way into the building for months before the roof was completed... Never heard of any problems...

BTW, Romex had "T" rated conductors in the mid 70ies...
 
I'm with Fire Alarm on this one as I too am from California and I'd be madder than hell if I showed up to a house that was already lathed before I wired it. I'm sure if it were a problem, the manufacturers would put a warning label saying to have lathers immediately cover walls behind romex installation to avoid moisture on romex.
 
wiredit said:
I'm sure if it were a problem, the manufacturers would put a warning label saying to have lathers immediately cover walls behind romex installation to avoid moisture on romex.
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Romex cannot be installed in wet locations (such as an underground or outdoor conduit.) They don't have to put a warning on it - it's already in the NEC. Getting soaked with rain sure sounds like a wet location to me.
 
Location, Dry. A location not normally subject to dampness or wetness. A location classified as dry may be temporarily subject to dampness or wetness, as in the case of a building under construction.
 
I remember reading that temporary wetness occurring during construction was not the kind of wet location that NM cable must be protected from.



Added: Oops, I see someone beat me to it while I was firing up the HT for a movie.
 
Okay, we work for a GC that handles mostly insurance claims. We do 6-8 fire repairs a year. Let's say the fire starts from a candle in the living room, or from a grease filled skillet. Fire Department soaks down the hole house. Tons of water.

The one we just re-wired was striped down to the studs and all new wire. But, some are small fires like last week. The GC does a demo on the ceilings and removes all the attic insulation. We meg all the circuits and repair those with damage by cutting out the bad spots and splicing in new wire. That's all the insurance company will pay for.

Now I know that somebody here is gonna say that they would either replace all the wire or not do the job. Good, cause I have no problem with cutting out the bad spots and the money is good. :smile:
 
peter d said:
Romex cannot be installed in wet locations (such as an underground or outdoor conduit.) They don't have to put a warning on it - it's already in the NEC. Getting soaked with rain sure sounds like a wet location to me.
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Pete, read the definition of dry location in the nec...
 
Water is not going to hurt any thing on runs of wire. It will however effect the connections and cause them to corrode. Check all the connections at light fixtures and outlets, re-do them. How many electricians do you know that use pickups with rolls of wire stored in the back in the pouring down rain.
Sometimes the copper will tarnish. Again it is the connection points that are the most important. If the wire is not shinny copper sand it a little before you put the wire nut on. That will be fine, I've done it hundreds of times.
Circuit breakers now that is a different story if they get wet. They will rust and cause them either not to work at all or not properly. Deffinitely replace any wet breakers. I done a job one time some one had left the hub cover off an outside panel. The breakers would not trip at all. (FIRE HAZZARD) I busted a couple open. The insides we're just big globs of rust.
 
Well then maybe I'm making much to do about nothing. I don't see a great danger with romex getting wet, but I don't like the idea of it either. Just my preference. :)
 
buckofdurham said:
Water is not going to hurt any thing on runs of wire. It will however effect the connections and cause them to corrode. Check all the connections at light fixtures and outlets, re-do them. How many electricians do you know that use pickups with rolls of wire stored in the back in the pouring down rain.
Sometimes the copper will tarnish. Again it is the connection points that are the most important. If the wire is not shinny copper sand it a little before you put the wire nut on. That will be fine, I've done it hundreds of times.
Circuit breakers now that is a different story if they get wet. They will rust and cause them either not to work at all or not properly. Deffinitely replace any wet breakers. I done a job one time some one had left the hub cover off an outside panel. The breakers would not trip at all. (FIRE HAZZARD) I busted a couple open. The insides we're just big globs of rust.
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"How many electricians do you know that use pickups with rolls of wire stored in the back in the pouring down rain."

I think you should correct that , from electricians, to trunk slammers, and Mr side job, have rolls of wire stored in the back in the pouring down rain."

They also, are not concerned with the cable damage, cuts in the sheath and pinching, that can come from sitting in the open truck bed.

If you check with the manufacture, they say when the paper in the NM cable gets wet, it may have premature failure, do they make that statement , just because they had some ink left over.
 
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satcom said:
"How many electricians do you know that use pickups with rolls of wire stored in the back in the pouring down rain."

I think you should correct that , from electricians, to trunk slammers, and Mr side job, have rolls of wire stored in the back in the pouring down rain."
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So anyone that allows Romex to get wet is a hack?
 
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