Wet Romex

[electricmanscott]

Jim, I think you are over reacting.

 

[dlhoule]

Yes as per the location but that does not say you can install romex in it while wet

Where does it say you cannot?
:grin:
In reality most of the time it gets wet after the installation. Most of us don't install it while being rained or snowed on. I still don't like the whole idea, but I see nothing to prevent it.

 

[Minuteman]

We have been down this "Wet Romex" road before. Point is, Stuff Happens.

To repeat:

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.

Romex should be kept dry. Period

However, should it get a little wet, it will be okay. You don't need turn your boxers into a thong.

 

[paul]

Southwire's site says their product shall not be subject to excessive moisture or dampness.

 

[electricman2]

Southwire's site says their product shall not be subject to excessive moisture or dampness.

Does that mean a 110.3(B) issue if it gets wet? However, just what constitues "excessive" is anybodys guess.

 

[Minuteman]

Southwire's site says their product shall not be subject to excessive moisture or dampness.

Yep, and the coffee I got at Mickey D's says "Caution Coffee is Hot". Almost every product has a Captain Obvious warning label for consumer protection.

 

[acrwc10]

If we had to pull out every bit of romex that got wet we would never finish a house. Jim have you ever had a plumber doing a top out on the DWV and one of his caps pops and soaks half the room ? Do you remove any NM that got wet and back charge him ? When installed it is going to be there for years not weeks, if you want a real test leave a piece of NM in the dirt outside for a few weeks in the rain , then shack it off run it out and do a megger test on it , then come back in a year, 2 years ,15 years and test it again.In over 25years I have Never seen an NM fail because the house got rained on. I hate working in the rain as much as anyone else but don't nail me to the wall because some over zealous GC wants me to start before the place is ready to move in.

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

Lets see if we got this right.Romex can not be ran in wet location because it will fail but we are ok with it getting wet for a week or 2.Warranty is gone.How come it can take it for short period but not long,what changes ?What is short ? 1 day,1 week,1year,etc.Southwire seems to think it matters.That paper in it was intended to be kept dry.

 

[iwire]

Southwire seems to think it matters.That paper in it was intended to be kept dry.

But Southwire also said it's OK if the outside gets wet as long as it does not get inside. :grin:

 

[JJoyce]

The wire and the insulation itself will be fine. It is the covering that would become damaged by the elements over a period of time. I would not worry about rain or dampness during construction damaging romex.

 

[KJay]

Requiring NM that has come in contact only with plain water to be discarded doesn’t hold much water with me regardless of what NEMA or anyone else says.
I’ve seen NM cable direct buried in the ground for over 40 years and still work trouble free. It was the old cloth covered 14/3 three with TW insulation, paper filler and a reduced bare equipment grounding conductor run between the house and the garage as a three-way switch for the garage lights. I actually met the electrician who originally installed it so it was confirmed as to how long it had been there.
On some other jobs, I’ve seen direct buried plastic sheathed 2 and 3-wire NM with TW conductors and bare equipment grounding conductors still functioning also after many years buried in the earth.
The only reason I discovered any of these cables was because of renovations taking place at the properties, not because of issues with the cables themselves. I’m sure there was some degradation of the conductor insulation, but obviously this is a much harsher installation than just having a little rainwater dribbled over some brand new plastic sheathed NM cable.
Why someone would install NM like this, I don’t know, maybe they just didn’t know any better, but it never caused an issue on these installations even after decades in the ground, at least in some cases.

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

But Southwire also said it's OK if the outside gets wet as long as it does not get inside. :grin:

I would suggest heat shrink on all ends till house is dryed in.LOL

We seem to all differ on this.Would and could an inspector fail you on this and what # will he site ? Our opinions are not final answer ahj might want letter from mfg or engineer saying its ok.

 

[M. D.]

do any think that all the nm cable got replaced after the levies broke?? The studs are'nt rated for a wet location either ..." tweet tweeet stop all construction replace everything that got water on it " Give me a break:roll:

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

Issue here is not if it happens but is it legal.Water is not pure.That paper was not tested to be wet.Warranty is gone.As to damage that is hard to say.The shiny new copper will not be there anymore for the first few inches.If i am paying for new i want new undamaged materials.Chances are the customer will never know.OP was an inspector ,i say its his call.More than just wire is at risk.Recess cans,wire nuts,etc all got wet.Wire nuts do rust.

 

[M. D.]

I may have been a bit hasty there with my response ,...sorry
I was just thinking no way is all that nm getting replaced , and a little rain water is not going to cause a problem ...

I got this from a JTAC article http://www.eijatc.org/includes/newsletterFiles/spring06.pdf

.....For example, a building may be subject to rainfall while under construction, and water may come in contact with the outer jacket of nonmetallic-sheathed cable. This is not prohibited by the​

[FONT=Arial,Arial]NEC[/FONT]. The UL Standard for Safety for Nonmetallic-Sheathed Cables, ANSI/UL 719, requires Dielectric Voltage-Withstand Tests after 24-hour water immersion of cable samples (with ends in free air). If the ends of the cable are immersed for any period of time, however, the internal paper wrapping around the bare equipment grounding conductor will absorb and transfer the water into the cable assembly. The water may then start degrading the insulation or possibly corrode the conductors. If the cable comes into contact with contaminated water, the contaminants may also act on the insulation or conductors. Over time, failures can occur...... ​