What do you think about purple & blue 3/c Romex??

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What do you think about purple & blue 3/c Romex?? Would you use it?

  • Yes

    Votes: 9 64.3%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Don't Care

    Votes: 5 35.7%

  • Total voters
    14
  • Poll closed .

Kcarr

Member
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
What do you think about purple & blue 3/c Romex?? Would you use it? Let me know what you think about it.
 

NTesla76

Senior Member
Location
IA
Occupation
Electrics
Isn't there an issue with splicing with copper clad conductors? As in the wire connectors?

EDIT: Is the purple and blue just identifying it is a 3 wire?
 

Ponchik

Senior Member
Location
CA
Occupation
Electronologist
I "think" purple and blue is to identify 3 conductor cable.
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
I'm still waiting for them to make it easier to differentiate between #6 and #8 NM.

The digits are already similar, and then they usually print them with dots.
soapbox.gif
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
I would say it may have some usefulness in being able to tell at a glance what you have, but I don't see how it is that big of a difference. But, given this is a commodity type product, any marketing advantage might be worth it, regardless of how slight. Companies need to make their customers feel their version is a hair better than the competitor.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
This kind of how the white, orange, yellow and black jackets we have had for 20-25 years got started.

Started out with one manufacturer doing it and eventually all of them ended up doing it, but surprisingly never became an actual code or listing requirement. If it were the AFCI manufacturers idea it would have been pushed into code:rolleyes:
 

James L

Senior Member
Location
Kansas Cty, Mo, USA
Occupation
Electrician
I bought my first roll of purple 14/3 the other day because I had left my other roll on a different job site.

The colors don't matter for me. I started wiring when Romex came in cardboard boxes, and we wouldn't know the color until we opened it. Black, gray, light blue, white, pale brown, and a few others I think.

I thought it was useful when all #12 went yellow. Didn't matter for me back then, either, but inspectors liked it.

Having just seen the color code above, with purple and blue, I kinda like it. I didn't know it was thought through.
 

James L

Senior Member
Location
Kansas Cty, Mo, USA
Occupation
Electrician
I would be kind of nice to have two colors that are not very close in tone.
That part is either way for me.
On second note, colors are good, but I would also like to see feet markers on the cable.
Footage markers would be amazing. Even if it was only every 2 or 5 feet. I'd take anything
 

don_resqcapt19

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
retired electrician
Isn't there an issue with splicing with copper clad conductors? As in the wire connectors?

EDIT: Is the purple and blue just identifying it is a 3 wire?
CopperWeld has listed wire connectors on the market. Really no physical difference from any other copper wire connector, it is just that their connectors have been listed as being suitable for use with copper clad aluminum. I believe the marking for a connector suitable for CCA is "CC"
 
To me when I see purple I think alumacon,/ aluminum wire.
or gray/purple 0-10v dimming, the jacket color started as an inventory thing that we got used to nothing better or worse about it but older sparkies like me may feel negative about purple.
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
To me when I see purple I think alumacon,/ aluminum wire.
or gray/purple 0-10v dimming, the jacket color started as an inventory thing that we got used to nothing better or worse about it but older sparkies like me may feel negative about purple.
Well that's just grape! :giggle:
 
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