# NM in sleeve on outside of house?



## mikewillnot (Apr 2, 2013)

Running #6 NM cable from basement up to 2nd floor attic, and then @ 150' and down into a garage, ideally avoiding splices. The easiest way up to the attic is on the outside of the house: out wall above panel, LB & PVC & LB straight up and into the attic wall. I believe that's a violation, as the outside qualifies as a wet location. It doesn't seem fair though. :sad: Inside this PVC is the least likely place to get wet, ever. I'm know I'm answering my own question; just grumbling.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

I'd do it anyway. The NEC is a book of suggestions, not rules.


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## CoolWill (Jan 5, 2019)

I wouldn't really lose too much sleep over something like that. Burying itbin the ground would be one thing, but the type of install you suggest is pretty tame.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Why would you use #6 romex?

#6 aluminum SER cable has the same ampacity and costs a lot less. 

And as an added benefit can be compliantly used inside of the exterior conduit.

ETA- or it can just be run up the wall without the conduit.


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## John M. (Oct 29, 2016)

HackWork said:


> Why would you use #6 romex?
> 
> #6 aluminum SER cable has the same ampacity and costs a lot less.
> 
> ...


6 romex and 6 aluminum SER are NOT the same ampacity!! 6 romex is 60 amp. 6 alum. is 50 amp.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

John M. said:


> 6 romex and 6 aluminum SER are NOT the same ampacity!! 6 romex is 60 amp. 6 alum. is 50 amp.


#6 romex is not good for 60A, you are not allowed to use #6 romex if the load is going to be 60A. You can use a 60A breaker only because there is no standard 55A breaker, but the load has to be 55A or less.

If you need 60A, then you use #4 aluminum SER cable which is still much cheaper than #6 romex.


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

I got a red tag for sleeving NM...above ground.

It came out of the house into a 3/4" LB down about 
4' of schedule 40 pvc and then I used a jake to turn into
the side of an AC disco for central air.

Inspector made me set a JB in the basement ceiling and
transfer over to thhn. Bastahd!


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## Drsparky14 (Oct 22, 2016)

Inspectors around here don’t call that for a violation when in vertical runs from an attic down to a box. I run #6 Romex from the panel direct to the soffit and down a conduit into a hub on top of a hot tub disconnect all the time. There is no water accumulation in that event.

Horizontal runs are different because if water is in the conduit then the wire is straight up laying in the water. 




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

mikewillnot said:


> Running #6 NM cable from basement up to 2nd floor attic, and then @ 150' and down into a garage, ideally avoiding splices. The easiest way up to the attic is on the outside of the house: out wall above panel, LB & PVC & LB straight up and into the attic wall. I believe that's a violation, as the outside qualifies as a wet location. It doesn't seem fair though. :sad: Inside this PVC is the least likely place to get wet, ever. I'm know I'm answering my own question; just grumbling.


Inside any raceway on the outside is subject to condensation which builds up on the inside. I agree, to some degree, with those who feel the vertical run is not an issue however a vertical run from the top of a panel could cause water dripping into the panel from the condensation.

In NC then made an amendment that allows 6'



> 300.9 Raceways in Wet Locations Above grade.
> Where raceways are installed in wet locations
> above grade, the interior of these raceways shall be
> considered to be a wet location. Insulated
> ...


My feeling is if you sleeve the wire from a crawl space up to an exterior panel there should not be an issue. This has been done in NC for as long as I have been working here- over 40 years.


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## CTshockhazard (Aug 28, 2009)

Dennis Alwon said:


> ...however a vertical run from the top of a panel could cause water dripping into the panel from the condensation.



If that was truly a concern, then SE/SER should have the same restriction.


In fact all cables should be prohibited from vertically run exterior raceways that enter the top of an enclosure:vs_mad:


Wait a minute, we'd have the exact same issue with individual conductors.:vs_mad::vs_mad:









At any rate, I think you can tell that I wouldn't be worried.:devil3:


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## mikewillnot (Apr 2, 2013)

[OP] - the sleeve would be open at each end, one in the basement and the other in the attic; from the basement exit to the attic entry points, it would be outdoors. No end of the sleeve would connect to a panel or enclosure of any kind. Any condensation in the outside run would drain out onto the basement floor. there might actually be air circulation from one end to the other. 



Actually, I might have run into the same situation (upcoming) with a run of SER.


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