# UF wire to A/C disconnect



## Nigmas (Aug 29, 2014)

I've run across this a few times where home inspection reports point out that wiring outside needs to be in conduit, the latest report points out two locations. The first is a run along the outside of the house where 10/2 UF is strapped to PVC conduit and runs about 20 ft then into the disconnect for the A/C. The UF is listed as sunlight resistent but the home inspection report says by code it needs to be in conduit. It isnt subject to physical damage in its location and my impression was it doesnt need to be. The second location is a porch with and A-frame ceiling, the UF comes out through the rafter on the house about 10' above the patio and enters a four inch round weather proof box that has a ceiling fan attatched. Im not sure if i am still correct that this is fine or have they changed the permissions for UF? Thanks


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

The home inspector is clueless.


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## Nigmas (Aug 29, 2014)

MTW said:


> The home inspector is clueless.


 Thanks. I hate second guessing my intial thoughts lol :laughing:


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

Nigmas said:


> Thanks. I hate second guessing my intial thoughts lol :laughing:


I would say if the UF isn't subject to physical damage, it doesn't need to be in conduit. However, it can't be strapped to the Pvc conduit.


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## jbfan (Jan 22, 2007)

It's not like the pvc will offer much protection anyway.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

wendon said:


> I would say if the UF isn't subject to physical damage, it doesn't need to be in conduit. However, it can't be strapped to the Pvc conduit.


What if the PVC contains the control wires for the condenser ?


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

Nigmas said:


> I've run across this a few times where home inspection reports point out that wiring outside needs to be in conduit, the latest report points out two locations. The first is a run along the outside of the house where 10/2 UF is strapped to PVC conduit and runs about 20 ft then into the disconnect for the A/C. The UF is listed as sunlight resistent but the home inspection report says by code it needs to be in conduit. It isnt subject to physical damage in its location and my impression was it doesnt need to be. The second location is a porch with and A-frame ceiling, the UF comes out through the rafter on the house about 10' above the patio and enters a four inch round weather proof box that has a ceiling fan attatched. Im not sure if i am still correct that this is fine or have they changed the permissions for UF? Thanks


For me, a well written inspection will be more of a flag waiver than someone with enough expertice to make a code compliance call.
Something like, UF cable installed exposed on exterior. This method is not normally used for this type of installation, please have the installation professionally evaluated.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

UF running along side a house at AC height is subject to physical damage. The HI is right on.

That doesn't make him any less clueless though.


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## NolaTigaBait (Oct 19, 2008)

Subject to physical damage is so vague...You can't say if it is or isn't...What if you install it in EMT?...EMT is ok where subject to moderate physical damage...where do you draw the line?


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

sbrn33 said:


> UF running along side a house at AC height is subject to physical damage. The HI is right on.


What exactly is going to damage it? Some rogue maniac walking down the street with an axe?


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

jrannis said:


> What if the PVC contains the control wires for the condenser ?


Then the AC installer is a better electrician than the one that installed the line voltage!


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## Nigmas (Aug 29, 2014)

MTW said:


> What exactly is going to damage it? Some rogue maniac walking down the street with an axe?


 My point too, it's all landscaping along the side of the house, i hate the physical damage part because a tree falling would physically damage a line. My main concern was is UF suitable for this application, i.e. run along the side to the a/c disconnect, home inspectors seem to not check on the type of wire they just see a wire exposed and say put it in conduit and since its on the inspection report it becomes an issue with buyers/sellers as too who is correct, for some reason home inspectors are thought to be experts. Would i run it this way? No, and i don't want to charge for fixing something that a home inspectors opinion. :no:


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## Nigmas (Aug 29, 2014)

sbrn33 said:


> UF running along side a house at AC height is subject to physical damage. The HI is right on.
> 
> That doesn't make him any less clueless though.


If he didnt point out the UF feeding the ceiling fan on the rear porch needing conduit too i'd believe he was referring to possible physical damage, but me thinks he just saw wire and said "CONDUIT"


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

wendon said:


> Then the AC installer is a better electrician than the one that installed the line voltage!


Some guy on a riding mower, some dorks moving a fridge, some 5 year old losing control of his bike. Should I go on?

Oops wrong quote.


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

we dont have this problem over here we use teck cable instead of UF or pvc conduit when subject to damage.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

oliquir said:


> we dont have this problem over here we use teck cable instead of UF or pvc conduit when subject to damage.


They are saying that is not subject to damage.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Professional Electrician mactip of the day. Given enough time and sunlight exposure the insulation on the uf cable will rot right off that wire. Seems like about twenty - twenty five years is the magic number. Lasts indefinitely when direct buried though.


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## bkmichael65 (Mar 25, 2013)

MTW said:


> What exactly is going to damage it? Some rogue maniac walking down the street with an axe?


Gardening tools and the family dog are a couple of the culprits I've seen


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## icemanjc (Dec 25, 2012)

I think the fact that it runs along the side of the house for a long distance is more likely to set off red flags, seems more like a hack. He'd probably be less likely to comment on it if it just popped out of the ground right at the unit.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

sbrn33 said:


> Some guy on a riding mower, some dorks moving a fridge, some 5 year old losing control of his bike. Should I go on?
> 
> Oops wrong quote.


And a meteorite might hit the house too.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

macmikeman said:


> Professional Electrician mactip of the day. Given enough time and sunlight exposure the insulation on the uf cable will rot right off that wire. Seems like about twenty - twenty five years is the magic number. Lasts indefinitely when direct buried though.


That's true. PVC conduit will be equally brittle and subject to shattering at that age. Lasts indefinitely when direct buried though.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

MTW said:


> That's true. PVC conduit will be equally brittle and subject to shattering at that age. Lasts indefinitely when direct buried though.


The wires inside will be fine though. Somebody will fix it and everyone will be unharmed.
Unlike when some gardener hits the bare UF and dies.


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## JoeSparky (Mar 25, 2010)

There is no arguing with home inspectors. You are just holding up the sale of the house by arguing. As long what they are requesting is safe and code compliant, Just take the homeowner's money:thumbup: to "Fix" the "problem"


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

The subject to physical damage goes hand in hand with the SE arguement. Not a big fan of UF on buildings or underground. Does generate good service calls.


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## Awseay (Aug 19, 2014)

It should be in conduit. Wouldn't cost $15 to put it in PVC.


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## NolaTigaBait (Oct 19, 2008)

sbrn33 said:


> The wires inside will be fine though. Somebody will fix it and everyone will be unharmed.
> Unlike when some gardener hits the bare UF and dies.


What if the Superdome falls on the house?. Code doesn't cover "what if's"...All we are saying is that the wording in the code is vague and that it doesn't need to be in conduit...


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## Wiley Won (Jan 30, 2021)

I'm trying to think about this logically. We all know that god made UF cable to be resistant to sunlight. If it was intended to always be underground or inside a conduit, then why would it need to be resistant to UV light? Obviously, there must be an application, somewhere in the world, where it is OK to leave the UV-B cable exposed to the elements.

For example, my hot tub installation. The tub is sits on a trex deck, 8 feet about the ground. The disconnect box is mounted on the side of my house, also 8 feet above the ground. I need to run 20 feet of 6/3 under the deck, from the disconnect box with the 50A 2-pole GFCI, and hard-wire into the hot tub. My plan is to drill through a few of the 2x12 joists and staple to others. The UF-B cable will only be visible to somebody who is standing under the deck looking up, except for a short length coming out of the GFCI box.

Does anybody see a problem with my plan?


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Wiley Won said:


> I'm trying to think about this logically. We all know that god made UF cable to be resistant to sunlight. If it was intended to always be underground or inside a conduit, then why would it need to be resistant to UV light? Obviously, there must be an application, somewhere in the world, where it is OK to leave the UV-B cable exposed to the elements.
> 
> For example, my hot tub installation. The tub is sits on a trex deck, 8 feet about the ground. The disconnect box is mounted on the side of my house, also 8 feet above the ground. I need to run 20 feet of 6/3 under the deck, from the disconnect box with the 50A 2-pole GFCI, and hard-wire into the hot tub. My plan is to drill through a few of the 2x12 joists and staple to others. The UF-B cable will only be visible to somebody who is standing under the deck looking up, except for a short length coming out of the GFCI box.
> 
> Does anybody see a problem with my plan?


Hot tub *outdoors* has to be wired using methods approved for a swimming pool. Now this island hasn't been keeping up for the last 15 years on code till suddenly they adopted 17 after holding onto 08 for the longest time and I missed two codes in the middle completely, but I. don't think exterior portions of the feeders = NM or UF was allowed to wire a pool .


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

Wiley Won said:


> I'm trying to think about this logically. We all know that god made UF cable to be resistant to sunlight. If it was intended to always be underground or inside a conduit, then why would it need to be resistant to UV light? Obviously, there must be an application, somewhere in the world, where it is OK to leave the UV-B cable exposed to the elements.
> 
> For example, my hot tub installation. The tub is sits on a trex deck, 8 feet about the ground. The disconnect box is mounted on the side of my house, also 8 feet above the ground. I need to run 20 feet of 6/3 under the deck, from the disconnect box with the 50A 2-pole GFCI, and hard-wire into the hot tub. My plan is to drill through a few of the 2x12 joists and staple to others. The UF-B cable will only be visible to somebody who is standing under the deck looking up, except for a short length coming out of the GFCI box.
> 
> Does anybody see a problem with my plan?


This thread has been closed.


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