# Legal or Hack ?



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

What's wrong with having a nipple go thru the wall? I am not sure what you mean about not having anything to fasten it to.

I would have just ran the romex thru the pipe (sleeve) the whole way.


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## crw16 (Dec 11, 2017)

I would give this a thumbs down. Why didn't you use a 4 sq instead if the LB. Splice NM cable to THHN and land NM cable in plastic box.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> What's wrong with having a nipple go thru the wall? I am not sure what you mean about not having anything to fasten it to.
> 
> I would have just ran the romex thru the pipe (sleeve) the whole way.


Nipple from the slb to what ? there is an existing plastic box in the stucco wall other side. Romex thru the conduit is illegal, but I do that too on shorter runs.



crw16 said:


> I would give this a thumbs down. Why didn't you use a 4 sq instead if the LB. Splice NM cable to THHN and land NM cable in plastic box.



Because it's uglier than a slb ! You are right on your Nec code installation, but I am following Hack, and MTW non code compliant, but safe installations


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

I can't tell whether the emt is inside or outside,but inside, I sleeve romex down a piece of emt in basements all the time for washers, dryers etc. Outside I wouldn't use romex, but how about a piece of UF?


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

nrp3 said:


> I can't tell whether the emt is inside or outside,but inside, I sleeve romex down a piece of emt in basements all the time for washers, dryers etc. Outside I wouldn't use romex, but how about a piece of UF?


Inside a garage, feeding lights on the sides of a garage door


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

That’s awful.


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## Willie B (Jan 31, 2020)

You fall into rules doing that. Several points must be considered. I'm not clear what the details of what you have done are.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

Willie B said:


> You fall into rules doing that. Several points must be considered. I'm not clear what the details of what you have done are.


Looking from the driveway of a house, there is only one existing light, on the left side of the garage. The customer wants to add another light on the right side.

Run conduit on the inside of the garage to complete the job


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

dronai said:


> Nipple from the slb to what ? there is an existing plastic box in the stucco wall other side.* Romex thru the conduit is illegal*, but I do that too on shorter runs.



I reckin I'm going to have to drop a code book off for some of you to read!:surprise:


You can run Romex (NM) in conduit, just can't do it if it's outside. I mean if the whole conduit run is outside. You can run it through the wall straight into a box.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

dronai said:


> ...but I am following Hack, and MTW non code compliant, but safe installations


I’m at a loss for words.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

A Little Short said:


> I reckin I'm going to have to drop a code book off for some of you to read!:surprise:
> 
> 
> You can run Romex (NM) in conduit, just can't do it if it's outside. I mean if the whole conduit run is outside. You can run it through the wall straight into a box.



Nothing is outside ! Only the lights


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

dronai said:


> Nothing is outside ! Only the lights



That was my point, run the romex in the conduit inside and through the wall into the box. You said running it in conduit was illegal. I was pointing out that it is not unless the conduit is outside.


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## CoolWill (Jan 5, 2019)

I wouldn't do it... But I wouldn't remove it if I found it in my house.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

A Little Short said:


> That was my point, run the romex in the conduit inside and through the wall into the box. You said running it in conduit was illegal. I was pointing out that it is not unless the conduit is outside.


I'm an oldtimer, it used to be illegal, I don't know when it became legal ? We were allowed to run it inside a conduit for up to 1'


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## flyboy (Jun 13, 2011)

99cents said:


> That’s awful.


You're such a drama queen.


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

dronai said:


> I'm an oldtimer, it used to be illegal, I don't know when it became legal ? We were allowed to run it inside a conduit for up to 1'



You must have "old timer's disease". It never was illegal to run it in conduit inside. It even used to be legal outside in conduit until they deemed the inside of conduit a wet location a few cycles ago. I'm speaking of the NEC and not some local amendment.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

A Little Short said:


> You must have "old timer's disease". It never was illegal to run it in conduit inside. It even used to be legal outside in conduit until they deemed the inside of conduit a wet location a few cycles ago. I'm speaking of the NEC and not some local amendment.


Could have been a local code, but i'll check my 1990 something code book :vs_laugh:


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

I assume you're coming in from the one light and making a U of conduit up over and down from one side of the overhead door to the other? 

You could use back to back boxes with NM between them using nm clamps in the boxes, but you don't want to look at the box on the inside. I don't think a handy box would look bad but OK. 

With an LB on the inside, you could use a threaded UF connector into the LB. 

You don't have to run the NM / UF in the conduit, you can splice inside of the LB if it's stamped for volume.


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

dronai said:


> Could have been a local code, but i'll check my 1990 something code book :vs_laugh:



Oh I know old codes! My State was on the 2002, up till 2011. Then we went to the 08 and stayed there till 2017. We finally went to the 2017, skipping the 2011 & 2014!:vs_mad:


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> Nipple from the slb to what ? there is an existing plastic box in the stucco wall other side.


 Nipple from the LB to the box. I’m not understanding why you couldn’t do that.



> Romex thru the conduit is illegal, but I do that too on shorter runs.


Why is it illegal to sleeve Romex in EMT? You could sleeve Romex in anything.


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## B-Nabs (Jun 4, 2014)

splatz said:


> I assume you're coming in from the one light and making a U of conduit up over and down from one side of the overhead door to the other?
> 
> You could use back to back boxes with NM between them using nm clamps in the boxes, but you don't want to look at the box on the inside. I don't think a handy box would look bad but OK.
> 
> ...


I agree a handy box wouldn't look any more obtrusive than an lb

Sent from my SM-G975W using Tapatalk


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

splatz said:


> I assume you're coming in from the one light and making a U of conduit up over and down from one side of the overhead door to the other?
> 
> You could use back to back boxes with NM between them using nm clamps in the boxes, but you don't want to look at the box on the inside. I don't think a handy box would look bad but OK.
> 
> ...


The residential type lb's they sell at the supply houses don't have the volume marked on them like the condulets used in industrial


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> Nipple from the LB to the box. I’m not understanding why you couldn’t do that.
> 
> 
> 
> Why is it illegal to sleeve Romex in EMT? You could sleeve Romex in anything.


The plastic single gang plastic box used, didn't have a ko, and I wasn't going to take the time to make one, and line up a nipple


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

dronai said:


> The plastic single gang plastic box used, didn't have a ko, and I wasn't going to take the time to make one, and line up a nipple



You don't need a nipple per se, you can use a nipple threaded/glued on the inside and just use the part inside the wall as a sleeve. You just need to get it close to the outside. The box will cover the hole and you can bring the sleeve (nipple) close to, or flush with the wall. If it's a plastic box, just drill a hole large enough for the wires. Or you could drill it 7/8" and use a plastic push-in RX connector pushed in from the outside. May have to enlarge the hole some outside for the button to get the box flat against the wall.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

dronai said:


> The residential type lb's they sell at the supply houses don't have the volume marked on them like the condulets used in industrial


Some of the cheap ones are stamped. If you ask me if you're going to overrule the code, that's a good one to start with. 

The thing I don't like about it is you don't have a ground screw in there, really I'd do this with handy boxes or whatever your prettiest box is.


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## Willie B (Jan 31, 2020)

I had a discussion with an inspector once. His interpretation was no you can't run nmb in conduit......except to protect it.

You are required to sleeve it in conduit where it passes through a floor. There are plenty of applications where you'd choose to sleeve it for protection IE: drilled through a wooden stud. Basement walls, I always use conduit to drop down to an outlet. 

My second year teacher in electrical school went on to be Chief Electrical inspector for the state. His preference was to strip the jacket off. He expressed concerns about the oval cross section of most NMB exceeding the cross section allowed in small conduit sizes. He was also concerned about the jacket and paper providing unwanted thermal insulation. No specific prohibition, just a concern. 

Where you do this a bushing or connector (Arlington 8600) is required. One inspector wants the same treatment as conduit entering a box, not more than 8" to the first support if no clamp, 12" with a clamp.


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## CoolWill (Jan 5, 2019)

Willie B said:


> I had a discussion with an inspector once. His interpretation was no you can't run nmb in conduit......except to protect it.
> 
> You are required to sleeve it in conduit where it passes through a floor. There are plenty of applications where you'd choose to sleeve it for protection IE: drilled through a wooden stud. Basement walls, I always use conduit to drop down to an outlet.
> 
> ...


That's all just silliness. The code specifically allows cables in conduit. Where a cable isn't round, the widest dimension is used to calculate its cross-sectional area.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

I never understand the idea that some people have that you can sleeve cable thru wood, drywall, plumbing pipe, a garden hose, and anything else... but not EMT.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

You guys just love complicating things. 4 X 4 box, piece of cable, take their money. Who cares if an LB is prettier than a box? Actually it isn’t. This is a garage, not an art gallery.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

We would of just sleeved Romex over here.

Or used a metal box behind the fixture, and ran emt/al flex all the way to it with thhn.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

If I had of pulled Romex through that pipe, I would have bashed a hole in the wall for my cable and made it pretty with a 4 X 4 extension ring and a flat cover. Either way, there’s a box on the wall and that’s okay with me.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Well, I have seen somebody do the mathematics on measuring Romex sheath and doing a conical precision look at the code rules that figured running a 12-2 into a 3/4" emt or pvc was an overfill. Wouldn't stop me even though ..........


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## Willie B (Jan 31, 2020)

HackWork said:


> I never understand the idea that some people have that you can sleeve cable thru wood, drywall, plumbing pipe, a garden hose, and anything else... but not EMT.


I think it is a different group of people running it through garden hose. There are rules to follow, but passing through EMT is sometimes good workmanship. It is mentioned as an alternative to nail guards, required where it passes through a floor, often in exposed work in open studding, (residential garage), and on surface work (concrete walls). One inspector had some convoluted & contrived reinterpretation of code that limits it to 20'. I will say his interpretation was a classic example of an inspector trying to write code instead of enforcing it.


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## crw16 (Dec 11, 2017)

A thought for consideration UL approved, Listing and labeling.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

I you really wanted this to look beautiful you could always use wiremold.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

crw16 said:


> A thought for consideration UL approved, Listing and labeling.


There is no requirement for something that protects romex to be listed or labelled. A 2X4 isn't listed for that use, either is drywall, or crown molding. 

I have installed central vacuum PVC pipe for romex to be run thru, it's no different than a drywall chase. If there was a garden hose run from the basement to the attic, you bet your ass I would pull romex thru it.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

splatz said:


> I you really wanted this to look beautiful you could always use wiremold.


:smile:


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

crw16 said:


> A thought for consideration UL approved, Listing and labeling.


Nah !


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

Trying to pull 12-2 romex thru 1/2" emt would have been a nightmare, especially alone.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> Trying to pull 12-2 romex thru 1/2" emt would have been a nightmare, especially alone.


It depends how far and how many 90's.

I do it all the time.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

HackWork said:


> It depends how far and how many 90's.
> 
> I do it all the time.


You must be into self abuse. Try 3/4 next time.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

99cents said:


> You must be into self abuse. Try 3/4 next time.


I never had a problem with it. Not even a little. 

Typically if the run is going to be long and have many bends, it would be a raceway and I would use THHN.


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## Switched (Dec 23, 2012)

Just pull the back section out of the Wiremold and lay the top on flat over the NM!


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

This is why I made my own romex, where it sleeved thru the wall


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> This is why I made my own romex, where it sleeved thru the wall


I'm all for HackWork®, but doing what you did seems really bad, like liability bad. Maybe it's just me.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> I'm all for HackWork®, but doing what you did seems really bad, like liability bad. Maybe it's just me.


How did you make that R with the circle around it ?

Next up in tis "Code Breakers" series, mounting a light fixture onto concrete or stucco, *without* a box :wink:


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

Switched said:


> Just pull the back section out of the Wiremold and lay the top on flat over the NM!


Wiremold is expensive, and overkill in a garage


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> How did you make that R with the circle around it ?


 Just google is and copy and paste it. I know you can make it with your computer, but that's more work.



> Next up in tis "Code Breakers" series, mounting a light fixture onto concrete or stucco, *without* a box :wink:


I will typically set a pancake box in these situations. This is where one of those holesaws that drill thru concrete would work great.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> I will typically set a pancake box in these situations. This is where one of those holesaws that drill thru concrete would work great.



Yep, the concrete holesaw is the tool for the job. Can you post a photo of this ?

The concrete is fireproof, so the only weakness, is the small hole that the wire feeds thru.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> Yep, the concrete holesaw is the tool for the job. Can you post a photo of this ?
> 
> The concrete is fireproof, so the only weakness, is the small hole that the wire feeds thru.


I don't have any pictures. I have never used a holesaw, just chipped away at it until the box fit. Then used tapcons or plastic anchors to hold it.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> I don't have any pictures. I have never used a holesaw, just chipped away at it until the box fit. Then used tapcons or plastic anchors to hold it.


I have drilled lots of small holes with a masonery bits around the circle, and chiseled it out


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

99cents said:


> You must be into self abuse. Try 3/4 next time.


12-2 even pulls easily thru 1/2" offset connectors :biggrin:


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

So back to the concrete backing, with *NO* box

With a box, you still have a strain relief in the ko, where the wire goes thru. So an air gap.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> So back to the concrete backing, with *NO* box
> 
> With a box, you still have a strain relief in the ko, where the wire goes thru. So an air gap.


I don't know what you are saying.

Are you asking how to install a light on concrete without a box? If so, why?


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> I don't know what you are saying.
> 
> Are you asking how to install a light on concrete without a box? If so, why?


So you don't have to chip out the stucco, or concrete to fit a metal box. The concrete is not going to burn


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> So you don't have to chip out the stucco, or concrete to fit a metal box. The concrete is not going to burn


So you are wondering how to do it?

Anything you do won't be code compliant, so it really doesn't matter.

Bring the cable thru a hole, then fasten the strap to the wall and mount the light. The ground conductor wrapped around the ground screw on the strap will stop the cable from pulling out. Silicone around it and done.

I would use a flat Arlington siding block before doing this, though. Just fasten it to the wall and you are code compliant. Built in pancake box.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Pulling 12-2 through two 90's? All you need is lube.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

splatz said:


> Pulling 12-2 through two 90's? All you need is lube.


All you need is lube, lube; lube is all you need.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

splatz said:


> All you need is lube, lube; lube is all you need.


What the world needs now 
Is lube, sweet lube
That's the only thing, 
that there's just too little of


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

splatz said:


> What the world needs now
> Is lube, sweet lube
> That's the only thing,
> that there's just too little of



OK OK OK :vs_laugh:


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

Some jackass is advertising using my company name !!!! My website hosting company just notified me he saw it on Yelp !!! Called that azzholes, and they hung up on me
(562) 454-1466 The address is fake, and there is no contractors license number


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## joesparky28 (Mar 12, 2015)

I would say no. What about putting a four square box on the end of the pipe. And then running a piece of MC through the wall to the other side?


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## tapasr_562dad7fc5c70 (Jan 8, 2020)

I would be curious of the UL listing on that application 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## LibertyRising (Jan 2, 2018)

Should have used a nipple to continue the conduit run and THHN wiring to the outside box- which should be metal and bonded, or use a plastic box with a bonding bushing on the emt connector.

Or used a junction box instead of the LB and used a wire rated to pass through the wall without a sleeve (?) 

Definitely hack.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

LibertyRising said:


> Should have used a nipple to continue the conduit run and THHN wiring to the outside box- which should be metal and bonded, or use a plastic box with a bonding bushing on the emt connector.
> 
> Or used a junction box instead of the LB and used a wire rated to pass through the wall without a sleeve (?)
> 
> Definitely hack.


If you're are allowed to sleeve romex through a conduit into one continuous run, then you would eliminate the need for a splice box. I essentually did the same thing by sleeving the thhn with a romex jacket on the pass through only.

Eliminating ugly junction boxes, and using a cleaner looking LB


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> If you're are allowed to sleeve romex through a conduit into one continuous run, then you would eliminate the need for a splice box. I essentually did the same thing by sleeving the thhn with a romex jacket on the pass through only.
> 
> Eliminating ugly junction boxes, and using a cleaner looking LB


I don't see what is so ugly about a shallow 1900 box. In my area they have super expensive loft apartments with exposed conduit and shallow 1900 boxes all over the place. Your pipe was in the garage. Even a handy box would work and not be much bigger than the LB.

Putting romex sheath onto THHN just seems so wrong to me lol :biggrin:


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> Putting romex sheath onto THHN just seems so wrong to me lol :biggrin:


It is :vs_OMG:


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## LibertyRising (Jan 2, 2018)

dronai said:


> If you're are allowed to sleeve romex through a conduit into one continuous run, then you would eliminate the need for a splice box. I essentually did the same thing by sleeving the thhn with a romex jacket on the pass through only.
> 
> Eliminating ugly junction boxes, and using a cleaner looking LB


Maybe I am misunderstanding the situation but it looks like you actually ran a piece of THHN wire through the conduit and then used a piece of scrap Romex jacket to sleeve the Wire as it passes through a concrete wall. Definitely hack. We aren’t talking about running Romex in conduit, we are talking about using a Romex jacket as a substitute for a proper sleeve for the THHN wire as it penetrates a concrete wall....

It’s electrical- surface mounted conduit is only so beautiful- a j box or an LB doesn’t make that much difference. It you must use the LB- do the right thing and sleeve an appropriate conduit to the box where the wire is terminated.

Definitely hack. If my guys did that I’d make them tear it out and do it again.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai, one other proposal for this situation...

I assume the reason you didn't run romex the entire way thru the pipe was because it would be too hard to run cable that far thru bends and stuff?

If that is the case, and you still wanted to use the LB for looks at the end of the run, you could have put a 1900 box somewhere else along the run. Somewhere closer to that LB at the end, and switched from THHN to romex in that box.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> dronai, one other proposal for this situation...
> 
> I assume the reason you didn't run romex the entire way thru the pipe was because it would be too hard to run cable that far thru bends and stuff?
> 
> If that is the case, and you still wanted to use the LB for looks at the end of the run, you could have put a 1900 box somewhere else along the run. Somewhere closer to that LB at the end, and switched from THHN to romex in that box.


What the hell is a 1900 box ? I would have used a handy box (1 gang) or a 4-S box, if I wanted that look. 

Yes it is a code violation, but is it a safety hazard ? 

Could that small section of sleeved romex explode ? 

Maybe a 1 in a billion chance it could start dancing around, and wear a cut in the insulation, because it wasn't a factory jacket continously all the way through.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

LibertyRising said:


> Maybe I am misunderstanding the situation but it looks like you actually ran a piece of THHN wire through the conduit and then used a piece of scrap Romex jacket to sleeve the Wire as it passes through a concrete wall. Definitely hack. We aren’t talking about running Romex in conduit, we are talking about using a Romex jacket as a substitute for a proper sleeve for the THHN wire as it penetrates a concrete wall....
> 
> It’s electrical- surface mounted conduit is only so beautiful- a j box or an LB doesn’t make that much difference. It you must use the LB- do the right thing and sleeve an appropriate conduit to the box where the wire is terminated.
> 
> Definitely hack. If my guys did that I’d make them tear it out and do it again.


Yes you are correct within the rules of the code, but is it a hazard ?


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> What the hell is a 1900 box ? I would have used a handy box (1 gang) or a 4-S box, if I wanted that look.
> 
> Yes it is a code violation, but is it a safety hazard ?
> 
> ...


A 1900 box is 4" square box.

I still don't understand what you mean about "the look", but what I said in my last post is that you could have put the box further down the pipe run so that you could use romex compliantly without having "the look" of 1900 box where that LB is.

As for using romex sheath to cover free-air THHN, to answer your question: No, it isn't dangerous in itself, but either is free-air THHN in your situation, right? Why even put the sheath around it for that few inches in the wall? I'm just not following.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> A 1900 box is 4" square box.
> 
> I still don't understand what you mean about "the look", but what I said in my last post is that you could have put the box further down the pipe run so that you could use romex compliantly without having "the look" of 1900 box where that LB is.
> 
> As for using romex sheath to cover free-air THHN, to answer your question: No, it isn't dangerous in itself, but either is free-air THHN in your situation, right? *Why even put the sheath around it for that few inches in the wall?* I'm just not following.


To make it into Romex, which is code compliant


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> To make it into Romex, which is code compliant


But it's not code compliant, not by any stretch of the imagination.

You can say that it is not dangerous and that it is good enough, and I would agree. But it's no where near code compliant.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

HackWork said:


> But it's not code compliant, not by any stretch of the imagination.
> 
> You can say that it is not dangerous and that it is good enough, and I would agree. But it's no where near code compliant.


Agreed !!

In a code class many years ago, when the instructor told me, that the garage door opener motor needed to be dedicated,

I argued that's stupid, because of the amperage draw, and the length of time it goes on.

He said, who are you though ?

This was decided by a group of qualified individuals that make the code.

So even though nothing will happen with this installation, I'm not qualified to decide what is safe, and what is not.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

dronai said:


> Agreed !!
> 
> In a code class many years ago, when the instructor told me, that the garage door opener motor needed to be dedicated,
> 
> ...


I disagree. You are qualified to determine what is safe and what is not.

But we are not talking safety, you said compliant with the code. The code won't allow you to just make romex.


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## five.five-six (Apr 9, 2013)

HackWork said:


> I disagree. You are qualified to determine what is safe and what is not.
> 
> But we are not talking safety, you said compliant with the code. *The code won't allow you to just make romex.*



Maybe not but veronica’s showgirls does allow you to make it rain.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

*Beautiful*

4 extension boxes :smile:


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## five.five-six (Apr 9, 2013)

Legal and hack?


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

five.five-six said:


> Legal and hack?



Well.... that's subjective :smile:


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## LibertyRising (Jan 2, 2018)

dronai said:


> Yes you are correct within the rules of the code, but is it a hazard ?


So the progression of questions is is it legal? No. Is it hack? Absolutely. And now is it a hazard? 

It’s pretty irrelevant. We are supposed to be professionals and take pride in our work, doing things the right way, as opposed to the fly by night trunk slammers and joe homeowners.

I don’t see what is so freaking hard about just making sure that hole is drilled large enough to fit a short conduit nipple or a piece of greenfield. It would have taken less time to do it right than to make the embarrassment of a hack job that is.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

LibertyRising said:


> So the progression of questions is is it legal? No. Is it hack? Absolutely. And now is it a hazard?
> 
> It’s pretty irrelevant. We are supposed to be professionals and take pride in our work, doing things the right way, as opposed to the fly by night trunk slammers and joe homeowners.
> 
> I don’t see what is so freaking hard about just making sure that hole is drilled large enough to fit a short conduit nipple or a piece of greenfield. It would have taken less time to do it right than to make the embarrassment of a hack job that is.



Easy :smile:


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

I wouldn't do that. I would have pulled romex through the conduit or if there were too many 90s then I would have set a 4 square and poked romex out the back and splice it.


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## Pigtails (Feb 19, 2020)

He didn't use romex. He just put the outer sheath over THHN


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

This was a bad example to all those guys out there who are keeping the trade to where it needs to be. I'm going back and doing it right tomorrow


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## LibertyRising (Jan 2, 2018)

dronai said:


> This was a bad example to all those guys out there who are keeping the trade to where it needs to be. I'm going back and doing it right tomorrow


Aw man I was starting to be convinced you didn’t actually do that and was asking so you could have some backup when you confronted the electrical abuser. 

So sad 😞 


Jk jk, the difference between a hack and a professional is the willingness to review his own installation and fix his mistakes. We’ve all been there before.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

A shallow metal single gang outdoor box with a blank metal cover will look much like an LB, only slightly bigger. And it will allow you to splice in it to transition from THHN to romex.


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## five.five-six (Apr 9, 2013)

dronai said:


> Well.... that's subjective :smile:



Clearly the two traits are not mutually exclusive. 

By definition, if it passes the AHJ it’s legal and I have seen lots of hack that has been finaled.


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