Romex On Block

My opinion is that THHN is easier to run, but will end up being much more expensive for a small project like this. You will end up buying rolls of green, black, white, and possibly red wire. 500' rolls of 12 ga will cost $45, but 50' rolls are more than double the price per foot.

One other comment is that you will lose a lot of pegboard real estate if you lay the 2x4s flat. Each one will block 3 rows of holes if perfectly positioned. 2x2s would only block a single row.

Steve
 
Those 500' rolls always seem to go quicker than I figure. And I like having it on hand for adding circuits. I buy wholesale, so the cost isn't so bad. I do have a habit of keeping only 12g or larger though. My light circuits are all 12g, even though they are on 15 amp breakers.
 
If you haven't already bought your materials, another way to wire your shop that has the advantages of both romex & conduit is to run MC cable. It's flexible like romex & it's metal clad so it has some protection from puncture damage. It's also rated at 600V [RMS] so it can be used for 480 VAC where necessary & it's available with solid stranded conductors although most electrical distributors don't stock both styles. Hope this helps.
 
MC cable is a great way to go behind pegboard. Use screws to hang the pegboard just in case you want to add an extra outlet later.

I like to put outlets every 32 or 48 inches so there is always a plug nearby. I also alternate the plugs on different branches so I can run 2 high power loads without blowing the breaker. All of my power outlets use 12ga wire with 20A breakers.

Steve
 
2011 NEC ( newest I have handy) 334.15 Exposed Work 334.15 (B) Protection from physical damage lists methods to protect cable from damage and tubing and conduit is listed. 334.15 (C) in unfinished basements and crawl spaces allows cables to be installed in conduit or tubing for protection as long as a suitable bushing or adapter is provide and the jacket extends at least 1/4" into the box.
 
As stated, yes "exposed work" in romex must be protected by short pieces of conduit, usually in the neighborhood of extending up to 8 feet or so, depending on the jurisdiction. Once the conduit/tubing is going to be covered it is not allowed and not really wise to use romex in the tubing/conduit when there are much better alternatives. In fact, it would be wiser if all you have is romex, to go ahead and run the romex/NMB cable exposed above the pegboard walls and run conduit from a Jbox at the ceiling or exposed upper area down to the receptacles/switches. Using a proper romex connector connect the exposed romex to the box. Then, if all you have is romex, strip off the jacket and treat it as individual conductors ( it is THHN inside the jacket after all) and pull it down to the receptacles, splicing it at the upper box so it can be carried along to the next location as needed. You can pull the bare copper ground wire just like any other conductor, just make sure to tuck it back into the box well so it doesn't short out the device when you close the cover.

I have done this in a pinch when I needed to finish a job and all I had left in the truck was a roll of romex and a few boxes and the customer needed to use the shop/area.

Bob
 
BobSchu said:
Once the conduit/tubing is going to be covered it is not allowed and not really wise to use romex in the tubing/conduit when there are much better alternatives.
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As others have said, there is nothing in the code that prevents putting Romex in conduit regardless of whether or not the conduit will be covered PROVIDED that conductor fills in the conduit are respected and the conduit is run in a location where romex is permitted..i.e. you can't put romex in condiit outdoors and call it a dry location. It is a bad idea to put romex in conduit in general, but it is not against code. If you have a code article that states it is disallowed please post, I have never found one. Since the code is a permissive document, if it isn't prohibited explicitly in the code then it is allowed.

BobSchu said:
In fact, it would be wiser if all you have is romex, to go ahead and run the romex/NMB cable exposed above the pegboard walls and run conduit from a Jbox at the ceiling or exposed upper area down to the receptacles/switches. Using a proper romex connector connect the exposed romex to the box. Then, if all you have is romex, strip off the jacket and treat it as individual conductors ( it is THHN inside the jacket after all)
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I hear this a lot. What spec states that Romex conductors are THHN? The conductors in Romex are usually not THHN. They could be THHN, but they are often not, and I rarely see it. They are 90 degree conductors like THHN, but thats it. There is nothing in the code or the UL listing that requires THHN in romex. It could be various conductor types allowed by the code, or some other conductor type as long as it is properly listed as is rated for 90 degrees. 334.112 covers this. MC, on

Also, skinning romex and running it in conduit as if it was THHN *CAN* be a violation because the conductors in Romex are not usually individually marked. THHN conductors are, where each conductor has the gauge and insulation ratings (THHN/THWN etc) written on the insulation. With Romex, it is usually just the outer jacket that contains this info and the conductors within the cable are blank. Nothing written on them. Marking is required by 310.110. Inspector may not bust you on it, but the longer the run the bigger the risk. Some consider this a ridiculous rule, but you open up a box or panel and have unmarked conductors in it and then have to trace the conduit back 30 feet until you can find the part where the romex enters the conduit fitting to read the label. Not fun. Leave the jacket with the conductors until you strip it to make the termination at the final box where it is being terminated.
 
In your jurisdiction, it very well may be legal to install Romex in conduit. In this area it is not allowed. If I could find the code article again, I would quote it but I don't do enough residential wiring any more to justify keeping up with the code for those installations any more.

I doubt you've been around long enough to remember when Romex changed over from XHHW type insulation inside the sheath to the common wire types used now, which is actually THHN even if it isn't marked as such. When it was first introduced, the THHN and wire size was still marked on the insulation of the conductors, but your post made me go out in the garage and check and it isn't marked any more. Hmmmmm..... not that it would really matter as I've never had an inspector look that closely at the wire in my panels and I'm not trying to cut any corners in any case. Even if it was RHH or some other uncommon insulation type it would still meet the intent and letter of the code and be safe as installed so I would not hesitate to do it again.

The fact is, you don't know me or my experience level and you deduce an awful lot from a couple posts, judging from your tone. You may feel justified in using that tone to correct my statements, but I'm not really in the mood any more to deal with it and I'm getting too old to spend time trying to be helpful and getting this type of response in return.
 
BobSchu said:
You may feel justified in using that tone to correct my statements, but I'm not really in the mood any more to deal with it and I'm getting too old to spend time trying to be helpful and getting this type of response in return.
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Absolutely no bad tone was intended in my response and I am sorry if you took it that way or it came across that way. Just trying to state the facts as I know them and some of the reasoning behind them.

You are right, I do not remember Romex changing over, but if it did that was probably an individual manufacturer doing so. Romex can contain whatever type of conductor the manufacturer pleases. It could be one specifically allowable by the code, as you mention, there could be cases of THHN, RHH, etc, or it could be another type they make up on their own provided it is listed by a recognized listing agency such as UL.

In any case, sorry that my post came across as jerkish. Not my intent at all, just trying to give my perspective.
 
Tony Wells said:
Those 500' rolls always seem to go quicker than I figure. And I like having it on hand for adding circuits. I buy wholesale, so the cost isn't so bad. I do have a habit of keeping only 12g or larger though. My light circuits are all 12g, even though they are on 15 amp breakers.
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14 SHOULDN'T EVEN BY USED..
 
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