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Joined: Jul 2004
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G
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Typically a block wall will be tar coated (underground), "parged", painted or stuccoed (above ground) and that is the water barrier.
As for NMC, I admit I have never seen it but I understand it has a plastic inner wrapper instead of the brown kraft paper so it won't wick up water. I believe they see this in Canada but I could be wrong. I also have heard it called barn cable.

You tell them apart by the labeling.

When I looked at wire vendors online they send NMC inquiries off to the UF page. With the economies of scale, I really wonder why they would make 3 separate products. The other thing I am seeing UF that looks a lot like NM these days, just without the inner paper liner. The jacket is not much if any heavier. Back in the olden days this was fatter than NM and solid plastic.


Greg Fretwell
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Cat Servant
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Just to play devils' advocate ... is this patio wall 'wet?':

[Linked Image from i143.photobucket.com]

Joined: Apr 2002
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Reno:
Based on the nice graphic, IMHO, the wiring method should be suitable for wet location. Usual install is PVC conduit with THHN/THWN, or UF depending on the 'skills' of the installer.

Masons & landscapers are known to slip in jobs (without permits/inspections) for work like your graphic, with UF stubbed up. Some sleeve UF in the stubs. NMC shows up in HO/DIY jobs occasionally, and would not be acceptable.



John
Joined: Jul 2004
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Why is it any "wetter" than the wall on the side of the house? Parged block is as weather tight as aluminum/vinyl siding. Since this is detached from the house you would still need a wet location wiring method to get to it so this may not be the best example for the devil to advocate.
Dog leg this over the the corner of the house and feed it from the house wall. Then we have something to debate.


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 853
L
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Wall rec: I would say wet. It lacks the over hang of the roof as found on a outside wall of the house.

Patio lighting: wet also,same as a post light,and the rout to get there as stated wet.
RE dog leg to house: as soon as you enter that patio wall, Wet. IMO.

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G
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I guess you don't live in a place where it rains sideways. wink

Wouldn't an unpermeable wall cap be the same as a roof?


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Aug 2007
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snow? 3' deep? does that count? smile Yes. it rains sideways here too.

Good points. But I will have to go with wet. Logic more than code definations.

Joined: Dec 2005
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A
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How about this - current situation in my home. In one section the basement is separated by a poured concrete wall from an exterior cistern (large 10 x 12 x 8 enclosed water tank) that is full of water. So standing in the basement at that location you are 12 inches away from water that is at a level above your head. The interior basement is finished and completely dry. Finished wall has recepts ect. Is this a wet location?

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I actually tend to go the other way, all exterior walls with penetrations to the weather should all be wet, at least at the penetration but that would really turn over the apple cart wouldn't it?
No more Romex to the jelly jar.
The normal installation here is smurf to exterior lamps, sticking out of a hole in the block. The electrician puts in a pancake and installs his light.
They do this to deal with the penetration through the poured concrete cells and tie beam with the other end up in the attic. Usually it gets fished with Romex. I still see the opportunity for water to wick up in the kraft paper wrapper of the Romex and that is supposed to be why Romex is dry only.

In Ann's care there is no penetration to the "wet side" so this is only an issue of the membrane not leaking.


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 717
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I am currently wiring a 6000 sq ft 3 story house constructed of this material for the interior and exterior walls. AAC Blocks Look at the guy carrying a site made knock out block. Those are very easy for the masons to fabricate on the jobsite. I am running horizontal runs of romex in channels like these, except I am strict that they maintain more than the code allowance of 1-1/4" from the side walls of solid material. The stuff is very easy to work with, provided the masons are of good caliber. The bottom floor of the house is 50 per cent retaining walls so I ran conduit for 100 per cent of the ground floor wiring, but upstairs the wiring is romex. Passed my rough in for ground and second floors last week, no problems. Once I got used to the methods of wiring AAC block houses, I have no problem with running the romex inside the walls in channels we are making for it. The only real technicality I see is I am not really "fishing" the cables between boxes, I am laying them in channels, stapleing them to the bottom of the channel( yes you read right, that is just as easy as putting staples into Georgia Pine) and covering the channel with painter's tape prior to the glue for the next course. They glue these blocks together with something like thin set, not mortar. Its been an interesting job so far.

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