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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Trumpy Offline OP
Member
Just been reading about this cable that has been imported from China, apparently the plastic used in the insulation on the cores and sheath lacked thermal polymers, these prevent the insulation from becoming brittle when exposed to high temperatures, either from the cores themselves or ambient temperatures up in roof voids.

I'd be rather worried if I'd installed some of this, it could cost a bit to replace it, especially if you have to rip a new house to bits to get the old cable out.

[color:#000099][b]LINK to Story.[/b][/color]

Arc Flash PPE Clothing, LOTO & Insulated Tools
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,335
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Thanx for the heads up. The manufacturer should be footing the bill. Good luck with that...


"Live Awesome!" - Kevin Carosa
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 984
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G
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We got a call from a cable manufacturer towards the end of building a 2 million sq.ft. complex that they had determined that the cable they had supplied was defective.
I was all ready for a gigantic fight about delays and chargebacks when they blindsided us with the following:

They told us that they would supply the replacement cable and thatt we should keep separate tickets for the removal/replacement and they would pay every cent...even OT and weekend work.

It cost them a pretty penny but they showed what their interpretation of 'customer service' was.

smile


Ghost307
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,335
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Good for them. Being a butthead about it would have cost them more in the long run. One accident and it was determined it was faulty wire, all of their wire would have come under suspicion and the lawsuits would be aflyin'


"Live Awesome!" - Kevin Carosa
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Trumpy Offline OP
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Personally, guys, I don't have a lot of sympathy for those that have installed these cables.
A dollar or two cheaper per metre, means something is not right.
I would NEVER subject any of my clients to the grief of me looking to make a killing based on me installing sub-standard cable or equipment.

You get what you pay for, purely and simply.

BTW, when did you last megger a new roll of Romex, before you installed it?
I've found dead shorts, lumps in the insulation, some sections of the cable didn't even have insulation on them.
But it's hidden under the outer sheath.

Good Times. frown

Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,273
T
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ALL of my wire comes from established domestic manufacturers...

STILL, I actually had ONE single instance of bad THWN-2. While it had automatically been megged at the factory -- meggers don't detect flamingly open gaps in the insulation -- as in bare copper the size of a pin hole.

In the field we were able to find this flaw by shutting down a school -- in mid class! You see, the VERY last circuit to be run was from a 480/277 panel to a flag pole illumination fixture. Everything was going so swell, then -- poof -- the MAIN was tripped.

Seconds later I rebooted the MAIN and killed the branch offender. The conductor was pulled. Yeap. It had a gap in the insulation.

That's the SOLE and only flaw I've ever had with any wire or cable I've ever come across. BTW, I saved it for the boss. He was astounded, too.

Such flaws are THAT rare in American wire/ cable.

...

Trumpy

I only ever meg MAINS bussing. American factories automatically meg MC. That's why our stuff has the open conductors flailing off into the wind.

Your experience may vary.

Flawed production just gets recycled right on the spot... never to be seen by the outside world.

America invented quality control. The ultimate in QC is practiced in rocketry. Today's rocketry is astounding. The failure rate is so low -- for the most complicated gadgets flying.

Last edited by Tesla; 11/18/13 07:14 PM.

Tesla
Joined: Jul 2007
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I'm with tesla. Breakers, wire, anything current carrying comes from tightly controlled suppliers. Big box stores are not any of them. Can't not afford failure due to faulty supplies. Too much garbage on the market to get burn by


"Live Awesome!" - Kevin Carosa
Joined: May 2015
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My joke about the name of the company is that it refers to the number of replacements you'd go through if you replaced it with more of the same each time it failed. grin

But jokes aside: At least, if you get caught by a line of poor-quality fittings they shouldn't be too hard to swap. But this event has doubtless become a full-on nightmare for the involved parties.

And all that in the name of saving a few bucks? In my estimation the cost of a top-notch electrical installation is still maybe 2% of the value of the property, being very pessimistic, and the potential "savings" quite a bit lower again. So it's false economy at its very worst, indeed.


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