John...
INRE EMT and drop wires...
They are as common as dust in my area.
The move to independent drop rods started in the last decade.
The NEC was changed after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Survivors told of light fixtures hitting them in the head -- all over town -- after the grid went down. These events also opened up the flex/ MC and set the stage for electrical fires.
%%%
ERICO's stuff -- way back when -- was touted as supporting LV data-com over the grid. (Bridle rings) IIRC these are still available.
The earthquake revealed that -- particularly in grocery stores (the cheapos) -- that ultimately massive groupings were built up over the grid. So much so that they contributed to the grid's failure.
So the California building code shifted towards independent support for data com cabling, too.
The reasoning being that the grid ought to hold up much better -- and not hit so many on the head. (Victims just could NOT avoid the impluse to look UP into the falling debris. Eye and facial injuries were the result.)
Spray painting drop wires proved to be vastly cheaper than the Caddy product fix. For the purposes of the building code, it's not necessary for these drop wires to run taut and straight. Close enough will do. The last thing you want to do is induce pucker -- lifting and distorting the tile crew's excellent work.
Last edited by Tesla; 02/20/14 03:14 AM.
