ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Old Romex ???????????

Just when I thought I have seen everything something else comes along and surprises me.
Today did some work at an OLD home, the owner wanted some receptacles replaced, but dont put in GFCIs ,,ok so I put in two wire receptacles. When I oopened the first box there were two wires in there but only one had insulation on it, at first I thought it was old romex with the insulation broken from one of the conductors, taped everything up and went to the next receptacle same thing but this time got a look at the cable it was definitely made with the hot insulated and the neutral bare both encased inside and outer sheath.
Has anyone else encountered this type of cable before ??????????????????
Second where is the line of our responsibility to safty ? This place has K & T which the owners do not want replaced, there is a 100 amp service panel with a 60 amp service, the place is a violation waiting for the accident. I kept trying to explain that this stuff must be replaced, and her response was , yes I know but not now. From the shape it is in she doesnt have a lot of time to play with.

Help
-Mark-

Mark,
~1~nope, haven't seen the 'bare noodle rx', and i've yanked out dumpsters of the stuff... i must say that there always seems some antiquated widget that attracts me because i've not seen it...

~2~
thin line here bettween concern & caperbagger.......

~ you can actualy list the code reference violations for any third party...(never happens though.....)

~or you can state on your bill that "a hazard exists", but be prepared to put a $$$ to it....


~ or, as i have on many occassion being asked my opinion , simply stated
"get a smoke detector"......

Steve:


.. I was thinking the same thing when I made one of my many trips to the truck. When you see stuff like that its scary,,,,, the shame of it is, is its a rental property and the owner doesnt even live there.
She says, well I want your opinion, I give it and its welll gee I dont know and the new tennant is going to do this and that, now I am back to the DIYer syndrone.
I will tell you that Romex or whatever it was was really strange. But what gets me if someone miswires it in a JB now the bare is hot.

Mark

ah! a rental!..... well i don't know about Ohio Mark, but we have 'Fire Marshals' here that can be solicited for hazards to life & limb.
(cue Battle Hyme of the Republic...)

A similar senario with absentee landlords utilizing a 'Forest Gump' live-in manager to run interference left me no option but to rat 'em out.......


loose a customer, gain some sleep....

oh yes, on that 'bare noodle' ( sounds profane.......), does it originate at the K&T, or is there a panel full of them?

can you get a # or name off it??

Motor-T,
Sounds like someone used "Non-metallic extension" cable inside the wall, a violation even then. You don't see it much anymore, I don't even know where you would buy it.

Steve:
No the panel is either RX or the old BX no bonding strip. In the basement ''Monkey Faces" are so pervasive it could pass as a zoo. The K&T is everywhere and it isn't the problem its all the splices that are everywhere no boxes just splices and cheap tape.
The owner first said well we got a new panel... and its hell-ooo but the rest of the house is a violation, there is no grounding ....although the water line is run to the house But they still use the well-pump and thats another nightmare two pumps two tanks only one is in use but both are so corroded probably drop half the voltage before it gets to the pump...
You are right I gotta say something to somebody......
But this is the same throughout the county especially in the City.
The thing that gets me is you try to do a good job be on top of everything and Nobody listens.
Alot of this stuff is section 8, which is paid for by our taxes, that is for sure and cant change that, leastwise it doesnt look like it but we as taxpayers pay on the average 800 dollars a month for these dumps, I say at least, cant we get our moneys worth.
Just Un'dirtyword'believeable
Steve, thanks for listening.
Mark

Signing off now

I'm sure I read somewhere in this forum that the Romex with bare neutral was produced and used during WWII (in the US)

MT,
Okay I have to ask. What's a "monkey face"

There's one near the bottom of the 1st page of this thread and one on the 2nd page.

Monkey face, monkey fist, bird's eye, weatherhead. . . .

Al