ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area How much (jacket) is too much?

I have seen panel changeouts where the new panel was much taller, but the installer just pulled the NM cable back into the new panel without removing any additional jacket. Sometimes this can mean more than 12" of jacket in the panel. Other than looking bad, I can't think of any reason to complain (not that I need much of a reason to complain, anyway!). I read a book about inspecting residential electrical systems, and there was reference to excessive combustible material (the paper inside the NM?) in the panel in these cases.
Any other thoughts?

Reminds me of one of my first jobs as an apprentice where I helped my boss pull out about a bushel of excess wire in a sub-panel.

I leave about 2 to 4" of the jacket myself, and use about a 3" piece of jacket to label the circuit on.

When I first got into the trade I was told that you couldn't leave an excessive amount of the outer jacket because the jacket covering the wire in the panel or in conduit could cause the wire to over heat. So to this day I leave about an inch of the jacket.
Wirewiz

As I see it this falls under the least enforced NEC violation nationwide, which if enforced would eliminate most of the hacks
you have to try and compete with.

"installed in a neat and workmanlike manner"

I think the reasons that "neat & workmanlike" are rarely enforced is that there is no definition of it and "neat & workmanlike" doesn't belong in the NEC to begin with (no flames please, just explain how a job that is code compliant is unsafe because of neatness, see 90.1(A))

I usually go with about 1/4", for no other reason then that is what the first journeyman I worked for told me.

Tom

i've always aspired to the neat apperance of the panels advertised in the trade mags....

NEC sec. 370-17c - Minimum 1/4, maximum 1 inch?

'inch' ? , but we're an 'international' NEC now .....

My '99s loaned out to a possible future-apprentice...

What is 370-17c in the 2002 NEC?

Thinkgood,

Thanks, but I must be missing the 1" part. Where did you find it?