ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues Damp Location

Greg,

I remember that old silver asphalt wire from years ago. They use to use it all around this area in the 60's. I believe it also had a smaller grounding wire in it too.

When they use to make AL wires, they use to have black insulation on that wire.

Lastly, once when I first started in business, I found a job where the HO did all of his own wiring. I think I saw every kind of wire connecting everything together, Black wire, asphalt, zip cord, AC, extension cord wiring, etc. Plus that was just in one room behind the dry wall! I told the GC of the job that I couldn't guarantee any wiring unless the drywall was removed. So he had to remove most of it in order to be sure that the wiring was safe.

sadly, that's been my existence for 1/4 century Harold

imho, Rod Sterling could have written an episode on it...


the strange phenomenon of a garden varity electrician, trapped in a mobius logic strip of vintage wiring, unable to escape the daily explanations of it.........

~S~

~s~:

"priceless"!!!!

My childhood home (brand-new in 1967) was wired with that silver-asphalt "Romex" from top to bottom in Fayetteville, NC. Although I was only seven years old, I remember it well. Even the 6/3 for the range had this same form of jacket (no ground wire of course). I was just a very inquisitive kid, what can I say?

My parent's house in Virginia that was built in 1974 still had some 4/3 SEU cable feeding the furnace that had a similar jacket. The second 4/3 circuit was "that modern stuff". Wow, two 70 amp copper circuits feeding a straight-electric forced air furnace. Can you imagine that these days?

YMMV with ground wires in the paper Romex. This house (SW Fl) has the smaller ground (1963) and the house I grew up in (DC area) had the same reduced ground in paper RX built in 1953. It was only connected to the box. NEMA 1-15 receptacles throughout.
If you plugged in the 5-15 adapter and hooked up the ground wire you did have a ground.

that makes me wonder, is there any sort of 'history of wire' (for lack of better terminology) that would forward details .....?

~S~

Sounds like something Mike Holt may have.

Greg,


I found this like:

http://www.codecheck.com/cc/wiring_history.htm#nmnoground


I didn't read it yet, when I am done here I will go back to it. And as we all know, if it is on the Internet! It must be true! Everything with a grain of salt.

They even have Joe's "original NEC" on that page.
It looks reasonable. I know they were using grounded RX in DC in 54 as the article says.

Talk about a trip down memory lane...Joe T...Dave S (aka 'Davie' and a few other handles. Only place I read Dave S is his monthly resi articles in EC Mag.

Joe T., where are you??