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Thread: Exposed Romex on ceiling

  1. #1
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    Exposed Romex on ceiling

    <p>
    I am installing a Fahrenheat FUH54 heater in my detached garage. The walls and ceiling are finished in OSB. It will be mounted on the ceiling and hardwired to a junction box about 2 ft away. Can I run Romex directly to the box from the heater (2 ft run) stapled to the ceiling? I would rather not install a plug unless I have to. If I this is not possible, do I have to run it through conduit? I have seen mixed answers on whether I can run Romex through conduit...can I? thanks, Rob</p>
    Last edited by Robert Hartmann; 12-23-2017 at 9:53 AM.

  2. #2
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    I would just buy a few feet of armored cable with the requisite end terminations and be done with it.
    NOW you tell me...

  3. #3
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    So you're proposing to have romex just flying through the air to connect to the ceiling-hung space heater? Romex flying through the air is not accepted by my local building code. Use Ole's approach.

  4. #4
    IIRC garages a gray area when it comes to exposed romex; the question is whether it's vulnerable to physical damage. Use common sense on that one.

    Me, I'd almost always put it in a conduit to be safe.

    In the response to the comment above mine, from the extension box to the heater you could use SOOW type cords [the heater probably comes with one, just cut the plug off]. IIRC 10/3 is usually about $2 a foot.
    Last edited by Bob Bouis; 12-23-2017 at 11:33 AM.

  5. #5
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    Each area has it's own implementation of codes and standards, so it is impossible for anyone, other than a licensed electrician from your area, to answer the question absolutely.

    Ole's answer is closest to "most correct". If you want to avoid the code arguments, put in the receptacle and run SO cord too it.
    The code stops at the receptacle. After that it's up to you, your insurance company, and the UL.

    Can romex, non UFB, be installed in conduit? The broad answer is generally not, but the "local" answer may allow it based on interpretation of the code and it's applicability to other local bldg codes. It would depend on the definition/answer of why it was being run in conduit.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  6. #6
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    I just installed the same heater in my work shop. (great heater btw. The cheap one I bought at a big box store burst into flames when I turned it on the first time - pretty exciting.) I have the romex stapled to the drywall ceiling, and I cut a piece of schedule 40 plastic pipe in half and covered it. Not code but it's protected from bumps etc.

  7. #7
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    When I did some wiring in my garage, I was told by an electrician that any wiring below 8 feet had to be "protected" somehow. Conduit, that cheap plastic crap that sticks to the wall, anything to keep it from being exposed really. Above 8 feet it just had to be secured.

    Wayne

  8. #8
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    Drywall doesn't hold staples, that would be my only concern about anchoring it to the ceiling. Most romex is run attached either to joists or across their bottoms and left exposed in unfinished basements (even in 6-1/2 ft tall New England basements), a shop shouldn't be any different. That said my aesthetic sense would have me put it above the drywall, attached appropriately to the joists. Patching drywall is easy.

  9. #9
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    For such a short run you could probably get some shielded cable pretty cheap. My HD has a rack of short pieces of wire and I frequently see bits of shielded stuff on there. Might be worth a look. Do it right the first time and you won't have to ever think about it again.


  10. #10
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    Thanks all. I was trying to take the easy path. I wired everything else in the garage to code, so I should take the extra few minutes to do this properly. I just wasn&#39;t sure if Romex could be exposed on a ceiling. I&#39;ve learned way more about electric than I expected when I bought this house last Jul, but all good. Sadly the previous owner was an electrician and I&#39;ve had to fix numerous issues. Way too much half-assery.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Cutler View Post
    Can romex, non UFB, be installed in conduit? The broad answer is generally not, but the "local" answer may allow it based on interpretation of the code and it's applicability to other local bldg codes. It would depend on the definition/answer of why it was being run in conduit.
    This is just plain wrong. Article 334.15(B) of the 2017 National Electrical Code reads as follows; "Protection from Physical Damage. [NM and NMS] Cable shall be protected from physical damage where necessary by ridgid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, electrical metallic tubing, schedule 80 pvc conduit, or other approved means."

    You certainly can, and in some circumstances must, put NM cable (romex) in conduit.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Lanciani View Post
    This is just plain wrong. Article 334.15(B) of the 2017 National Electrical Code reads as follows; "Protection from Physical Damage. [NM and NMS] Cable shall be protected from physical damage where necessary by ridgid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, electrical metallic tubing, schedule 80 pvc conduit, or other approved means."

    You certainly can, and in some circumstances must, put NM cable (romex) in conduit.

    John
    No arguments from me on this one. It's the "where necessary" part of the sentence, that the local inspector may have a different opinion. My answer was primarily addressing long runs of NM in conduit, just for the sake of doing it. If you ever visit Mike Holt's forum, there are many threads on article 334.15B and how to apply it.
    THHN and THWN are much easier to pull through conduit than NM, if you had a long pull, and the way the circular diameter is interpreted, and the resulting conduit fill, using NM could make it difficult to achieve without a bigger sized conduit. Other than passing through a physical barrier, I don't know why someone would want to pull NM through conduit. The OP is only going 2', so that would be easy enough.
    The code can be anything but black and white sometimes.


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    Last edited by Mike Cutler; 12-23-2017 at 2:20 PM.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  13. #13
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    I used armored cable for mine. The heater needs to be hard wired so you can’t use a plug.
    Don

  14. #14
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    I remember being taught that the wire has to be neatly run, tight to the ceiling so no one will use it like a clothes line.
    Bill

  15. #15
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    A related, but separate issue, is there a disconnecting means within sight? Sometimes this is the reason for a cord and cap wiring solution.

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