The Mark of Spark- Wire markings Chelan and Quincy Home Inspections

Wire shmire, yeah… yeah… yeah. It all can carry the juice (electricity) right?

Here we have some wires that are being sent to a detached building (like the conduit and conduit termination, that’s another issue ; ).

Most homeowners choose to run the electrical feeds underground to detached buildings. The two most popular methods are direct burial cable or PVC (plastic) conduit. Direct burial cable is designated as UF (Underground Feeder) or for larger sizes, USE (Underground Service Entrance).

I think it is much better if you run the electrical cable in a conduit. The conduit not only protects the cable from damage from rocks and stones or from trees on top of the cable's route. A conduit (if properly sized) also provides you with the convenient ability to upgrade the service to the outbuilding, should you require additional power in the future.

But what we have here is NM-B wire. NM-B cable is the most common form of indoor residential electrical wiring. The “NM” stands for non-metallic. This wire cannot be used in an underground application or in a wet/damp location.

                                        
Wires have many different marks such as THHN or THWN – These letters represent the most common types of individual wires used in residential applications.

The letters represent the following NEC requirements:
T: Thermoplastic insulation
H: High temperature (usually 75°C when dry or damp)
HH: Higher temperature (usually 90°C when dry or damp)
W: Moisture resistant (usually 60°C when wet)
N: Nylon jacket

Other marks you may see:
R: Thermoset insulation (rubber or synthetic rubber)
X: Cross-linked synthetic polymer insulation

So what we have here is an improper feed to the detached building. We have wires that are not properly protected and designated for a wet location. This can lead to degradation of the wires and potential physical damage. It’s time for old Sparky to make a house call.
 

Ancora Imparo

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…  

www.ncwhomeinspections.com                                               509-670-9572