quick installation question...

u mean other than being against code?

:-) tell me more pls (in uk)- installers have let us down and we have to get everything working by the end of the weekend :( there is handy trunking already available where the mains cables have been run- is this a definite 'no-no' if so why ? many thanks, andy

It's dangerous, unprofessional, and against the NEC.

The boys from sector 7G

forgot to mention... the trunking they installed the mains cable in is approx 4" high and 2" deep (basically runs around the skirting at floor level), so there is room to separate all wires from the mains ones by approx

ok thanks, if we leave the mains in its own trunking... is there still a problem with running all the other cables together (telephone, cat5, alarm sensors) the mains wiring was installed by a builder who i now suspect is no more a qualified electrician than i am - he just told us to run everything in the same trunking and ran it in oversize trunking for that reason... but seemed odd hence i thought i should check thanks, andy

didn't see the uk. i'll bow out now.

Why you cannot do that simply because the interferance from the power cable with hamper signal on low signal esp. digital signals. This is because power cables create a magnet field around it.

Neo

absolutely not...bad bad bad

Keep low voltage cable at least 12" away from high voltage cable. All of your AC is 220, so I'd increase that distance further. If the AC is in steel conduit (not PVC), and properly grounded, you shouldn't have a problem strapping your low voltage cable to it. If you need to cross over to the other side of and exposed high voltage run, do so at as close to a 90 degree angle as you can get. As for telephone, I've seen some installations that utilize the brown/white-brown pair of the CAT5 for the phone with no problems although I personally wouldn't do it.

It is definitely against code to run high voltage and low voltage in the same conduit, but once again, I've seen it done with emergency lighting. How the inspectors justify passing this I haven't a clue. The only thing I can surmise is that they don't know one of the 12 gauge pairs is "AC" and the other 12VDC and the elecrician (who's out to get his installation approved so he can invoice the job) fails to mention it.

Yes! It isn't legal anywhere I have ever been. It is dangerous everywhere you find it done.

There are rules of thumb about that. It doesn't really apply in your situation, but the idea is to avoid an inductance in the low voltage cable. If low voltage wires have to "cross" high voltage cables it should be infrequent and at 90 degree angles.

If the CAT 5 is going to be certified it will never make it being run they way you're talking about. The telephones may end up with a nasty A/C hum as well.

NO WAY!

Oops your from Canuckville! NEC 70 refers to CONDUCTOR separation not CABLES or CABLE ASSEMBLIES! NM or Romex is a CABLE Asssemby! Separation in conduit, etc is 2". If the AC is

NEC Prohibits using pipe, raceway or conduit for supporting conductors or Cable assemblies> INDEPENDENT Means of support!

If the AC is

I avoid strapping my cables to any electrical raceway. (See NEC 2005, Section 300.11 -B-).................................

If you need to cross

So...if you're doing a warehouse and you have one stinking mandoor 600 ft from the panel and the only way there is to wire tie one stinkin' 22/4 to the trusses and then down a lonely 3/4 emt going down the wall...you wouldn't ? You'd run a new conduit from the door up the wall 24 feet ? :-)

I'd use Inovonics and save money and the headache.

that;s cheating, even a rocket scientist coulda done that :-)

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Yeah, I know... I wasn't speaking about separation within a conduit. Strapping a piece of quad to a conduit is a fairly common practice here (particularly in parkades, and runs above T-Bar). I've also seen armored cable strapped to conduit. Not a single inspector has ever complained. They're more concerned with the cable being supported.

Unfortunately, that's done all the time here. :-(

Hey Frank,

How do you like my new buddy? LOL.

ROFL!

Yes. The code (and the reason for it) doesn't change because you're 600 feet from the panel. However, if it's a 600 foot run I'd probably pull 18/4 cable instead of 22/4.