Bx Wire For Attic

This video shows how to install an attic fan to help keep your home cooler.

Bx wire for attic.

Bx is also known as armor clad or flexible metal conduit cable. Working on a new york cottage built along wappingers creek in the 1920 s i saw that nobody had been into the attic crawl space in decades. Old electrical wiring types photo guide to types of electrical wiring in older buildings. The attic wiring should be protected and secured to ceiling joists or other wood structural supports.

Metal cable and conduit depend on the contact from its metal sheathing to the metal box to complete grounding. Wire rats in the attic. We illustrate a variety of types of electrical wiring found in older buildings. Going under alternative names such as metallic sheathed cable type ac mc greenfield or armored cable bx cable is a collection of plastic coated insulated wires typically 14 or 12 gauge bundled together and protected by a ribbon like metal sheathing.

Abandoned wires case 2. Of sheathing off the wires and thread the wires and about 1 2 in. What are bx cable and wire. There was not even an access hatch.

To run a cable from one box to another pull cable off the coil strip at least 8 in. Untwist the cable and staple it at least every 4 ft. Of sheathing through the wire opening in the box. Use a metal electrical box when metal sheathed cable also called armored bx cable or metal conduit is running in or out of the box.

Bx s metal sheathing runs in a helix like or twisted manner around the wires. Yes this should be corrected and it would be good to have the wiring and all the circuit connections inspected as well. If you come across a wire or romex cable that nee. Since insulation is combustible you must install face plates on all attic junction boxes to prevent contact between bare wires and insulation materials.

About your bx wire there were several generations of bx and greenfield flexible armored cable. Understanding these temperature ratings and matching the intent of the building code should be attempted only by a licensed electrician on a case by case basis but the electricians i ve consulted agree that it s safe under normal conditions to bury older bx cable in cellulose insulation in an attic. Bx contains one or more individually insulated hot conductors one individually insulated neutral conductor and a ground wire which may or may not be individually insulated. To the framing all the way to the next box without cutting it to length.

While varying somewhat by area of the country in the u s latin america europe and other areas there are recognizable generations of electrical wiring knob tube greenfield armored cable or bx wiring plastic or nm. How to install an attic fan video. Junction box mounting locations there are two options for mounting boxes that are wholly contained within the attic. Also use metal boxes with interior exposed applications.