Romex bent too tight?

[porschen]

Hi All,

Not an electrician, but was confident enough to wire my detached garage (sub panel already in place). Did I bend the Romex (12/2 with ground) too tight here? Based on code (diameter of bend should not be less than 5X wire diameter), my bend seems too small, but not sure if I should be concerned.

The outer jacket is a bit wrinkled inside the bend.

Thanks for weighing in!

 

[awdblazer]

i wouldnt be concerned

 

[ABSTIFFGS]

I agree. I would not worry about it.

 

[Jim greengo]

As long as there's a little slack in there it looks fine.

 

[porschen]

Cool, thanks guys

 

[Norcal]

If the bend is 5 times the diameter of the cable it meets the requirements of NEC article 334.24.

 

[matt_i]

In my 1999-built house in metro Atlanta the NM wires were strung as tight as banjo strings and followed as many diagonal pathways as possible. It was crazy.

I think your setup is just fine.

 

[ddawg16]

However, you might have a slight issue with performance.

A sharp bend like that slows down the current.

 

[sberry]

Twist the wire so the lettering is upright too.

 

[rlitman]

However, you might have a slight issue with performance.

A sharp bend like that slows down the current.

I don't think he'll notice the difference when he turns on the tap.

Twist the wire so the lettering is upright too.

Actually, the lettering should go in the direction of the current flow. Is the wire backwards?

 

[pjmariner]

I don't think he'll notice the difference when he turns on the tap.



Actually, the lettering should go in the direction of the current flow. Is the wire backwards?

If you are concerned you could always buy or rent a wire stretcher. With 12g romex you can get an extra couple inches for every 10 feet of wire easy.

 

[rlitman]

Dang, I missed the fact that he used a white staple on yellow wire.

 

[ddawg16]

I
Actually, the lettering should go in the direction of the current flow. Is the wire backwards?

Oh, come on.....everyone knows Romex is bi-directional.

 

[Jack_Toepfer]

I usually just stick a claw hammer between the stud and the wire to get more radius to the bend. Leaving the circuit on will let you know when you've stretched it enough. If you use the right hammer, some of it will be missing when you're done.

 

[porschen]

I'm glad I came to the right place - I will be sure to wet the floor down before making any adjustments to the wire. If I can't find a claw hammer, I should have an old knife that will do the trick.

 

[tdkkart]

Always check to assure the black wire is attached to the stud with the black wire towards the inside of the structure. On interior walls, the black wire always faces north.

 

[emktx]

Unless you are south of the equator, then just the opposite.

Same disclaimer as tdk.

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

In my experience, those tight bends get the electricity going into an eddy current, and it makes the lights flicker because the electrons are still spinning when they enter the glass part of the bulb. They move fast, you know. Now, if the bulb is a long distance from the bend, things settle down, and you won't notice the flickering.



.

 

[ddawg16]

In my experience, those tight bends get the electricity going into an eddy current, and it makes the lights flicker because the electrons are still spinning when they enter the glass part of the bulb. They move fast, you know. Now, if the bulb is a long distance from the bend, things settle down, and you won't notice the flickering.



.

Actually, the correct term is 'eddy wobble'....

 

[ard]

Blinker Fluid next???

 

[2Big2Ride]

Thank you for the laughs.

 

[cort]

I usually like to give the bend in the wire a few whacks with my electrician’s hammer to make the bend nice and tight. That way there is more room in the stud bay for fiberglass insulation. Everyone knows that fiberglass insulation performance decreases when it is compressed. Who wants R12.7 when you paid for R13?


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[ddawg16]

I usually like to give the bend in the wire a few whacks with my electrician’s hammer to make the bend nice and tight. That way there is more room in the stud bay for fiberglass insulation. Everyone knows that fiberglass insulation performance decreases when it is compressed. Who wants R12.7 when you paid for R13?


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Yea, but the fiberglass also reduces the current flow through the wire. The glass fibers increase the eddy effect and tends to clamp the peaks of the signwave in the AC. If the wire is not terminated properly, you could increase the VSWR of the AC thus causing elevated heating of the wire.

 

[LXCam]

Yea, but the fiberglass also reduces the current flow through the wire. The glass fibers increase the eddy effect and tends to clamp the peaks of the signwave in the AC. If the wire is not terminated properly, you could increase the VSWR of the AC thus causing elevated heating of the wire.

Pfffft, everyone knows chromium coated insulation mitigates those concerns.

 

[rlitman]

I usually like to give the bend in the wire a few whacks with my electrician’s hammer to make the bend nice and tight. That way there is more room in the stud bay...

So THAT's what an electrician's hammer is for.

 

[ddawg16]

Pfffft, everyone knows chromium coated insulation mitigates those concerns.

Only if it's been properly heat treated and irradiated....

 

[porschen]

I totally forgot to mention that the garage faces north, so I think the Coriolis effect is even stronger than normal - I will tear out the wiring and use extension cords to mitigate this.

Wish me luck.

 

[raco232]

If the eddy currents are accelerated too much, they will erode the wire out at the bend, spill out and fill the wall cavity. Just think of it as a bend in a river. So, you better leave a nice loop at the 90.

 

[ddawg16]

I totally forgot to mention that the garage faces north, so I think the Coriolis effect is even stronger than normal - I will tear out the wiring and use extension cords to mitigate this.

Wish me luck.

Why didn't you tell us that in the first place? OMG....are you in trouble. Do you have any idea how much the Earths magnetic field is going to affect that tight bend?

 

[cort]

Yea, but the fiberglass also reduces the current flow through the wire. The glass fibers increase the eddy effect and tends to clamp the peaks of the signwave in the AC. If the wire is not terminated properly, you could increase the VSWR of the AC thus causing elevated heating of the wire.

An AC to DC converter before the bend and then a DC to AC converter after the bend is one way to keep the alternating Eddy currents from being too bad. Heat remains a problem though. Arlington has a few options to combat the heat. There is the IIW-2 box which lets you put ice in the wall near the bend. I’ve heard deionized water makes the best ice for this.


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[TractorJeff]

I thought I knew it all but didn't know about the "De-Ionized" water trick?
Thanks for the Tip!

 

[nadogail]

After carefully considering the advice offered on bending Romex, eddy currents, and staple colors; I have come to the conclusion that all of your eyes are showing high levels of Brown Organic Matter.

 

[PugetDude]

I totally forgot to mention that the garage faces north, so I think the Coriolis effect is even stronger than normal - I will tear out the wiring and use extension cords to mitigate this.

Wish me luck.

Everyone knows you should run extension cords in PVC pipe, just like airlines.

 

[like2wheel]

Everyone knows you should run extension cords in PVC pipe, just like airlines.

Now we have planes running in PVC too??