Wire mold, do/don't and how to's?

[TheEquineFencer]

I figured I'd start a thread about this so I could learn a little and figured it might make things easier for others at the same time on the use of wiremold.

I've never used it, but it looks like it's use is going to be in my future pretty soon. I rebuilt the G/F's horse trailer and pretty much wired it like a house.

One of her trainers had a trailer a guy started and didn't finish and now wants me to finish it. It's walls are wired with wiremold. It's at a "point of no return" as the walls are now lined with painted metal panels. To get to the roof for the A/C wiremold is going to be needed from the looks of it.

He ran Romex inside the wiremold, covering and all. I didn't think that was permissible? Is it? Next problem I saw was he ran a 30A RV cord into a 20A breaker that branches out to three 20A breakers, one breaker to each receptacle, all in Romex.

That I know will change if I do it. I'd bring the 30A in and then feed into probably two 20A breakers, one for the rooftop A/C she wants added the other for receptacles.

What type receptacles/switches do you use to surface mount?
What about connections coming off these to feed other receptacles/switches?
Can you use individual conductors inside the wiremold like you do in EMT?

Please give some input on the do's, don't and how to's of using wiremold.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Bump? No replies, come on guys...

 

[rockwithjason]

answers in red

I figured I'd start a thread about this so I could learn a little and figured it might make things easier for others at the same time on the use of wiremold.

I've never used it, but it looks like it's use is going to be in my future pretty soon. I rebuilt the G/F's horse trailer and pretty much wired it like a house.

One of her trainers had a trailer a guy started and didn't finish and now wants me to finish it. It's walls are wired with wiremold. It's at a "point of no return" as the walls are now lined with painted metal panels. To get to the roof for the A/C wiremold is going to be needed from the looks of it.

He ran Romex inside the wiremold, covering and all. I didn't think that was permissible? Is it? Next problem I saw was he ran a 30A RV cord into a 20A breaker that branches out to three 20A breakers, one breaker to each receptacle, all in Romex.

That I know will change if I do it. I'd bring the 30A in and then feed into probably two 20A breakers, one for the rooftop A/C she wants added the other for receptacles.
you should have a 30a main disconnect and then feed your loads

What type receptacles/switches do you use to surface mount?
any will do. i usually buy the middle of the road quality
What about connections coming off these to feed other receptacles/switches?
now sure what you are asking here. you can take the circuit other places if you need to
Can you use individual conductors inside the wiremold like you do in EMT?
yes. i prefer that and i use the special wire mold wire nuts for this as space is very tight

Please give some input on the do's, don't and how to's of using wiremold.
plan your runs carefully as it is difficult to rework or pull more wire in. try hard to put it together once as it will be much more difficult the second time as the covers tend to deform

 

[Modern Jess]

What series of Wiremold? If you don't know the series, what are the dimensions (in profile)?

 

[kd3pc]

Wiring horse trailers is a lot like wiring drag cars. The wiring needs to be protected (over protected) from anything that moves, kicks, drags, gets wet, or is something that some other thing can be hung to it.

IMHO, wiremold - plastic or metal is of no use here. It is 40 year old technology, at best.

The chases/conduits should be on the outside of the enclosure and away from brake lines or rotating things. I use a small LB that is piped to a shallow mulberry/steel box for the device. That is welded to the framework of the trailer and is weatherproof, or if in the live-in end of the trailer, decorated as the interior would be.

All runs are in metal conduit, with proper grommets, bushings, connectors and couplings. I try and use as full run lengths as possible to minimize loosening. I use all marine grade stranded, tinned wiring and weatherproof, heatshrink, self adhesive connectors and terminations.

Any junction boxes or panels are mounted under the gooseneck or in the finished end, if there is one.

The wiremold will not hold up to a horse leaning on it, cribbing it, or kicking it, let alone the washdowns every horse trailer gets on a regular basis. The horse is more valuable than their kids and when one (the horse) gets cut, or shocked, the owners are not too happy.

Best of luck,

 

[TheEquineFencer]

The wire mold is not going ANYWHERE NEAR A HORSE. It's going inside the trailer, dry location in the PEOPLE living area. Wiremold is my only option to make it look like someone knew what they were doing, otherwise it'll look like industrial wiring in Conduit in your house. I hope that clears some things up.

As far as the box and switch fixtures, it looks like the ones already in there are not your "standard" surface mount boxes, they are very shallow and look like they were made just for wiremold. The wiremold that's already in there is 1/2 inch I believe, it just wide enough for the Romex to fit inside and NOTHING else. That's why I was asking about using individual conductors inside wiremold. That would give enough room inside the wiremold to run from Receptacle to Receptacle instead of a single run of Romex from each breaker like the previous guy did.

I do plan to have a 30A main breaker for a disconnect, then feed the other two 20A breakers from that one. That's pretty much how I wired the G/F's trailer. It has an Transfer Switch also. I have it so she can run off either the 30A inlet from a Generator or shore power, or it will switch and she can run off a 12VDC to 120VAC inverter. This trailer with the wiremold is not going to have an ATS, (Automatic Transfer Switch).

I'm wondering when I go up the wall and go to cross the ceiling if the wiremold can be bent/formed like conduit to make the turn. The roof and wall will not be at 90*, the roof coming from the wall has a curve to it.

What brand is the best Wiremold to get? I'm guessing Lowe's carries some, but I'm not sure if they have all the "odd" fittings I might need.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Wire mold looks like ****,end of subject. Next!

 

[alfredeneuman]

2 depths of Wiremold boxes are available. You may have been looking at the shallow ones.

I'd suggest you get some 700 Series Wiremold (500 is smaller but not meant for wires larger than #12.)
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Wiremold-10-ft-Metallic-Wire-Channel-700WH/100144606

.....with the deeper box.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-...ctrical-Switch-Receptacle-Box-V5748/202518488

Be sure to run a ground wire

And no way should Romex be run through Wiremold. The elbows are too tight a bend for Romex.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Wire mold looks like ****,end of subject. Next!

 

[TheEquineFencer]

2 depths of Wiremold boxes are available. You may have been looking at the shallow ones.

I'd suggest you get some 700 Series Wiremold (500 is smaller but not meant for wires larger than #12.)
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Wiremold-10-ft-Metallic-Wire-Channel-700WH/100144606

.....with the deeper box.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-...ctrical-Switch-Receptacle-Box-V5748/202518488

Be sure to run a ground wire

And no way should Romex be run through Wiremold. The elbows are too tight a bend for Romex.

Yep, that looks like the kind of boxes the other guy ran.

Now, let's say I want to come through the metal panel the boxes mount to from the back side of the box with the existing Romex and reconnect it to stranded to continue to the receptacles and switches, Just do it like I would normally going into a regular box? Or is there a special fitting for this in Wiremold boxes?

 

[TheEquineFencer]

I just went back and looked at the link you posted, it looks like I just need to install a regular clamp or one of those plastic plugs like I do for mounting Romex in a T-8 fixture.