I saw something today that I’ve not seen before. I was bidding a job for a local company, building some custom cabinets, when I noticed an electrician installing metal conduit along the walls where they meet the ceiling. He then was running a single red wire, looked like number 12 plastic coated, through the conduit and putting a loop at all the boxes. No nuetral, and he was running the wire as he assembled the conduit and boxes and attached them to the wall. After I finished making my measurements he was gone so I didn’t get an opportunity to ask what it was for. What could such a installation be? Is he going to return and put a neutral in later, it is for alarms, or something else??? Maybe if no one has any suggestions I will be able to go back and get his name so I can ask.
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If this is power wiring the neutral has to be run iwth it and it has to be an insulated wire. The conduit is never to be used as a neutral.
Therorically a single wire could be run for an NC alarm system. But they would normally use a smaller size wire.
Without knowing anymore my guess was that it was not a wire, but rather a cable.
Could be phone, security, CAT 5, HVAC, etc.
It's probably for a fire system. They use red wire that looks about like a number 12.
I have no tagline.
http://www.hay98.com/
You are right, it is for the fire alarm system. I went back the am to turn in my bid and the electrician was there, so I asked. He showed me the wire, red and looks like number 12, but it has three wires in there, number 16. I'm sure glad I asked, I learned some things about clearances from the sensors he installed. In fact, he gave me a copy of revised code that hasn't been published in the book yet. Learn something every day.
Like they say. Questions don't cost a thing.
Pardon my fat fingers.
http://www.hay98.com/