alexb5647

My uncle has a log cabin that he gave to me and it was built back in the 40's. Since he's was an industrial electrician he redid the electrical in 1990 because of few plugs and knob and tube wiring. In order to avoid so many wires running along the wall he decided to drill through the floor and run the wire under the cabin to the next plug, switch, or if its a home run line. I looked under the cabin just recently and he just ran the romex loosely and it's laying on the ground. It doesn't look deteriorated or chewed. Some circuits close to the panel he just stapled the cable real nice and neat along the wall or ceiling. All junctions have covers and romex clamps on all boxes. All cables are stapled within 6" of fixture and stapled every 12". Also he put in some outdoor lighting on the porch and he just drilled through the logs from the inside and just ran romex out to the light. Is this acceptable by code? My uncle is not around anymore so I can't ask him. Any info would be appreciated.

Wuzzat?

If the life of Romex is 50 years, one question is: "How long will NMB last under these conditions?"
And, "Is it long enough?"

alexb5647

I was just wondering if this is up to code. I'm sure i will have to replace it in the future. I'll just run 12-2 UF with conduit when I replace it. The underside of my cabin is dirt which is always dry. I just wasn't sure if romex being outside and laying on the ground is ok.

JoeD

I sure hope the life of Romex is more than 50 years. My house is 55 years old and has never been rewired.

Wuzzat?

The cable guy who told me that did/could not define "End of Life" for Romex.

nealtw

I wouldn't leave them laying on the ground.

Wuzzat?

It's probably classified in the NEC as a damp or wet location and so you are supposed to use UF cable.
I guess if you megger it once in a while and see a significant degradation in the insulation resistance it should be replaced.
Another test would be to put a GFCI upstream of this cable.

alexb5647

I stapled them to the joists so there not on the ground anymore.

Wuzzat?

Then the question is: "Can NMB be used in an unconditioned space?" If the cable sees more than 30C you might need to derate.

nealtw

Then the question is: "Can NMB be used in an unconditioned space?" If the cable sees more than 30C you might need to derate.
Wouldn't that be the same as an attic with a moisture problem.