Should this be in conduit

[Kenneth Blair]

Should wire serving waste disposals be in conduit? And are they allowed to run through the same hole in the wall as a supply pipe?

[Speedy Petey]

Should this be in conduit? No, it should have come into the back of the box. That is a POOR example of workmanship.

I would feel that installation is subject to damage so yes, either hide the wire or use some form of protection.

[jking2]

There should be a wall mounted outlet into which the disposal is plugged. Having a plug provides the required safety disconnect.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

I agree with Speedy.....no it should not be in THAT hole...the trim ring could damage it, storing items under the sink could damage it.....tell them to sleeve it in Greenfield or Liquid Tight.....to protect it.....not the best thing but will be an easy fix.......also they can cut to the side of that hole and move the wire out FROM the opening it is now.

Many years ago people would run NM cable right up to the Disposal and many would say if it is run with the piping it is not subject to damage......but times change...

Personally we install a receptacle under the counters now and put a cord and plug on the Disposals

I will assume that is fed from a SWITCH on the counter....correct?

[Greg Fretwell]

I'm sure the guy was happy that he could fish that wire and hit the hole. You guys are right tho. He should have worked on the finish a bit. A box and a receptacle with a little further fishing would clean that up a lot. That is the difference between an electrician and a handyman.

[Kenneth Blair]

Yes, it does have a switch above the counter.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

BUT..greg....thats how they told him to do it at Home Depot....

[Pierre Belarge]

Seal tite is also required to be protected from physical damage. Read the requirements for disposers at:
422.16 ...with a flexible cord identified as suitable for the purpose in the installation instructions of the appliance manufacturer...
(3) receptacles shall be located to avoid physical damage to the flexible cord.


With this said , I would say that NM cable is as suitable as a cord, if it is installed with the thought of some kind of protection. I will say it is almost impossible to tell what the future person will do under the sink...yet we have all seen what really does happen.

[jtedesco1]

Nonmetallic sheathed cable is required to be installed so it will

closely follow the surface of the building finish or of running boards.


Using it to supply a food waste disposal is illegal!

Nonmetallic-sheathed cable is required to be supported and secured by staples, cable ties, straps, hangers, or similar fittings designed and installed so as not to damage the cable, at intervals not exceeding 41⁄2 ft and within 12 in. of every outlet box, junction box, cabinet, or fitting.

The only way that a cable of this type can be installed without this support is when it is fished between access points through concealed spaces in finished buildings or structures and supporting is impracticable.

or

Where it is not more than 41⁄2 ft from the last point of cable support to the point of connection to a luminaire (lighting fixture) or other piece of electrical equipment and the cable and point of connection are within an accessible ceiling.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Dudes......we are talking about GREY area's here....if the client is NOT going to do anything.....give them options..I am 100% sure they are not going to pull out the NM cable.....so sleeve it in something and be safer than it is right now.

Yes, it is against code in NEW construction.....but was done alot in older construction, I would focus on making it safe as we know they are not going to redo it.....so what are their better options.

Move it to the right and bring it into the back of a 4x4 box and out a receptacle on it.....and do a cord and plug to the disposal.

Ironic that cords are allowed yet NM is not......amazing huh...

Anyway....give them the advice and let them choose.

lol...Maybe they FISHED it down to that location.....lol anyway yes I know Liquid Tight is not good for physical protection...However with the LACK of the NEC defining the terms of Physical Damage..most AHJ's I deal with...even some that are HIGH up the ladder in the industry would allow it to be sleeved and er on the SIDE of better protection.

[jtedesco1]

Originally Posted by kblair1

Should wire serving waste disposals be in conduit? And are they allowed to run through the same hole in the wall as a supply pipe?

Kenneth:

On another note, the color yellow of the outer jacket in your pictures for this Type NM-B indicates that it is sized at 12 AWG, and because it is round there are 4-12 AWG wires, one white, one black, one red, and a bare EGC.

The recommendations to use a sleeve may be an option, but I would like to see the bottom and the disposal's splicing compartment, and if this is the point where someone installed this cable and spliced the switched and grounded conductor in that small space?

Show me this please!!

Using a sleeve as recommended presents another question, and that's just how will the end look when run into the disposal, will the cable still be exposed, or run into some type of connector, angle or 45 degree?

Your best advice to the customer would be to tell them that the cable is not properly installed!

They should also ask the installer if this work was inspected?

Paul's suggestion to put the cable into a box and install areceptale and cord and plug connect the unit is the best route

Inspection here? I doubt it!

Here's a picture of the 2w/wg type

[Greg Fretwell]

Using Romex has been accepted for years in spite of the fact that it was never really legal. Around here the AHJs and contractors have decided a better solution is a factory equipped cord and plug connected disposal. That solves the disconnect issue, makes replacements easier, allows the "appliance drop" to be very late in the building cycle and avoids the "romex" issue. The disposal gets installed with the plumbing trim and without any coordination necessary with the electrician. The additional cost of the disposal is trivial and certainly recovered many times over in coordination costs. It certainly makes a later replacement by the homeowner a lot easier and safer.

In the case of the above installation, I would say the "fix" would be to put in an old work box of some type with a receptacle, rerouting the Romex so it stays concealed and add the manufacturer's cord kit to the disposal.

[krea]

scary !!

[pdickerson]

I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but as I understand it, Romex (NM-B) wiring is solid wiring and cannot be used in a situation where it will be flexed because it will eventually break, whereas stranded wire will not break when flexed repeatedly. In addition to being subject to damage, the cord to a disposal will be flexed every time the homeowner shoves the garbage can up agaist it.

[Greg Fretwell]

That is covered by the securing and "closely follow building finish" language.