Plastic boxes, NM and stapling

Shaotzu

Ok ... I know I need to staple within 8" of a box and that's pretty easy but as I was running some rough wiring, I came up with a simple scenario and wanted to make sure there wasn't a better way.

On the wire coming in, it comes through the stud hole (stud A) and straight down to the box. Staple within 8" and done. Easy enough.

The wire that continues the circuit goes to the next 16" o.c. stud hole (stud B). I've been pulling and cutting wire so that I can staple to stud A still, but is there another/better option?

AllanJ

No, the cable can't hang in the air as it comes over from stud B to the box. The cable has to go all the way to stud A, be stapled, and then down into the box.

Once in awhile there is a horizontal wood member connecting two studs. For example to help support a multi-gang switch box. If such a wood member happens to be within 8 inches of the box you can staple the cable there provided the cable is at least 1-1/4 inches from either open stud bay face and drywall inside surface-to-be.

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Shaotzu

Thanks. That's what I figured and how I was wiring, but was just making sure I wasn't missing out on a trick or something.

Can you use a staple to hold more than one wire? (do they make those?) Just thinking on the box with 4 cables coming out of it that it would tart being pretty wide on the stud if stapled side by side.

joed

Also if the hole is within 8" of the box you don't need to staple. The hole counts as the suppport.

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AllanJ

Usually an ordinary staple will hold two 12-2 cables or but only one 14-3 (rounder) cable. You should get special holders to stack the wires if more than two since you cannot staple the wires side by side without getting too close to the edge of the stud. I have done this: staple one wire to the stud and use a cable tie to hold additional wires in place over the first cable.

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The disadvantages of crab apple trees. In summer, the apples are too sour to pick and eat. In winter the birds come and leave dropping all over the place.

hpp58

Google 3M Cable Stackers .

davido30093

http://www.cesco.com/b2c/product/223...FQla7AodXnYNIg

Shaotzu

Great help ... Thanks guys!! One more question ... In one section of my basement I am finishing one side of a wall and leaving the other unfinished for storage. I would like to put two outlets in that area as well and I have NM running through that wall so it is exposed on one side. Do I need to put that in conduit or anything? And if so, what? Can I still use plastic boxes there?

NJMarine

In the basement you can use romex and plastic boxes. The finished side the recepts have be loacate per code and the unfinished side you will need 1 gfi protected recept, if one is not there.