Securing 5 cables in a 3" wide space

WillK · 06-10-2011, 08:08 PM

With my panel move, the panel is now located 3" from the adjacent wall and I have 5 cables coming out of the side adjacent to the wall. I'm certain that I'll need to have these cables secured within this space.

Individual plastic staples would be challenging to install in this space, especially without accidentally smashing a cable by an errant hammer blow.

Would it be allowed to use a single larger cable strap such as shown for all cables, mostly the objective here seems to be keeping the cables from being within 1-1/2" of the drywall where they might be hit by nails if somebody decided that this 3" wide space was a great place to hang a picture.

Section 334 on NM cable only mentions that the cables must be secured... I had thought that there was something about only 1 cable per staple, but I don't see it in code... Or is that something that would apply to smaller staples, but the larger strap can hold multiple cables and would therefore be acceptable in this situation?

gregzoll · 06-10-2011, 08:53 PM

Need a better picture. The close up does not show enough of what you are talking about.

WillK · 06-10-2011, 09:02 PM

Here's an overall view... I'm starting to think maybe I should just move the cable clamps in the panel to 5 of the knockouts on the top left of the panel, although I'd like to do wo without stripping off more sheathing if that was how I went so that my options remain open if I need to move circuits within the panel at a later time.

I'll note that this camera seems to be doing a lot of fisheye distortion, I need to look to see if my 4 year old found some random combination of buttons to push that changed my camera settings.

Jim Port · 06-10-2011, 09:14 PM

Will, 3M makes something called a Stak-it that would work in that situation.

gregzoll · 06-10-2011, 09:49 PM

Instead of looping the cables out and up, pull them straight up. Personally I would pull that panel off of that hodgepodge of wood, and get 5/8 or 3/4 outdoor ply, and make a good base for the panel to sit on. Aprx 4x5 would work, with some 2x4 placed horizontal for the ply to sit on. Also, are you planning on putting something to the right of the panel, is why you did the 45's to move it to the corner? Everything on the left, I would just bring in on the right and enter the panel on that side, or from the top. You can also use a Cableway chase to run the wires through to the ceiling if worried about damage.

Now that I thought of it, when you redo it with the plywood base, pull the wires through the back to enter the panel, so that way the wires are protected by the plywood. Run the 2x4 sleepers vertical, not horizontal for the ply to secure on. Would be a better solution, plus the romex would be better protected.

WillK · 06-10-2011, 10:38 PM

I ended up getting this:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

It was a bit over my targetted budget of $0 but it says on the package that it handles up to 8 14-2 or 12-2 cables so it would seem to cover my application explicitly, and while I'd rather have just been able to buy the 2 or 3 that I need instead of 20, I guess I've learned that it's better to buy the sure-fire parts up front than buy something questionable and then have to spend more replacing that.

WillK · 06-10-2011, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregzoll

Instead of looping the cables out and up, pull them straight up. Personally I would pull that panel off of that hodgepodge of wood, and get 5/8 or 3/4 outdoor ply, and make a good base for the panel to sit on. Aprx 4x5 would work, with some 2x4 placed horizontal for the ply to sit on. Also, are you planning on putting something to the right of the panel, is why you did the 45's to move it to the corner? Everything on the left, I would just bring in on the right and enter the panel on that side, or from the top. You can also use a Cableway chase to run the wires through to the ceiling if worried about damage.

Now that I thought of it, when you redo it with the plywood base, pull the wires through the back to enter the panel, so that way the wires are protected by the plywood. Run the 2x4 sleepers vertical, not horizontal for the ply to secure on. Would be a better solution, plus the romex would be better protected.

The new service entrance comes straight in through the back of the panel at the bottom left corner. The panel was originally centered in the framing when I installed it as a subpanel, but had to be moved so the service entrance went straight in through the back. The service entrance could not have been any closer to the window.

The junction box at the bottom is where the garage feeder comes through the wall. Basicly the wall penetrations are impractical to move at this point, and from what I've been through with the inspector I know he approves of the service entrance coming into the panel where it is, I don't want to mess with that.

This entire thing will be drywalled over for a flush mount on the panel cover and junction box cover.

I was thinking that this panel is half-full as it is, and I still have a full 100 amp panel that I intend to move the circuits to this panel. I might need the extra space for a subpanel to add more circuits.