DIY Home Improvement Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

ROMEX 14-2 wire from Canada Vs. ROMEX 14-2 wire from the U.S.

Jump to Latest
37K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  carmusic  
D
#1 ·
Alright,

This post is not a rant -- just purely trying to understand what, when, how, why (and all similarly natured questions)...

Subject: 14-2 wire and the differences in Spec between the US and Canada...

Question: How comes when I buy regular 14-2 wire made for the US Market is the physical makeup of the wire different from that made for the Canadian market?

See, at first I thought it was because it didn't 'measure up' to Canadian ESA standards, and therefore wasn't issued a UL Canada or CSA mark -- (so, for example, the reason for the difference would be that the stuff made for the US couldn't be used up here and visa-versa) however, reading the ESA's website, UL "US" marked apparatus is approved for use in Canada -- which negates that theory...

http://www.esasafe.com/GeneralPublic/epa_002B.php?s=19

Then I thought about brand: but when I checked that out, all branded wires look identical (country specific) - so US market wire looks all the same and Canadian marketed wire all looks the same (but not the same as each other) -- if that makes sense...

SO --- then I was being nosy and pulled apart both wires and observe the following differences:

Canadian wire is named 14-2 NM-D 90
US is named 14-2 NM-B

In that regard, both are rated for the same temperature (90 degrees C) - so just a different name I guess???

Canadian wire has, when compared with the US, a much thicker sheath on the copper conductors...

Canadian wire does not have that sort of brown-paper stuff inside the outer sheath...

When I stripped back all of the sheathing though, the gauge of the wire is identical in every detail...

I just am failing to understand why they're both different, even though the ESA seems to advise that as long as it's marked UL "US" it's approved for use...

Which leads me to my ultimate question, is there ANYTHING ANYWHERE which denotes that wire made for the US market, bearing the UL certification, cannot be used in Canada?

Thought you'd like that guys...

Pictures attached: A reel of Canadian 14-2 (note the difference in appearance caused by the increased thickness of the conductor sheathing) and a breakdown of a US 14-2 wire...

Thanks all...
 

Attachments

J
#3 ·
Also could be NMC cable which is rated for damp and corrosive environments but not underground. The paper wrapped US cable is for dry environments only.

Speaking of Canada, what's up with those currency exchange places. I bought Canada bucks there thinking it was a better deal only to find out the exchange rate was worse than the retail stores. Do they exist soley to rip off unsuspecting US tourists?
 
#4 ·
Jim F said:
Speaking of Canada, what's up with those currency exchange places. I bought Canada bucks there thinking it was a better deal only to find out the exchange rate was worse than the retail stores. Do they exist soley to rip off unsuspecting US tourists?
Click to expand...
No, they exist to make a profit... from American Tourists and Canadians equally.
 
T
#9 ·
Pisses me off everyday. They made a version of Mountain Dew up here for a while that was caffeinated again and I was so happy! Then they stopped it again... pissed me off.

Right now I'm on Pepsi Max. Its a heavily caffeinated Pepsi with no sugar.

Then again I measure my coffee intake in litres instead of that antiqued "cups". (is it an English cup or an American cup, I'm too young for all of this...).
 
O
#6 ·
Yes. Apparently in Canada, they think their citizens are so dumb that they must assume all non-cola carbonated beverages are caffeine-free. Therefore, they passed a law that REQUIRES that citrus-flavored drinks HAVE NO CAFFEINE. Just you wait until what they do to you in the USA with socialized medicine.
 
F
#7 ·
and here I thought it was because of payoffs by the powerfull Tim Horton's lobby.

My Micro Bio prof was a Canadian, and was ranting onr day about not being able to bring rotten fruit across the boarder, and put forth the retorical question "What the differnce between Canadian and American bacteria?"
I answered "the Canadian one has a little red maple leaf on it." :jester:

there all all sorts of little differences that we often assume aren't there. Canadian Wine has lower sulfites in it.
I've even heard of someone getting turned back at the boarder when they tried to bring in a Canadian Toilet :laughing:

beurocrats have to justify thier existance by making rules and standards, even if they don't make sense.
 
T
#8 ·
I'm up in Canada and have a bought a couple of different brands of 14/2

One is Romex SIMpull. Its NMD90.

The other is Nexans Canadex. Its also a NMD90, but is much thinner than the Romex. The Romex also tends to flex back to its original shape more than this stuff which pretty much stays in the position you put it.

Neither have paper wrappers inside. I assume the NMD indicates both of these are for dry locations always.

So may be a manufacturer thing more than a country thing.
 
D
#12 ·

Attachments

A
#13 ·
alot of things differ between the two....try asking an american electrician why their bx has no ground sometime and watch the arguements start.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
DIY Home Improvement Forum
posts
3.4M
members
353K
Since
2003
A forum community dedicated to Do it yourself-ers and home improvement enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about tools, projects, builds, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Helping You to Do It Yourself!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Electrical HVAC Building & Construction Plumbing General DIY Discussions