Wiring With MC - WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T DO WITH MC CABLE as an electrician
In this episode we talk in-depth about how to wire with MC cable, what the uses permitted and uses NOT permitted are, as well as securing and strapping and a whole host of other tips for use.
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MC vs AC
First off I suppose it’s good to point out the difference between AC and MC. A lot of people think that it’s the jacketing that separates the two, but actually, both come in steel and aluminum jacketing. Really it’s what’s inside that sets the two apart.
MC cable typically has either an insulated or bare FULL-SIZED equipment grounding conductor inside of it - or sometimes both depending on the purpose of the MC. AC has a small #16AWG equipment grounding conductor in it. The codes in the 2017 NEC have variations in them between MC and AC on things such as bushings as well as the bonding conductor requirements, that is all to say, they are not the same thing. Think Metallica and Megadeth or Audioslave and Soundgarden. Essentially the same…but different.
USES PERMITTED AND NOT PERMITTED
There are a lot more uses both permitted and not permitted in Article 330 covering MC cable than what I mention in the above video. But here are they are in totality (2017 NEC)
330.10 Uses Permitted.
330.10(A) General Uses.
Type MC cable shall be permitted as follows:
330.10(A)(1) For services, feeders, and branch circuits.
330.10(A)(2) For power, lighting, control, and signal circuits.
330.10(A)(3) Indoors or outdoors.
330.10(A)(4) Exposed or concealed.
330.10(A)(5) To be direct buried where identified for such use.
330.10(A)(6) In cable tray where identified for such use.
(((CONTINUED IN ARTICLE.....)))
330.12 Uses Not Permitted
Type MC cable shall not be used under either of the following conditions:
330.12(1) Where subject to physical damage
330.12(2) Where exposed to any of the destructive corrosive conditions in (a) or (b), unless the metallic sheath or armor is resistant to the conditions or is protected by material resistant to the conditions:
(a) Direct buried in the earth or embedded in concrete unless identified for direct burial
(b) Exposed to cinder fills, strong chlorides, caustic alkalis, or vapors of chlorine or of hydrochloric acids
330.30 Securing and Supporting
330.30(A) General.
Type MC cable shall be supported and secured by staples; cable ties listed and identified for securement and support; straps, hangers, or similar fittings; or other approved means designed and installed so as not to damage the cable.
330.30(B) Securing.
Unless otherwise provided, cables shall be secured at intervals not exceeding 1.8 m (6 ft). Cables containing four or fewer conductors sized no larger than 10 AWG shall be secured within 300 mm (12 in.) of every box, cabinet, fitting, or other cable termination. In vertical installations, listed cables with ungrounded conductors 250 kcmil and larger shall be permitted to be secured at intervals not exceeding 3 m (10 ft).
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#mccable #electrical #conductors
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I've been doing electrical work for 45 years. This guy is absolutely awesome. He's knowledgeable and a real person at the same time. Make sure you follow him if you want to learn the correct way and you're interested in code.
I usually take pre-work out protein and think about all the people who did me wrong. That way I gain more strength from rage to pull that mc wire in between metal studs.
You're working against yourself, my friend. If you have a scrap piece of MC, try pulling it through a metal stud. If you're encountering resistance, pull it through the stud from the opposite end. Due to how the spirals are formed, there is only one easy way to pull MC.
Lol!
Where I live, the drywallers/framers often only put one Kelly screw in the steel stud at top and bottom. The logic is that the drywall will strengthen it. But it makes it difficult to pull the Cable through the holes, especially if the steel studs are longer than 8 feet. So, often the drywallers are pissed that their studs are bent by my cable pulling. I’ve given up trying to explain that my boss doesn’t have the job priced for me to go slow, and that their boss actually has the job priced for them to put in 4 Kelly screws. It’s a regular conflict in the industry around here…
@@jakesully5402 lmao, you need better training. I've never once had that issue.
@@Tre16 LOL
As a non-electrician, these videos help me understand and make better decisions when I diy stuff. It also teaches me when I'm over my head.
I am an electrical contractor with 35 yrs experience from heavy duty industrial to high end residential and I always like to listen to dustins videos because there’s always something to learn that you thought you knew but actually didn’t. Your never to old to learn a trick of the trade or somebody’s particular style of doing something that can benefit you or your company and save time and possibly may even be a safer way of performing a task. Great job Dustin!
I was a master licensed HVAC mech which in our location I could pull electrical permits too. because we always did our own wiring of equipment. I liked spending a couple of weeks with the guys just out of school. You never knew what you could pick up and I was never too proud to learn something from them. Some guy's are like, I've been doing this for 20 years you can't show me anything. That's just stupid. PS for some reason it seems most HVAC mech came from the plumbing field yet the very best at solving problems were electricians who expanded into HVAC.
As an IBEW electrician, I was surprised as an apprentice that the journeymen asked the apprentice's a lot of code questions, not just to keep them thinking about it, but because apprentice's were currently studying it and were the most up to date. I have had 10 year old children ask me why I did the job one way and not the other, and sometimes my response is that I just didn't think of the better way they mentioned. The day I stop learning from others will be the day I die.
I'm a truck driver and most of us have a similar mindset, even those of us with MANY years behind the wheel. The good drivers know that you're never too old or experienced to learn something new. I had one older driver tell me "The day you think you know everything is the day you hang up your keys."
Safer, yes but I've had it with faster. This whole get it done as fast as you can and the fastest guy is the best electrician is basically ruining this trade. It's like a lost art. See how many people still know how to bend 4 inch PVC without burning it, melting it beyond repair, unable to make specific bends in degrees. Utility companies have basically banned contractors from heating PVC. Craftsman who can still bring the pipe to a glass plastic state are becoming pretty scarce
We never use MC for horizontal exposed runs, but it finds extensive use for vertical drops from a junction box on that wall to a piece of vibrating equipment adjacent to it (and the associated service loop at said junction box is protected too). We never run it on the ground, always supported, and sometimes with a spring to take the load. The other time we use it is in kitchen island cabinets to the sockets mounted in them. We secure it well to protect it from homeowner general abuse over time (nothing to easily catch and pull). Once you get used to using it, it is not bad to work with, and I always exceed the minimums where reasonable - my philosophy is to never come back for rework. If someone complains during tearout that I over built, it means it did not burn down and I am good with that!
You were taught well. A clean worksite is a safe worksite. Those little pieces of cut armor can be like skates on cement. I always roll out cable before installing it and snap a line when I drill beams. Level holes make pulling cable so much easier. Great to see a young guy take pride in his craft!!
Dustin....please keep doing what you are doing. I can't express how much your videos mean to us man. Not only is each video jam packed with good content(especially the helpful description you took the time to write up), but its reaffirmed that Electrician is the path I want to take in life. Shout out from your Nebraska fam. Your videos are reaching every state and inspiring/teaching more people than you could know.
Thank you my friend, I don’t plan on quitting any time soon!
Electrician U thanks for what you do!!! Amigo!!! Keep it up my brotha your videos helped me out
Love it 👏👏👍
Yeah those little 2 inch jacket pieces are like ball bearings on concrete
Your attention to detail and proffessionalism really come through in your videos. I am a Canadian Red seal electrician and a UK sparks and I love to listen to what you have to say. Great Video!
I feel like this channel is making me a better electrician. Love these video's.
A M E N ! ! !
Yes. As a electrician I try to be humble to other peoples ways and become better however I can. Some one could know something we may not that could make us better. We are service providers and how we provide that service makes or breaks us.
Now time to work on English 🤣🤣🤣
Yup. Being a better tradesman.
Besides the direction you pull MC, it also helps the direction you pull the MC through the stud. The studs are stamp cut with a lip on one side, pull the MC the direction the lip on the stud is facing as to not fight it and have the lip to catch on.
or you can put plastic bushing in studs
@@1topfueldrag pfft, who's office is gona pay for that?
typically pull into the valley of the stud
Thanks so much for your generosity in sharing this information and being the consummate professional. I'm not an electrician in-training, just a tech guy, DIY-type who endeavors to do quality-minded work, so I really appreciate your attention to detail and to meeting the requirements of the NEC. I'm one of those people who actually prefers armored cable over NM in a residential setting, though I'm really just doing it under permit in my parent's house, preparing it for eventual sale and trying to eliminate any electrical gotchas that would come up during pre-sale inspection. The house is circa 1960 and was wired on the cusp of the changeover from 2-prong to 3-prong receptacles and overall device grounding at each box. While the majority of the cabling does have vinyl insulation and a bonding strip, the electrician who did the original install gave my father a discount on his stock of the old BX he was trying to use up at the time. That's the horrible stuff with the waxed canvas sheathing over rubber insulation over tinned copper. You know that nightmare. Dries out at the ends with the insulation literally crumbling when you touch it. Plus there's no bonding strip along the armor so the NEC technically requires the use of GFCIs in order to have 3-prong receptacles present to compensate for the lack of a legit path to ground. It's been satisfying to replace almost all of the old canvas wiring with MC, correct the non-code add-on wiring done by my late father (liked using Romex in exposed areas and other "creative" applications), and ensure all the boxes and devices are properly bonded and grounded, respectively. Before proceeding I did a lot of research related to the NEC and I've consulted a couple people in the know so I'm confident in the integrity of my work. Still, wish I had seen your video sooner for two tips in particular: (1) snipping the protruding edge created by the Roto-Strip and (2) the fact that the spiral of the armor is "directional". In areas of the basement where I added new home runs at least it's not too late to correct #1 by retracting the cable from the connectors just enough to clip the edge and reposition the bushing. A bit of a pain, but still fixable without having to take any connections apart. Thanks again!
It can't be said enough, this is a tremendous educational channel!
Watching you is addictive... watching you is seeing what I went thru as a service techinican. Love it.... brings back memories of what |I went thru. I always work solo so it was difficult.... never had anyone at the other end..
2 Min in, i'm hooked. Thank you for going through and explaining everything! Subscribed!
Great video! I have a old steel-framed house that was originally wired with Ragwire (insulation was almost cut in more than a few places), and when I remodeled I re-wired with MC cable. The electricians went through about 2,500 ft of it, and they let me run another 1,000 ft for can lights and 3- and 4-way switches on my own. It was a lot of work but everything runs great and is up to Code and should last a very long time.
Another Thank you! You're real, down-to-earth, professional and informative without communicating as a "know it all". Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the clarification on what a MC connector is vs. NM connectors. Also good tip on cleanup after rotosplitting.
You rock this stuff! Keep up the great work you do! You provide thorough explanations and you clearly know your craft. Thank you!
Everything you mentioned in this is spot on. 15 year electrician here from philly and I'm always telling helpers, use common sense and clean as you go makes easier in end. Also if your working near customers they can slip on that mc jacket if on floor. Just like you said USE COMMON SENSE!! love the videos been watching you for awhile. Keep up great work
Nice to hear from a philly sparky. I retired 2 years ago and hate how the city makes you jump thru a hundred and one freaking hoops to get a license or rewnew it. We had a very good sparky who already had a jersey license but our philly hospital wanted all sparkies to have an electrical license. He passed the test first try but took at least 7 trips downtown along with numerous phone calls to get his license. Took 11 months. Another coworker lost out on 5 grand worth of work due to it took 5 months to get his license. Pure bullshit how you have to supply them with a copy of vehicle insurance. In my 50 years never performed electrical work while driving. 10 hours of OSHA training also bullshit. Dukes of hazard wortless politicians in Harrisburg have been talking about going with state electrical license since my dad took his test back in 1964. Work safe.
As a electrical controls specialist it’s important to pay attention to details when building cabinets and programs PLCs , it’s nice to see that regular electricians on the service side do the same ! Keep up the good work
Thank you so much man. Im working as a helper and they are making me work with mc but not explaining anything well. Look forward to more videos like this.
Your info is on point. Really helpful and nicely payed out.
I know nothing electrical and just found your channel, trying to learn about mc and wiring. Learned so much from you! You're awesome, my friend. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and professionalism! Just subscribed!
Just the info I was looking for and you explained it very well. To the point and not drawn out. Thank you sir.
Love this type of vid.. because it helping me under code more as I’m getting ready to test for my journeyman
Thanks brother. Just started as an apprentice. Ran mc today and did great but your tips will help me tomorrow. Gloves would have been nice today. You are the man. Love you brother.
21:50 direction of the stud also plays a big part. It's the way the holes were stamped out during manufacturing
Love stuff like this! My working days are over but it's nice to picture in my mind how you're putting things together. 😊 Only worked on two commercial bldgs with steel frame. Running MC was a pain in the *beep* but tying it in was great once I figured out the proper way to cut the metal. In residential I always used MC for furnaces, water heaters and such.
I love the straight forward way you explain things. Thanks.
Talking about keeping your cuts clean. I was tying in a panel a few years ago , Had everything buttoned up , energized the panel and BOOM! One of the feeds was nicked by the MC Sheathing.... I check every cut from now on.....
Thanks for the tips bro! Great to know as U mention, "Keep U area work CLEAN" and carefully explanations. Big pros from Mexico, City, I keep followin' yaaaa! Blessings and keep up the great videos, peace up!!!
Love this dude , he gets me. It’s like I’m listening to my self teach electrical.
Thank you for this video!! I am wanting to extend an existing circuit into a room where I can't go into the wall and wanted to double check how, and that I could use MC cable on the face of the wall. The concise and easy to follow way you presented everything here saved me a ton more time trying to find and sort through info Googling.
Fantastic videos with information backed by all the applicable codes. Just great stuff. Clear presentation and a NON-OPINIONATED presentation! Thank you!!!!!
Great video brotha! Keep it up I'm learning a lot as an apprentice watching this channel 👍
Dude nice special guest Lots of knowledge being given
Glad to see Paul pop up in your video. Both of you are great teachers, and worth while to listen to as an apprentice or master.
He blows my mind dude. Love listening to that guy's podcast
I really like this type of practical, easy to understand teaching, from an electrician not a code guy.
This was an absolutely amazing video. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the great info!
Thanks for all the details and NEC references for points made. Very nicely done!
Awesome video. Really well organized information. I sent to all my crews.
Awesome! Excellent instructive tutorial. Very professional and well done. Thanks for all the great tips.
Your rant on professionalism and you goals at the end was really good
I enjoy your videos so much I keep watching them over & over! Think I've watched this 1 3 times alone!
Never ran MC outdoors. Had a halve ass contractor use it to wire in 277 volt 4' luminares about 6' below a loading dock roof. Only problem is the ones closest to edge got wet everytime it rained. Some where in NEC it states a 45 degree rule for rain entrance. If angle from roof edge is 45 degrees or less you can not use MC cable. Was told this at a CEU class. Most commercial buildings near me have to be wired in with MC & not AC ( BX) cable. Thamks for another good vid.
Dude, keep up the awesome work, thank you 1000 times!!!
Keep being awesome and a teacher, sir!
wow, so awesome. absolutely amazing seeing a real professional talking every single important detail about his trade.
You are owesone man! Thank for sharing all this info. You take time to explain all the details and that makes it easier to understand! God Bless!
I remember one job I did for this lab, we used mc cable to wire in a outlet for some lab equipment and terminated in a plc panel. The pull was half cable tray so that was nice.
i love how you bring it back to the basics... yes we control the power, yes sometimes its easy and anyone could potentially do it... but ultimately we ARE there to protect everything that comes in contact with or near (be it object, machine, or god forbid persons/animals) that dangerous yet oh so useful power. keep up the great vids im learning SO much as im going through school and even impressing some teachers with a few tricks, keep on keeping on 😎 ps im so down to end the stereotype of electricians dont clean their messes.. ill stay late if i gotta but i leave it either as good as, or better than, how i came in!
Awesome content and tips. I watched this several times over last year! thx Rich
I am glad I came to your channel, great videos! I really enjoy them and learn a lot!
Pretty dope stuff and informative. I just started in resi 5 months ago...I want to do commercial eventually...good to know !
Hey nice shout out to Rogers. I used to work for them. I learned a lot with them.
Love these videos man! Been binging all of these videos. Love the long form. You’ve built something extremely useful and impressive. The quality of these videos has been vastly improved and it’s really dope that your educational videos are considered continued education!! Literally KZhead University! Keep crushing it. Love seeing pros bring others up instead of sandbagging them💪🏼
👍👍up been thinking about going to school for electrician thank you sir for all the good information super helpful thank you I’ll keep following
Excellent content! "Give a shit about what you're doing" that's the best protip right there.
I have basic electrical knowledge and wanted to learn more about mc as I’m wiring my own steel building. I hesitated to click because the 27 min run time scared me off but glad I did. A lot of good basic info here. Will definitely be checking out your other videos.
I use the red bushings in MC to provide a line of protection, to help prevent the sheeting from nicking the wire.
Love this video and the nec codes listed super informative and helpful to us apprentices
I am with you. I like using the bushing. Its like an ultra cheap backup safety from wire damage.
I am not a electrician (or English major), your instruction and your pro-tips answered my questions.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Much appreciated!
Nice one my friend that's a good one I always watch your video a lot and inspired me especially new KZheadr, thanks for sharing
You should do a video on environmental ratings and what not. How to determine a wet from a dry location, explanation on ratings like 1r and 3r ect, ect. Would be really interesting and good reference.
This is another fantastic video by this dude!
I have been a Journeyman Electricina in Massachusetts for a couple years now, but I have no shame watching these videos and learning from them! Nobody knows everything and everybody has tips and tricks other people can use. I use mc on a daily basis and this video really let me know some new thing which I can now pass to my apprentices. Awesome. 👍
Im currently working on installing Leak Detectors, Liquid Level Switches in an underground fuel access vault that requires the use of those PVC coated MC. We use Crouse Hinds Gland Connectors that use a sealant compound to prevent gas vapors and fumes from getting into the explosive proof box. Interesting Stuff.
I'm trying so hard to get into my local IBEW. I have tools and basic building maintenance experience (4 years) and watching these is super helpful, I just want my journeyman to think I'm the best apprentice he's ever had.
Did you get into IBEW?
@@lordperezident probably not
Great teacher, informative , clear English , by the way , this is my first time ever leaving a comment
Very thorough. I was going to take exception to the idea of skipping the red devils but you got it. You will never get every sharp edge dealt with on every termination. I've actually had inspectors ask to see that I had an MC cutter on site, so it was interesting to hear that they aren't required. If you aren't using one, you are a masochist.
Dude thanks for all you do on these videos, very good info.
Great video, thanks for the insight, helpful tips, and tricks.
I liked your comment about leaving a little Trash bucket in your work area I've always told my employees to do that as it takes so much time at the end of the day to sweep the floor of all little ends of MC and cut wire so leaving a trash can handy for all the employees to dispose of save time cuz we don't have Maids on the jobs we got to clean up after ourselves you're teaching the newbies will keep up the good work
Snap 2 It mc connectors are the way to go. Also those big ones are really good for big 3 wire multi neutral cable. Also I have been told the direction you run through metal studs makes it easier in addition to pulling the cable in the right way. Something about how the holes are punched.
its how the cable is made it will slide one way but not the other (easily) you can tell by just trying either side of the spool which is the one to start from same thing if you are pulling above a t-bar grid...I like to put a piece of emt up to protect the grid from damage when pulling hans solo.kzhead.info/sun/adeTqdWhon-pmq8/bejne.html
Thanks for all your explanations about good work 👏
Thank you for this!! I just had a customer of mine ask me if I can inspect the HVAC guys electrical work they just finished a day before I came to finish up my work inside, and after looking I told my customer # 1 they've used regular MC cable mounted on the exterior wall (with no roof overhang) #2 terminating in the disconnect boxs with just Romex connectors 😳 #3 I found about 2 & also 3 inches of the jagged cut MC cable inside all 5 of the disconnects past the Romex connectors and #4 no anti short bushings installed to boot!!! My customer then asked me if I could show him proof so he could show them and I googled "why can't you use MC cable on exterior wall" to see if I could find the specific code (cause I didn't have my book with me,) and your video was the first Google gave me and I've seen your other videos before too so I clicked on it and he especially appreciated the part where you introduce Paul And he showed the proper MC to use with the proper connection!! I didn't have to give him any proof of course about the jagged MC cable that was inside the disconnect boxs as that was a no-brainer for my customer!!! lol Seriously thank you for this video and all your other ones too!!
This is what typically happens when you have untrained and unlicensed people doing what is economically expedient for them rather than what is safe for the customer. I had a similar problem in my apartment where some people who worked for the kitchen contractor ran Romex through my lower kitchen cabinets to feed my refrigerator. I rerouted the Romex through the attic and back down the wall to eliminate that problem. I also have a piece of #14 AC-90 used to extend a 20 amp circuit to a range hood they installed. That is a big no-no. Their plumbing work was deficient as well and the waste pipe from the kitchen sink had to be redone at my landlord's expense.
Awsome video bro . good tips on how to work with flexible conduit.zamora
great video man , as always
Thanks man, I enjoyed it. Keep up the good work👍👍👍😎🇨🇱
When running in a drop ceiling you have to support your cabling. Light fixtures also have to be supported independently of the T bar. Incase of fire or ceiling collapse the fixture or cable will not add to weight of ceiling.
A great video. I sell most of the items that you talked about and it educate me about the code and how to do things. Thanks
As a first year apprentice, your videos are very beneficial. Please keep them coming. I appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos.
You should be turning out pretty soon by now! How’s the experience been so far? I’m 4 months in currently and loving it.
You're very informative for a guy that has no experience , but has a good absorbance of information to save money😉
Love your videos, bro! You lead by example and that's exactly how I work in the field. I'm definitely a fan of your skills and professionalism!
Great video ! The debate with the use of red heads... May want to check with your local jurisdiction. Our county inspectors require the use of the antishort bushings.
Brother thanks for Profecional information . god bless you
Great info - especially since MC is cheaper than Romex now and people are using it in their house. My house is all AC90 and I just added all my new circuits in MC/MClite. I was at HD showing a guy the cheaper MC and he was like - what? That is only for commercial - and granted you have use metal boxes and different connectors - but not not the most mysterious product. And using MC lite you can cut the jacket without a rotozip.
Doing hotels we bought 1000 foot feels on reel stands set up on far end and work back to reels works real well
When ordering mc ask the supply house for a reverse wound reel. Then you can use the spinner and have the cable in the correct way to pull smoothly. Also watch which way the studs are facing, that also makes a difference. (27 year commercial/industrial electrician)
awsome content. ive been learing so much from your video. Can you add more code like this to your feature videos
Ok, you pulled Paul into this so instant subscriber
Thanks Justin you are very professional
thank you you always help me with all my questions
Thank you for your words of wisdom.
Awesome video bro, learned a lot for sure
THIS IS SOOOO GOOD! THANK YOU. (All caps were used intentionally 😊)
Love your videos man! You should totally do a video about finding the ol' "Harry Home Owner" genius electrical lol
Great topic and very well taught.