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[TowerTalk] Romex and UV

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Subject: [TowerTalk] Romex and UV
From: n4zr@contesting.com (Pete Smith)
Date: Thu, 05 Aug 1999 11:02:01 +0100
At 03:42 AM 8/5/99 PDT, Ted wrote:
>
>Hi Guys,
>
>If you are concerned about UV on Romex, do what we do in Hawaii with 9913 
>coax: Paint it with water-based paint.
>
>BTW, painting white PVC pipe also protects it from UV.

Depending on what you mean by Romex, using it outside is a lousy idea.
NM-B, one common type, has a loose tubular outer jacket and conductors
inside insulated with what appears to be paper.  Clearly not a good
solution for any moist environment.  UF-B, which is designated for outside
use and direct burial, is much better, in that its molded insulation
surrounds each conductor and there is no absorbent material or space for
water to get in.  I'm a little dubious about its UV characteristics, but my
run of rotor lines has been on top of the ground for 4 years and is showing
no sign of deterioration yet.

I learned about this when my (former) plumber wired a 250-foot run of well
power with NM-B, in a 3-foot deep trench!

73, Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr@contesting.com 

Sometimes a tower is just a tower

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