Cob: electrical

[Dorothy Bothne]

Mary,
I've handled electrical systems in two different ways.  In the first structure I built, I used Romex (available at Home Depot) rated for outside (direct burying).  I buried it directly in the cob.  the structure had 3 outlets and 2lights and 1 exhaust fan.  everything works fine.   I'm working on my second structure now.    I consulted with an electrical design engineer and he recommended that I use a conduit buried in the wall and pull the wires through the conduit in lieu of direct burying the Romex.  He also suggested that I use the blue "smurf tube" because it's flexible enough to bend around curves and you need fewer fittings.
The reason that he said to use conduit is that the wire needs the air in the conduit to dissipate heat.  also, you can replace the wire in the conduit easier if repairs become necessary.
Dorothy

Mary Hooper <mjhooper at trccomputing.com> wrote:
Will someone tell me something about installing electrical systems. Do the
wires go outside the wall or are they embedded? that sort of thing. I have
not bought a how-to book yet. This interests me as my honey would not put an
outlet in the basement (concrete floor) bathroom unless it had a ground
fault interrupter.
The solar panels have to connect to inside somehow. Maybe it's wired like a
"regular" house?
thanks
Mary




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<DIV>Mary,</DIV>
<DIV>I've handled electrical systems in two different ways.  In the first structure I built, I used Romex (available at Home Depot) rated for outside (direct burying).  I buried it directly in the cob.  the structure had 3 outlets and 2lights and 1 exhaust fan.  everything works fine.   I'm working on my second structure now.    I consulted with an electrical design engineer and he recommended that I use a conduit buried in the wall and pull the wires through the conduit in lieu of direct burying the Romex.  He also suggested that I use the blue "smurf tube" because it's flexible enough to bend around curves and you need fewer fittings.</DIV>
<DIV>The reason that he said to use conduit is that the wire needs the air in the conduit to dissipate heat.  also, you can replace the wire in the conduit easier if repairs become necessary.</DIV>
<DIV>Dorothy</DIV>
<DIV><BR><B><I>Mary Hooper <mjhooper at trccomputing.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">Will someone tell me something about installing electrical systems. Do the<BR>wires go outside the wall or are they embedded? that sort of thing. I have<BR>not bought a how-to book yet. This interests me as my honey would not put an<BR>outlet in the basement (concrete floor) bathroom unless it had a ground<BR>fault interrupter.<BR>The solar panels have to connect to inside somehow. Maybe it's wired like a<BR>"regular" house?<BR>thanks<BR>Mary<BR><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><p><hr SIZE=1>
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