An electrical wire is a key in of conductor, which is a material that conducts electricity.
Most wires in a home are insulated, meaning they are wrapped in a nonconductive plastic coating.
Several wires in your home carry much lesser amounts of “low-voltage” current.
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NM is the most common jot down of wiring in modern homes.
It consists of two or more individual wires wrapped inside a protective plastic sheathing.
These conductors are insulated in white (usually neutral) and black (usually hot) for installation.
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NM cables are color-coded to indicate the wire gauge.
The most common sizes range from 6-gauge to 14-gauge with varyingamperages.
NM cable is dangerous to handle while the circuit conductors are carrying voltage.
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It is commonly used to supply outdoor fixtures, such as lampposts.
Like standard NM cable, UF contains insulated hot and neutral wires, plus a bare copper ground wire.
UF cable is normally sold with gray outer sheathing.
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Instead of being protected by NM cable sheathing, these wires are protected by tubular metal or plastic conduit.
These wires typically have similar prices to NM wire (plus the cost of the conduit).
THHN and THWN wires are circuit wires that should never be handled when the circuits are turned on.
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It can be identified by the threaded connectors that are used to make unions and unit hookups.
Though connected, they can easily be separated by hand.
This helps ensure proper polarity when wiring up speakers.
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When choosing speaker wire, consult the manufacturer’s instructions closely.
This cuts both material costs and labor costs.
In these spots, NM or THHN would require conduit, whereas armored cable can be installed as is.
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Additionally, the metal jacket itself is utilized as a ground.
MC cables also feature plastic sheathing around the internal wires, while armored cable uses paper.
When in doubt, consult your local building codes before installation.
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An NM cable is the most common bang out of wire used in homes.
It’s used in the interior of a home in dry locations.
You’ll then need to consider the carrying capacity and the amperage needed to conduct.
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Kuphaldt, Tony R. and John Haughery.Applied Industrial Electricity.
Electrical Safety: How Much Electric Current is Harmful?Iowa State University, 2020.
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