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My home (Long Island NY) was built in 1903 and has tube and knob, Bx, cable… it’s a mess. Not easily rewired as it’s 3 stories, 6000 sq ft and I’d literally have to open all the walls and ceilings.

The basement has a few old walls (some cut starting at approx. 3 ft up due to old water damage) but is very unfinished and very industrial. Cement floor, different floor heights, HVAC duct running everywhere. Think NYC apartment building basement and you’ll have a good visual.

There are a few “wall mounted” receptacles and switches. By wall mounted they are either on a post (4x4 support) or on a piece of 3/4" plywood nailed to the brick or block. There are two mounted to the twinned furnaces, and one in the boiler room mounted on a wall made of wood planks.

What is the proper way to wire these switches and receptacles, assuming the feed is from cable at the ceiling? Is it proper as described? Or should there be conduit from the box at the ceiling to the switch or receptacle? If conduit, can it be plastic? If yes, can I use cable or will that create a double insulation issue (and therefore needs to be individual wires)? If individual wires - in a pinch - can I strip cable?

nobody
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OldHomeonLongIsland
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  • Or this? [Unfinished basement electrical re-wiring, protecting cables on cinderblock...](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/181968/unfinished-basement-electrical-re-wiring-protecting-cables-on-cinderblock-also) – isherwood Mar 16 '23 at 20:01
  • Or this? [Do wires and electrical boxes need to be protected on the un-finished side of basement?](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/110852/do-wires-and-electical-boxes-need-to-be-protected-on-the-un-finished-side-of-bas) – isherwood Mar 16 '23 at 20:02
  • More context would help. "Proper" can mean different things. Are you just trying to make improvements because you want to? That's great. Do you have any horrific red flags that need correction? Or just aiming higher? Are you selling? Pulling permits for construction? Each of these situations leads to different definitions of "proper". – jay613 Mar 16 '23 at 20:04

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There are general rules based on the NEC, and then there are specific rules from the local jurisdiction. This is particularly the case in or near large cities such as New York City and Chicago. The rules can be city, county or state. For example, a quick Google search found rules for the Village of Massapequa Park, NY on Long Island which include:

  • Minimum 12 AWG everywhere
  • A window air conditioning circuit in every room with a window. Sounds crazy to me, as central HVAC is generally much better. But I suspect this rule came out of too many fires and problems with overloaded circuits when people started putting window air conditioning units in every room.
  • No aluminum wire at all except service entrance cable (that's even stricter than Montgomery County, MD)
  • Romex and plastic conduit not allowed in commercial buildings. In residential it is presumably allowed by default, but keep in mind that in at least some parts of New York City, Romex is not allowed at all. And if a building has dual purpose (e.g., apartments above retail/offices) or possibly if it is on a commercial block even if it has been converted to a single family home, then it will likely be considered commercial.

So it definitely pays to check first with your local city/county/state to make sure you do things right.

So on to your specific question, but keeping in mind that what works in most of the country may be absolutely invalid in your area:

What is the proper way to wire these switches and receptacles, assuming the feed is from romex at the ceiling? Is it proper as described? Or - should there be conduit from the box at the ceiling to the switch or receptacle?

Generally speaking, the cable needs to be physically protected from damage. That can be inside suitably large conduit (generally that means metal or PVC) or it can be by securing wood to block direct access to the cable up to 8' above the floor.

If conduit - can it be plastic - and if yes, can I use romex or will that create a double insulation issue (and therefore needs to be individual wires)?

The extra insulation is a non-issue. The issue is conduit fill - a cable fills a conduit a lot faster than the equivalent individual wires.

If individual wires - in a pinch - can I strip romex?

No. You can strip Romex for use inside junction boxes - e.g., to make pigtails. But you can't use it that way in conduit.

manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
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  • Thanks for your response and confirmation that I can use plastic conduit. I’ve also read that all receptacles need to be GFI’s. I’ve been reading about AFI’s… do the receptacles need to be GFI & AFI or is GFI only acceptable? – OldHomeonLongIsland Mar 16 '23 at 02:46
  • The *general* rule (but some jurisdictions add more requirements) is that for new receptacles (direct replacement generally not an issue, but adding receptacles in new locations, even on existing circuits, is) in an unfinished basement (as well as kitchen, bathroom, garage, outside) need to GFCI protected, which can be at the receptacle or at the breaker. In addition, many receptacles (varies by version of NEC) also require AFCI protection. Unlike GFCI, AFCI is almost always done at the breaker. If you need AFCI and GFCI then often the easiest and cheapest solution is a breaker that includes – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Mar 16 '23 at 02:49
  • *both* AFCI and GFCI. But often it is only one or the other - varies by NEC version and jurisdiction. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Mar 16 '23 at 02:50
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    if you have exposed wire you can typically use flex metal conduit over the exposed piece. this is easier than running full bx or replacing. – Fresh Codemonger Mar 16 '23 at 03:26
  • Hm. 8' would be higher than the main beam in my basement. There is lots of exposed NMC attached directly to that beam and the rafters resting on it. Drops to outlets are protected, admittedly. Guess I ought to find out what my local rules are. – keshlam Mar 16 '23 at 03:48
  • Once it is on the main beam there is normally no concern. I mean, why would you worry about somebody bumping into the cable when they'd hurt their head doing so... – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Mar 16 '23 at 04:00
  • It looks like Bx and greenfield are similarly priced at nominally $1/ft. I would think Bx would be easier as I don’t have to worry about what fittings I have on hand. It also allows me to ensure all the wire is 12ga (I believe some is currently 14ga). – OldHomeonLongIsland Mar 16 '23 at 16:23
  • Re AFI’s - between the 5 bathrooms, kitchen, butlers pantry, laundry room, shed and 5 car garage there are probably 15 circuits. I can swap the GFIs with GFI/AFI receptacles much more cheaply than adding AFI breakers. What’s the best source of information as to whether AFIs are required OR if I can leave the existing GFIs? I live in the Town of Babylon (NY) and all I can find on the town website re electrical code is a reference to 1969 version of the NEC. – OldHomeonLongIsland Mar 16 '23 at 16:23