I wouldn't be even close to the electrician of the list, but I did read a fine
homebuilding a few months back that talked about an older type of wiring that
used the sheithing as a ground. maybe since his house is old enough not to
have three-prong outlets, his has this?
this was not the metallic-armored stuff you see in permanent installations
nowadays. I can probably find and scan the article, assuming I'm not breaking
a copywright law.
scott
> ...but I'd be very curious to see if any application allowed the use
> of the BX shield as a ground. (and a bit surprised I guess... it sounds
> very wrong to me)
>
> BX wire is normally to be used as "armoured wire", where it will be
> exposed to possible damage. Such as in a garage where a length will have
> to go down a wall exposed, or to a wired-in machine like a permanent air
> compressor where the cable is exposed from a junction box into the unit.
>
> The metal shield is designed to protect from piercing, say if
> somebody leans a ladder against it, or hits it with a tool, or similar.
> By code, certain places require it for this reason.
>
> But any BX I've ever installed has a normal ground in the bundle.
>
> Personally I hate working with the stuff, the little insulating plugs
> that have to be jammed into the end to stop chafing are just way too
> hard to get in and never leave me feeling very happy that they are in right.
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