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You are here: Home / Earthship / Cob and Electricity … Clear as Mud

January 1, 2011 by Chris

Cob and Electricity … Clear as Mud

I have been sorting out the electrical permit for the house.

After describing what we are up to in terms of running wire in cob, the electrical inspector wants us to encase the wire in ENT (non-metallic, flexible conduit) and use PVC boxes and fittings.

I had originally hoped to use NMW wire (the black wire suitable for underground/wet locations).  This has been done in earthships before.

Does anybody have any experience/comments about this?  Any feedback appreciated!

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Filed Under: Earthship

Comments

  1. Sheldon Grice says

    January 6, 2011 at 4:05 am

    As an electrician I would think running wires through conduit is the best choice. If you have any problems with the wiring, it is easy to fix. Whoever used NMW either was able to use it because it was code in their country/state, or they did not contact the proper authorities(it is illegal in Canada). The concrete can eat away at the wire casings, I’m not sure if cob would do the same. It’s been exciting to see the progress you’ve made – keep up the good work!

Sandra and Chris

Welcome to our homesteading adventure in south central BC, Canada! In 2009 we started building an earthship in Darfield. We moved in three and a half years later. Now that the biggest jobs are finished we are having fun homesteading in a modern world. Join us for discussions about finishing the earthship, food preservation, beekeeping, livestock, permaculture and how we interact with technology. It's all about simple living and stewardship of the land without deprivation. Together with our three teenagers we're learning as we go.

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