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An electrical wire is a type of conductor, which is a material that conducts electricity.
The most common type of home electrical wiring is the NM cable, also known as the Romex cable, after the most popular electrical wiring brand name. The NM cables contain three or more individual conductors, wrapped together in sheathing, which is a flexible plastic jacket
Types of Electrical Wire in a Home
There are a number of different types of wiring and cable found throughout a home as well as around it. We’ll go through the most common types in more detail below.
Non-Metallic Cable
In homes built after the mid-1960s, the wiring is relatively standard.
The common type of home electrical wiring is non-metallic, or NM, cable. You may also know it as Romex cable, which is the most popular brand name of this type of electrical wiring.
NM cable is usually three or more individual conductors. Those conductors are wrapped in a flexible plastic jacket also known as sheathing. In one NM cable, you’ll usually find a hot wire, a ground wire, and a neutral wire.
NM is used for dry, interior home electrical wiring. That includes appliances, switches, light fixtures, and outlets. The most common sizes of NM found in modern homes are:
• 14-gauge, 15-amp circuits
• 12-gauge, 20-amp circuits
• 10-gauge, 30-amp circuits
• 8-gauge, 40-amp circuits
• 6-gauge, 55-amp circuits
Alternatively, your house electrical wires may be installed in a conduit. This is a flexible metal or plastic tubing. It’s usually used in situations where wiring is exposed.
Regulations around NM Cable
There are a few regulations around NM cable that you should be aware of.
First, they cannot be used in residential construction that exceeds three stories in height. Strictly designed for homes, they can’t be used in commercial constructions either.
NM cable is designed as a permanent home electrical wire system. They shouldn’t be used as a substitute for extension cords. They also shouldn’t be used to substitute the wiring for your appliances.
You must use the proper support for the cables where necessary. You cannot support them with nails or stables. Anything that could damage the cable is not permitted as support and they must be secured at intervals of less than 4.5 feet.
Armored Cable
As mentioned, local ordinances on house electrical wire tend to be more strict than national codes. And in some communities, Romex or NM cable is not permitted for use. Instead, these communities use armored cable or AC.
Also known as BX, this type of electrical wire dates back to the early 1900s, but it’s still in use today. AC wiring is designed with flexible metallic sheathing. This provides extra protection for the conductors inside.
Similar to NM cables, AC isn’t permitted for use in commercial buildings or residential constructions exceeding three stories. The regulations surrounding support are also similar.
Underground Feeder Cable
While AC and NM cables are designed for dry, interior conditions, you need a cable that’s okay for use outdoors or in wet conditions. This type of cable doesn’t need the protection of walls, floors, and ceilings.
That’s why when you need to run wire underground or to outdoor projects, you use an underground feeder, of UF, cable. This type of electrical wire is also non-metallic cable and it can be buried under the ground without conduit.
It can also get wet without any issues.
Similar to NM cable, UF cable is made up of three wires.
One hot wire, one neutral wire, and a bare ground wire. They appear similar to NM cable as well, but the sheathing around UF cable is a solid plastic that you can’t roll between your fingers.
Metal-Clad Cable
If you have some home electrical wire running through unfinished areas like basements, they need a stronger outer surface. That’s where the metal-clad cable comes in.
It’s used in unfinished areas where the wiring is exposed to the possibility of physical damage.
Low-Voltage Wiring
When you have a circuit that uses less than 50 volts, you might use low-voltage wiring.
This type of house electrical wire is used for items that don’t require a lot of electricity. This includes doorbells, most thermostats, and landscape lighting.
You’ll find low-voltage wire ranges in size from 12 to 22-gauge. It’s usually insulated or covered in cable sheathing.
Phone and Data Wire
If you still have a landline telephone, you have special wiring for it. The same can be said for your internet connection.
Both your phone and internet use low-voltage wires. Your telephone and data cables can contain anywhere from four to eight wires. But the most common type of cable used for this purpose is Category 5, or Cat 5.
Cat 5 cables are eight wires that are wrapped together in four pairs. This is actually the most efficient type of cable for a phone and data transmission.
Cable Wire – Cable denotes a collection of 2 or more strands of wire. Cable has basically 3 wire running- phase, neutral and a grounding wire. Cables are categorized according to the number of wires running through it and its size/gauge.
Telephone wire – These types of wires are used for low voltage control especially for communication and alarm purpose. Braided, twisted and plastic-jacketed are most common type of thermostat wiring. Twisted cable wiring has no outer braid and is used for doorbells, burglar alarms and telephone systems.
TV wire – Television lead-in wire connects the receiving set to the antenna that is installed on society roof. Good quality 300-ohm wire is used for both VHF and UHF receivers.
Home networking and Modem wires – home networking wires include connecting multiple computers, audio systems, etc. The networking hub is a device where wiring from different locations come together to meet.
Multi strand wires – Multi strand wires is predominantly in homes these days. Multi stand wire is a collection of number of small gauge/size wires wrapped together to form a big a large conductor i.e. a multi stranded wire. There are different sizes available in multi stranded wire starting from 1 sq. meter, 1.5 sq. meter, 2.5 sq. meter and 4 sq. meter. Multi stranded wire is more flexible and long lasting than 1 solid wire of same size. This 1 big fat wire was used in olden days but is banned now. A building/home owner having 1 big fat wiring done could be caught for using it, it’s that illegal. You could possible happen to see it in slum areas but nowhere else. This 1 wire was banned because it was not safe to use and as it was not flexible it would easily get cut when bent. Whereas multi-stranded wire is a better conductor and much flexible than solid wire.
Cable-Sheath Color Coding
Below are the color and their associated size and amperage:
• Black. 8 or 6-gauge wire, 45 or 60 amp circuits
• Orange. 10-gauge wire, 30-amp circuit
• Yellow. 12-gauge wire, 20-amp circuit
• White. 14-gauge wire, 15-amp circuit
Gray cables are underground feeder (UF) cables. All UF cables are gray. In order to know the gauge of the wire and the circuit information, you’ll have to check the cable-sheath labeling.
In addition, cable-sheath color coding is a relatively new innovation in the electrical industry. It wasn’t introduced until 2001 and companies aren’t obligated to use it. For that reason, you should always check with the manufacturer if the color coding complies with current standards.
Wire Color Coding
Unlike cable-sheath color coding, wire color coding is standard for all conductors. Home electrical wire is usually limited to the following colors:
• White. This is a neutral wire. It’s responsible for completing a circuit by carrying the current back to the panel.
• Black/Red. These are hot wires. That means that they carry electrical current from the panel to a device. The device might be a receptacle, light fixture, switch, or an appliance.
• Bare/Green. This color code indicates ground wires. A ground wire comes into play when there’s a ground fault. These wires create a path for the current to return to your home’s breaker, blow a fuse, and cut off electricity.
Labeling
Both wires and cables use labeling to tell you about the wire size, the material, the number of wires inside a cable, the type of insulation, and other special ratings. The labels are printed on the wire insulation or on the outer sheathing of a cable.
Wire Size
The size of the wire refers to the diameter of the conductor itself. It’s regulated by the American Wire Gauge system. In a nutshell, the smaller the wire is, the larger the gauge.
