Dryer Wiring

It's time to run the new dryer circuit, about 45 ft. total from the SEP to the dry. I currently plan to use 8/3 NM with ground.
however, it will run across all the floor joists

Question: does the wire have to go through the floor joists or
can it be stapled to the underside ever 16 - 24 inches?

There should be a 2 inch clearance between the floor joists and
the supended ceiling.

Bonus Question: I recently went to the "TOY" store and saw
ENT flexible conduit (3/4" blue) and figured it might work for the television,
phone and computer cables. Is this conduit NEC rated and is it
comparable to PVC Conduit?

 

If you staple to the underside of thejoists then you have to provide mechanical protection to the cables. All in all in most cases it isn't worth the problems and drilling the holes is much easier and cheaper.
Flex conduit is easy to use and very user friendly, (Not sure of Ent though did you mean EMT?) Depending on the useage it can be as good as PVC, but that would depend on many factors such as where and the conditions it is to be run in. The amount of physical protection required, if it is to go in a wet or damp area. Flex because it is metal may cause problems if you running computer cables into it you might get a noise problem.

This is just curiousity on my part, but why are you running the cables in conduit in the first place? Is it a code requirement where you are? In most cases these cables are designed to run on their own, and don't usually require extra protection.

 

He said he will have a suspended ceiling .If this is in a house us code says it will be fine to staple to joist .But I doo agree that if the home owner wanted to remove the ceiling and sheetrock it would be better to run it thru the joist now.

 

Blue smurf is semi decent for protection in the south they let us use it for disposer hook ups and wire in cabinets for island recepticales

 

Thanks for the info...but a couple things..
The wire size will be 10/3 with ground...
and I will never put in a sheetrock ceiling in the basement..
had one in a small 12x12 room and within 3 monthes, I had to rip
it out for plumbing work.

As for the ent..atleast thats what the sign said. it looks like
blue plastic flex conduit.

The reason for looking at the flex conduit , is that I have a ton of wires for all the different items
and it looks like a spiderweb. the condiut is just a way to clear it
up

 

The conduit sounds like a nice idea, but I would check with you inspector before stapling to the bottom of the joists, your area may not allow it as it is supposed to be for exposed wires only and once you put the suspended ceiling up they may say they are no longer exposed. I may be wrong in this dedending on how your inspectors interpput that particular part of the code but I do know some areas will not allow it without protection the minute a false ceiling of anykind is put up.

 

My policy is all cables go through bored holes, ceiling are not permanent, esp. in basements as mentioned.
I have used smurf before (ENT ),
DO NOT UNDERSIZE IT!
I have installed it several times recently in several houses, and overall it is a good idea for class2 wiring.
Note that Carlon now makes ORANGE
ENT specifically for low-voltage wiring. It is available in xtended lengths to avoid couplings.-however pricier that regular blue.
worthington Distribution
http://www.worthdist.com
worthdist cat. req. http://www.worthdist.com/catrequest.asp
They have an extensive selection in the catalog.

Tell us what cables you want to run through the ENT, and we can reccomend the size. 3/4" is generally best (most standard)

gj