Did ROMEX Cable Change Again? (NM-B Update)

In this video I will go over a new change to ROMEX or NM-B cable which is just now hitting the shelves of our home improvement stores and supply houses. Will it become a new industry standard? I think it will.

[@welbow]

The graphics (timeline, old pictures) are a nice touch. Liked seeing the old stuff as a contrast to how far we've come today.

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you..

[@i-love-comountains3850]

​@@BackyardMaine Thanks to that chart, I now know that the nm cable in the house I live in was made circa 1950s!😅😢😂

[@ElectricRob]

Came for the update - stayed for the history lesson! Great video John!

[@BackyardMaine]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@MichaelMSchofield]

Came to the comments to say the same thing!

[@edvaioli7340]

Excellent video: to the point, good lighting, no obnoxious music, no stammering, stuttering, stumbling. Five stars and a master class on video presentation. Thank you.

[@rontiemens2553]

Couldn’t agree more. He really has it dialed in and comes across with the goods. Love this channel.

[@boeing757pilot]

Agree!

[@flyingmerkel6]

And no attempts at playing the clown.

[@BackyardMaine]

Wow, thank you so much..

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you!

[@jamestrowbridge]

That's it! I'm rewiring to the latest fashions!

[@kenbrown2808]

here's the mind blower: the color coding wasn't adopted for electricians or inspectors. it was adopted to make inventory control easier.

[@boeing757pilot]

That makes sense!

[@ianbelletti6241]

Here's another mind blower, you can order individual conductors of thhn in purple. It's mostly used to pull travelers on commercial jobs. However, it's also sometimes used in control circuits.

[@kenbrown2808]

@@ianbelletti6241 you can also get pink.

[@ringtyler]

@@ianbelletti6241 not really a mind blower. You can order thhn in just about any color you want

[@boeing757pilot]

@@ianbelletti6241 Interesting

[@Sparky-ww5re]

I really enjoyed the fact you listed the history of NM cable, found that even more interesting than going over the new jacket color codes which I've began to notice earlier this month while shopping at my local home depot. I never realized it's history traces it's roots to a couple of years before 1925, because I've helped with several remodel projects over the years in Michigan, North Carolina and South Carolina, and every home I've been in that was built in the 1930s or before had remnants of knob and tube, along with the early cotton braid NM. A few homes I've seen were before the 1920s and skipped knob and tube altogether and went straight to the 1st gen NM because the house was in a rural area where electricity was unavailable until the end of WWII. The farmhouse in Sanilac County michigan with the deadly Chicago 3 way for the yardlight installed in the early 50s I mentioned in that video about a month ago, was built in 1908, yet there was no evidence of knob and tube when I was trying to figure out that 3 way, because electricity was unavailable until 1951 according to the farmer. There was however, lots of cotton or rayon braid NM cable in the basement, although I don't recall any of it being 3 wire, which kinda makes me wonder if there were other Chicago 3 ways in the house, considering it was wired by the father and grandfather of the farmer, and they experienced the harsh economic times of the 1930s and a major advantage of Chicago 3 ways were that they could keep constant power on both ends while switching a luminaire using 3 wires instead of four.

[@BackyardMaine]

Interesting info my friend. You know I'm not sure if the early romex offered a 3-wire option. I'll have to look into that. I don't think I have ever seen one either.

[@Sparky-ww5re]

@@BackyardMaine very interesting. If circa 1950 NM was only made in 2 wire version, then my guess would be that the 3 way switches in that farmhouse in Sanilac County michigan were all the deadly Chicago method using a single stranded conductor like THHN or something like that from each switch box to the light?? Unless of course the other 3 ways were added later on after the introduction of 3 wire NM. None of that ever crossed my mind when I was working there because I was so frustrated with trying to figure out how that yardlight would get blown with 240V in one of the four switch positions, before it dawned on me that the farmer did move some breakers around in the barn to make room for a 2 pole 20 to power the air compressor he just brought, when the yardlight dilemma started. I would like to hope and believe everyone in that house knew enough to wear rubber gloves or turn the breaker off before fiddling with a "de-energized" light fixture 🥶😯

[@Truckguy1970]

@@Sparky-ww5re Those Chicago 3 ways were dangerous because of the switched neutrals which is a big NO NO! today

[@CompGuy66]

@@BackyardMaine Early romex did indeed have a 3 wire version. I have seen a few houses here in Canada that were wired in the 1930s. The 3-way switches at the top and bottom of staircases would use 14-3 romex with cloth and rubber insulation on the individual wires. We refer to this early romex as second generation wiring since it came after knob and tube which was first generation. By the 1950s houses moved to NM cable with 60 C rated conductors. Individual conductors had plastic insulation but the whole cable assembly was now wrapped in synthetically spun rayon. During the 50s romex with undersized ground wires started to appear as well. It is called NMD-3 with ground and was initially only used for major appliance circuits as well as circuits feeding outlets on exterior walls. By the early 60s grounding was required everywhere so NMD-3 with ground became the standard. In the late 60s- early 70s NMD-5 and NMD-7 were introduced. These still had the synthetically spun rayon but the individual conductors were now rated for 75 and 90 C respectively. NM or romex cable with a PVC outer jacket did not become common until the 1980s here. I don't know if it's just me or does that old romex with the synthetically spun rayon jacket have a very unique smell to it. I have heard theories that the grease they put on the jacket would come from beetles. Also, fun fact, in Canada we didn't adopt GFCIs until later and they are still not required in laundry rooms or garages.

[@BackyardMaine]

@@CompGuy66 I haven't done a ton of work in old houses. Thanks for the info.

[@bentbria]

Fantastic video - I am a master electrician that primarily works with high voltage critical infrastructure, this video is proof that you never stop learning in our trade. I had no idea of the history of NMD or they made flat 3 wire NMD cables. 5 minutes of my life well spent :) thanks John!

[@chucknyberg9020]

Thank you for providing great, concise information without any extra wording. A joy to listen to.

[@rmhanseniii]

As a licensed electrician, I can’t understand why the change came from the manufacturer and not the NEC. It’s a smart idea, and I wonder how the advisory boards never came up with it

[@jonathanbuzzard1376]

Because they are concerned with electrical safety and have no remit on making life easier for installers. Besides there would bound to be some people complaining about unnecessary regulations.

[@mb-3faze]

I've seen and used light pink 12/2. In the end the colors will make things standard, but if you're doing remodelling then you'll never be sure that that white romex you find is 14/2, 14/3 or 12/2 (or, indeed, any other size used in the past). I think they should have dumped white altogether so you know that if you see white in a remodel then you need to do some extra checking.

[@rmhanseniii]

@@jonathanbuzzard1376 The wire company is concerned with electrical safety? Now that’s a good one…

[@jonathanbuzzard1376]

@@rmhanseniii No the NEC is concerned only with electrical safety and as the color of the cable is irrelevant to electrical safety they don't mandate colors, which is why it is left to manufacturers.

[@rmhanseniii]

@@jonathanbuzzard1376 I understand that, but why do the manufacturers care? I could make a case that it would fall under electrical safety. The NFPA mandates what colors conductors must be…

[@vipahman]

What a simple, yet extensive explanation of NM. As an amateur DIY electrician, this is gold!

[@BackyardMaine]

Happy you enjoyed the information. Thanks for watching.

[@frugalbirders7416]

This excellent video just might have scored a new total points record from me on KZbin. Masterfully researched. Dense. Perfect presentation. No silly music. Top-notch graphics. Thank you.

[@woodwaker1]

Thanks for keeping us up to date!

[@BackyardMaine]

You bet! Thanks for watching my videos..

[@Venaloid]

I love the vertical timeline, that's surprisingly helpful as you're talking.

[@Ryan-dj5ku]

Stripes seem like a much better idea... Then you don't have to remember an extra color...

[@bigredc222]

I can see it now, you're wiring an addition and the housewife come up to you and says, I was just at my friends house and she told me they used blue and pink wire in her addition, why aren't you using that in mine? The wire you are using is ugly, can you to change my wire to blue and pink? I couldn't resist. Good video.

[@BackyardMaine]

I'm still laughing because that story rings true.

[@bigredc222]

@@BackyardMaine One of the happiest days in my work carrier was when my boss said, we were no longer going to do residential work, just commercial/ industrial.

[@ronage2002]

Thank you again. As always I learn something new from your videos

[@BackyardMaine]

My pleasure! As always thanks for watching my friend.

[@rontiemens2553]

As always, top-quality content. Not to be missed. Thank you!

[@BackyardMaine]

Much appreciated my friend!

[@stuff1850]

Thank you for this video, and the wire history lesson. My house was built in 1921, I redid 80-90% of the wiring, mainly because it still had a lot of knob and tube, but it also had two other types of cables used because two sets of renovations were done before I started. With this I can now confirm the era they were done.

[@Asakha1]

We already had blue cables to identify 15 amp arc protected (AFCI) circuits for the bedrooms...

[@imchico1970]

I'm retired Electrician of 40 years you just got me updated. Thanks Sir!

[@SirRoxo]

Thanks for the quick history lesson. Interesting to see new colors as well.

[@dcole109]

I’m old enough to have worked with all of the designs you described up to the 2024 updates. Home electrical is not my profession so the timeline and specifics escaped me. I found this video very informative and interesting. You do a great job with your videos!

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you my friend.

[@aaronhodgman]

Great video, thanks, I appreciate the history and it helps identifying the various eras of wiring in my 1915 home I've been rewiring.

[@johnkulpowich5260]

Thanks for the history and the updates

[@winghonghingdrum]

I Dig It, and yes, it makes it easily identifiable from a glance

[@wolfunger8399]

Like your videos. I am a retired commercial electrician from Florida and your videos are concise, to the pertinent point, and informative. Keep it up. I am up in Maine now fixing the code violations in my daughter's house in Penobscot. What that really means is gut and replace. 100 amp to 200 amp (Load calc came to 175) and Versant ran a new triplex supply to my newly installed Siemens Combo Meter Can/Disconnect and a new Siemens 200 amp PN Series 40/60 space panel. I found every metal junction box in the house, including switch boxes with no wire nuts, just the wires twisted into a mangled ball and taped; the ground wires were not bonded to the boxes, switches with not ground wire to the ground lug on the switch (yes they are self grounding switches but they were in a plastic box so they still need the grounds. I found 12 ga circuits feeding the basement with14 ga wires tapped off of it to feed the lights. That is a short list (they did not seem to know about the 6 ft. receptacle rule) but I am glad that there are guys like you here in Maine doing it right! Thanks again for your videos.

[@w9gb]

Grew up in a house built in 1920 (60 Amp was original service). In addition to the original knob-n-tube wiring for lighting, I saw everyone one of the NM types shown by John (lived that history).

[@MojoPup]

Short, to the point yet packed with information! LOVED the history lesson and the graphics were on point!

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you..

[@user-gs6lp9ko1c]

Thanks John! Interesting hisotry.

[@BackyardMaine]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching.

[@douglamoy5838]

I am just a homeowner who only does minor wiring around the house, but I really found this unexpectedly interesting. Thank you!

[@vincenthyland8048]

From one airman to another. Great video and thanks for your service brother.

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you and thanks for your service as well.. 🇺🇸

[@tonyvolbeda952]

was a buider mostly residential...lot of remodels...saw progression from knob and tube thru the original colors...also the added protection of grounding including reguiring switchs have a grd...good informative video

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

Well done video, and it only took five and a half minutes. It's good to see more colors adopted.

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you..

[@peterbechard1900]

Great Job as always. Every video I learn something but I’m also reminded that I should always check the standards to be certain.

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you..

[@VampireOnline]

Wow! I just replaced an outlet in my kitchen and I was so confused why the ground was so thin. House built 1963! Amazing info thank you!

[@Imsierrabound]

16/2-3 10 amp is next..I wonder about those colors.

[@NextGenEvs]

I hope. For lighting circuits this would be perfect

[@MichaelMSchofield]

Great video, you got to the point with no fluff. As an electrician I love to know the history behind my trade.

[@amidazad4832]

Excellent info. Excellent wire coded color update improvement.

[@DearNoobs]

neat, I wasn't looking for a video on electrical cables but this was well presented and timely so i watched the whole thing. very well done sir.

[@BryanTorok]

I've lived in houses with all the older style of cables and even knob and tube. I really like the new color coding and flat cable. Also, excellent video, no fluff, no music, and no fumbling or stuttering around. Very considerate of my time.

[@TesserId]

Thanks for mentioning the underground color of gray. I can just imagine how I would feel if I was enjoying the information about the colors and then be stumped or have misconceptions if I'd come across the gray.

[@BackyardMaine]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching my friend.

[@kenbrown2808]

imagine how grumpy I was to find a roll of white UF.

[@mb-3faze]

The US doesn't use armoured cable for outdoor and underground cabling. Always surprised by that. Maybe it will eventually catch on. It's used in Europe, particularly Britain - maybe it's because UK wiring is 240V as standard.

[@kenbrown2808]

@@mb-3faze that's because our armored cable is both susceptible to corrosion, and not waterproof. why bother putting armored cable in the ground, when the armor will dissolve into dust? and it's prohibitively expensive to make AC with seamless stainless steel armor. if we need better protection than UF provides, we run conduit. and really, conduit is the norm, and UF is reserved for applications where it's too difficult to run the conduit; or where the installer wants to be as cheap as possible.

[@mb-3faze]

@@kenbrown2808 The British standards organization ensure that armored cable is corrosion resistant and waterproof. Sometimes the armor is aluminum but either way similar cable is used for under-sea applications. Britain is hardly a dry place. Most often buried cables are constantly damp. Putting the physical protection on the cable itself saves installation time and costs over conduit. Armored cable is available in the US - just not often used in residential applications. Different countries, different regulations.

[@kirkjohnson6638]

Dang, this makes me feel old because I realized I bought 250 foot boxes of 14-2 and 12-2 back in 1992 and haven't bought any Romex since then. I didn't even realize that there were new colored sheaths.

[@BackyardMaine]

Time is funny like that isn't it?

[@skaz777]

This is good informative video. Thanks, John.

[@djcip1]

Very succinct and informative presentation of the subject matter, well done!

[@davejohnsonnola1536]

Serendipitous information. I am renovating the 1940s cottage I grew up in and finding at least three different generations of circuitry. Original cloth covered, white, and the more recent yellow and orange!

[@xXBuckOFiveXx]

You taught this sparky a thing or two, great video👍👍

[@hsnopesium]

Nice job! I liked the history bit a lot! I did not expect to enjoy this as much as i did!

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you..

[@user-ht7vb8sv2m]

Love your informative videos

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you!

[@apexconversion9249]

Very helpful video. From Maine too!

[@ben1techie]

Thx for your service brother

[@BackyardMaine]

Much appreciated.. 🇺🇸

[@chrisanthony579]

Great history lesson, Thank you. I used to think that the color coding was for electricians that weren't smart enough to read the printing on the jacket or weren't experienced enough to be able to recognize the difference in gauges. That's why residential electricians were referred to a "Romex Jockey's"

[@bchluvrxyz816]

Great video. Although I’m retired, I still enjoy keeping up with Code changes and new developments in equipment, tools and tech.

[@BackyardMaine]

Great to hear!

[@mikezimmermann89]

1) Loved the Info and the history, thanks. 2) Hooray for flat 3-wire NM cable. 😀 There goes another skill I mastered onto the “no longer needed” pile.😢

[@toollookchannel]

Awesome documentation, especially the time stamps

[@BackyardMaine]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.

[@joelstyer5792]

Loved the history. I had just researched the history of the name Romex last year, I was just curious. But great to see it again. If I recall correctly, Southwire bought the brand name from Rome Wire when Rome cable was needing money but my memory could certainly be incorrect. My Dad started building the house I now own in 1948. The earlier rooms had the old cloth NM covered with a black tar like substance. Later rooms had the more familiar green NM. All of the wires has the think ground in (my Dad thought ahead on safety and was a fan of grounding before most). I always wondered why there were always two NM cables for 3 way switches (1 conductor unused) and I just thought he used what he had since money was tight, It never occurred to me that 3 conductor wasn't available back then. I've since rewired one wide of the house and starting the other side soon. The entire house was originally on four fuses even though the panel was changed to breakers in the 60s. The UF cable from about 1959 or 1960 is all gray. When they added the yellow and orange, I always wondered why they didn't add a color for 14 gauge, which would mean anything white would have to be checked for the gauge. I can feel the gauge by bending it, but I know some people struggle with some white being 14 and some being 12. I also wished all manufactures insulated the ground wire with green insulation. I do have some cable from the 60's like that. Sometimes it would be nice to not have all those bare wires floating around such as in some panels. I wonder what color 16 will be? Thank you for great content and including the history which was icing on the cake.

[@boeing757pilot]

Interesting. Thanks!

[@urbanbeeman5402]

Good video...Color coding makes it easier for inspectors and with the three wire additions will also make box fill inspections faster...

[@dirigoelectric]

We’re just finishing up a camp on the lake near us for a customer. I needed a little 14/3 and grabbed it Friday, and it was blue. Actually I’ve always liked the color change because I could easily count cables by color to get breaker counts, and now on 3 ways and 4 ways I can tell from across the room if a wire is run. Love it

[@toddshreve]

Loved the history on NM!

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you..

[@richardp3624]

Excellent lesson here.

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

Thanks for the informative video. 🙇🏿‍♂️

[@FlameOnTheBeat]

In my old apartment, I've found a few different of the old versions of Romex. 😄 16 gauge ground, cloth jacket, and pvc jacket.

[@thecodingchicken]

I noticed the light blue back in February before i switched over to the utility side, thought it was pretty neat. Definitely helped me with organization and identification

[@Bill-zd4vv]

Great presentation, just the facts. Somewhere, since 1973, I came across some 2 wire 12 or 14 plain rubber covered copper conductors with a lead sheath. I saved a piece and do find mention of it as a predecessor of UF. I did rework some very old places in the 70's/80's.

[@BartlettTFD]

Many thanks for this useful information 👍

[@rshoe1023]

They really should standardize the color codes across the board! Would make it better for everyone involved. I don't see what the problem is in doing this. Thanks for vid!

[@hotpuppy1]

I think NM cable has been around even earlier. I help with maintenance for a building (commercial) built in 1909. The place was fitted with rigid conduit from the beginning. Most of the building was rewired in the 1990's, but there were a couple areas that were abandoned. I pulled the wire out of a section of the conduit and it had what looked like early NM cable: woven outer jacket and tarred woven insulation on the individual conductors inside. You couldn't tell which was white or black (if there was a difference). I don't think that any of the building was rewired at any point prior to the 1990's. When the rest of the building was rewired it still had fused neutral ceramic fuse blocks with individual knife switches on each circuit in hand built asbestos panel box.

[@BackyardMaine]

I check my information with several sources. Maybe the building was wired later when electricity was available in the area?

[@terryuland6502]

Since it was in conduit, could it have been the time equivalent to basically lamp cords? I've seen some antique lamps and radios from around that time with exactly the wire you describe.

[@chrisw2995]

That's old cloth wrapped rubber core wire, which is what they had to pull through the rigid conduit. It's not a cable it is individual conductors, although the cloth wrap makes it look similar to the earliest NM cable albeit smaller. I see the rigid conduit and cloth wrapped wire in my area in structures built from the 1920's right up through the early 1940's. The pipe was bent with what is now called a "hickey" bender and often doesn't have the correct radius as well as flattened diameter, making it sometimes difficult to use a standard fish tape. The cloth wrapped rubber insulation is infamous for crumbling at the slightest disturbance.

[@MyClutteredGarage]

Love this, John. I was happy when 12/2 went to yellow. Now this is great! I love it when manufacturers take the initiative to make improvements.

[@lloydprunier4415]

I can only imagine the home buyers asking for the colors they prefer! Thanks for the history my house still has some ceramic tube wiring, my days are numbered for sure.

[@michaelmolter8828]

Interesting. Considering 16 AWG is getting added to the 2024 NEC, I would have thought that would get the new color.

[@byronn.2885]

I was recently wondering if smaller wire would start being used for lighting circuits with led lighting becoming the norm 14/2 seems like overkill for most residential lighting applications. I’m not an electrician but I am capable of basic wiring.

[@michaelmolter8828]

@@byronn.2885 I think lighting circuits is the plan along with new 10A breakers.

[@anonnona8099]

@michaelmolter8828 > Considering 16 AWG is getting added to the 2024 NEC, You poor buggers - that stuff breaks if you just look at it funny. When you start finding that you need to put bootlace ferrules onto the ends of conductors to stop terminal screws from slicing through them, you start thinking "why so bleeping thin?".

[@anonnona8099]

@@michaelmolter8828 > @byronn.2885 I think lighting circuits is the plan along with new 10A breakers. In the UK, lighting circuits have been 6A breakers, and before that 5A fuses, for ever. I still prefer to use 1.5mm² cable.

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

@@byronn.2885 Most houses combine receptacles and lights on a single circuit rather than adding an entire extra run all the way back. And in a lot of cases where they are really being pennywise and pound foolish, or old houses, they don't even bother with ceiling-lamp outlets and expect the occupant to plug in stand-alone lamps.(Possibly a split/half-switched outlet where a wall switch near the door is required by code.) It's not how I would have my house wired, but it is cheap.

[@norm5785]

Thank you for sharing

[@joedelucia6719]

Great info... thanks!

[@michaelduy9055]

Interesting video. When I saw the colors in the thumbnail, I thought it was 16-2 and 16-3 hitting the shelves.

[@JD-nb4rp]

Non electrician here. I do some of my own electric basic stuff around home. Excited to learn more from your practical videos.

[@BackyardMaine]

Welcome aboard!

[@mrsparex]

I used an old roll of Romex a few years ago... It was white... BUT it was 12g

[@BackyardMaine]

Yup the color change hit my area around 2001. When I built my home in 1998 all the wire was white including the 10 gauge.

[@BonesyTucson]

I really learned a lot about wiring today, thank you!

[@BackyardMaine]

My pleasure.. Thanks for watching.

[@TheSteelArmadillo]

Great history lesson. Thanks!

[@BackyardMaine]

My pleasure.. Thanks for watching.

[@PyroShim]

Great video! I am only used to the European NYM type, 3 conductor and 5 conductor cables. They are all round and not color coded. I like the color coding for the NM type.

[@MrItalianfighter1]

I just picked up some 12/3 romex and was surprised to see it was purple. It does make sense to be able to identify it later on in life, especially if it was a different homeowner than the one who installed it.

[@802Garage]

Nice info thank you!

[@columbuspalmer846]

I think this is a great and good idea. It will help the experience and inexperienced person to recognize the types of wiring.

[@biffcorbot8839]

Thanks for the data. I will forward link to home inspectors I know.

[@boeing757pilot]

Great timeline and information. You have the gift of clear explanation.. I recall that back in 1983/84, the jackets of NM cable also included black, and, IIRC, blue (less common). But the jacket did not identify the guage as we see today. I recall seeing homes wired in all black NM cable..

[@cgschow1971]

Yes. I have seen light blue and green in thermoplastic insulation. 60s and 70s era is my guess. My friend's pole barn shop was wired with that green braided Romex. It was built sometime in the 60s.

[@kkarllwt]

I have used black.

[@boeing757pilot]

@@cgschow1971 Thanks. Interesting colors

[@boeing757pilot]

@@kkarllwt Yes, I remember seeing lots of black too

[@BigMikeECV]

You've convinced me to wrap my solder connections on knob-n-tube wiring with color tape. 🤣

[@ginjaninja6963]

The supply house delivered 2 pallets of pink 10/3 the other day. I was like well ok this is different. It's better for the long run any way you look at it.

[@skipmars7979]

Nice video. Very informative.

[@JageeAgain]

Great update

[@lucash1980]

My house is a museum. Built in 1925, it has some abandoned knob and tube, pre 1950 cotton romex, 1960 rayon, 1970 plastic, and 2000 colour coded Romex (plus a variety of BX armoured cable). What this video missed was that the older cotton varnish romex and some BX could come with a FLAT grounding strip/wire. Also, for old Romex and BX, those individual plastic insulated conductors would ALSO be sheathed in a cotton sleeve, which IS ANNOYING to work with as it unravels and splays out at the ends (wrap with tape if you want to stay neat). That old plastic is now incredibly brittle, especially around hot light fixtures. In many cases, it is the old cotton sheath holding the cracked plastic together to keep from shorting. My 1970's dryer is a direct-wired General Electric with cotton sheathed 10-3 WITH ground (might have been 14 guage) which was a nice safety touch.

[@867530998]

White 14/3, Yellow 12/3 and Orange 10/3 worked well. Can't mistake a 2 wire from a 3 wire. Great video.

[@bills6946]

The new 3 wire is flat, so it is much easier to install, staple and strip.

[@davemiller6055]

As an electrician this was interesting. I knew some of the history but not all the details. I like how the 3 conductor wire is now flat. That's even better than the colors.

[@vargman4636]

Working in plastics for a short time led me to realize that some colors are selected because of the lines that run certain colors in the plant. For instance, if you mix orange and blue, you get gray. So run a blue line near an orange line, regrind can go in either (in the middle layer). This works for a lot of colors. Similarly, changing colors was easier from blue to orange. I would imagine, some of the colors you see in various similar plastics are based on the colors available mixed, ratios controlled by servos in the hoppers.

[@opinionatedman]

As a fellow electrician I enjoyed the history portion. I've had the pleasure of running into all sorts of wire over the years. Three of the more interesting nm ones that stand out in memory: copper wire with an aluminum ground one white and one red conductor (vs standard one white one black) and a decently rare I've only seen a handful of times is one with an extra long undersized ground. It was bent into numerous right angles, basically a row of endless triangles, so when you stripped it you could straighten it and have extra length. Those 3 oddballs I can say I've collectively seen maybe different times. Everything else under the sun is commonplace. Always on the lookout for something new though.

[@Truckguy1970]

I remember even back in the 70s some romex had different color sheathings I remember black sheathing, and I also remember blue sheathing as well

[@donwerkheiser6180]

Yes there was blue sheathing 😊

[@Truckguy1970]

@@donwerkheiser6180 Was the different colors back then because of manufacturing preferences or different temperature ratings ?

[@andrewwilks2700]

When are they adding the 16/2 Romex for LED lighting branch circuits?

[@Markes12344_L]

Is anyone in the trade actually using 16 gauge? Or is it just a Canadian thing stickin to 14 gauge min on any 120v + circuits? Or are you wiring 12v DC led's on that 16 gauge?

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

Will that go along with a 10A breaker? It makes sense to use less copper if you are just wasting it running LED lights that have about 1/6 the power requirements. Copper is expensive and it is probably only going to keep increasing.

[@twn5858]

I've seen 16 gauge wire use for thermostats and sprinkler systems. Never on lighting though.

[@BackyardMaine]

No.. 16 gauge NM-B isn't available just yet but I think it's coming soon.

[@boeing757pilot]

The goal is 16awg on a 10amp overcurrent device for lighting circuits..

[@robertahart5160]

great video!

[@mikethetrader]

Great update and video

[@BackyardMaine]

Thank you!

[@Brian-qp1of]

It would be nice if they would come up with a color to differentiate between 8 and 6 NM cable rather than them both being black.

[@summer-west]

@3:51 the vaults at Fort Romex. Lovely.

[@rayfridley6649]

Good info about Romex cable. What about BX armor clad cable? I can remember it being required for commercial and industrial usage.

[@Jack_of_1_Trade]

Great video! I saw the new colors today at the Depot. Was confused for a bit.

[@BackyardMaine]

You and me both!

[@Woodyone1962]

Never knew that about Rome. I live in an adjoining town. Rome is known as the Copper City. Revere Copper and Brass makes Reverware cookware. Rome Cable, etc. Thanks for the video.