Rant: I ran cable through a return duct for 2 years

Had a supervisor walk past my job at an apartment complex in Austin last month. He looked at my drop and asked if I knew about plenum ratings. I had no idea what he meant. Turns out I was running standard PVC cable through HVAC return ducts because it was faster. Been doing it since I started. He showed me the fire code and my stomach dropped. Has anyone else missed something basic like that and just got away with it by luck?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_jenkins391d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though? I've seen houses with old wiring running through rusty ducts that have been fine for decades. Real fires usually come from overloaded circuits or bad connections, not the jacket on the wire. Unless you're running next to something that throws sparks, the plastic isn't going to just burst into flames on its own. Plus, a lot of that plenum rated stuff is crazy expensive and stiff as a board to work with. I'm not saying the code is wrong, but sometimes it feels like it's written by people who sit in an office.

faith_thomas1d ago

michael_jenkins39 has a point about the old wiring, I've seen that hold up too. The code writers do seem disconnected from the actual cost and hassle of running that plenum stuff. It's frustrating when you know the cheap wire would probably work fine, but you still have to spend the money.

ryantorres19h ago

Nah man, michael_jenkins39 is spot on about the cost and hassle. That plenum rated cable is a pain to pull, especially in tight spaces. I get why the code exists, but it feels like they wrote it for perfect world scenarios where money and time don't matter. A lot of us are out here trying to get jobs done fast because that's what the boss expects. The real danger is from bad wiring or overloaded circuits like he said, not the jacket on a cable sitting in a duct. I'd bet half the installs in older buildings aren't plenum and nobody knows or cares.