I recently was wiring a house and nicked a 10-3 wire that runs from a washer/dryer unit to the panel….I looked at the wire and saw that I cut the insulation (orange outer) and exposed the white wire and bare ground inside…no red or black were showing. The white wire had no problem and the ground seemed to be fine. Since nothing on the inside was damaged I just taped up the outer casing and left it… There won’t be power there until later but I am worried that this “fix” is not going to be alright??? Is this alright or should I run a new line? Like I said….the black and red or “hot wires were not exposed. the white and bare ground I could see but didnt see anything wrong with the casing or wire itself.
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Nicked 10-3
You say you nicked it...what did you nick it with? If only the outer orange covering is torn give it a couple of wraps with electrical tape and you'll be good to go. The outer covering is there to provide protection for the insulation of the individual conductors when the cable is pulled through holes etc. If it were me I would make certain the damage was limited to the outer jacket. Slit the outer orange covering and make a careful inspection of the individual conductors and their insulation. If everything is intact give it a couple of wraps with Scotch 33 and don't worry. If you are showing copper on one of the insulated conductors - replace the cable.
Best of luck,
Takideezy
I nicked it with a bit when going through a floor joist but I didnt see any damage to the insulated conductors or the ground. Thanks for the help!!!
Yeah, if you just nicked the outer "jacket", and didn't seriously cut into the insulation on any of the 3 insulated wires (and didn't cause any visible damage to the bare copper ground) then there's no real problem. The "jacket" is just there for mechanical protection.
An inspector might get picky about it, but realistically speaking, if you just wrap it with tape the wire will last 100 years.