drop down armored cable to pony wall in middle of room


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Old 02-28-18, 11:48 AM
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drop down armored cable to pony wall in middle of room

Hello everyone,

I have a ponywall in the middle of the room that doesn't have any electricity. What I would like to do is drop down armored cable from the ceiling to it. The ceiling is about 12' high while the pony wall is about 5' high. Is this acceptable? I plan on running the armored cable into the pony wall to an electrical receptacle in it.





 

Last edited by 951Michael; 02-28-18 at 12:11 PM.
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Old 02-28-18, 01:37 PM
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Do you have any access from below???
Geo
 
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Old 02-28-18, 02:01 PM
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AC can't float free. The only wiring method that can bridge that 7' gap is metal conduit - EMT, IMC, or RMC
 
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Old 02-28-18, 02:29 PM
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I wish I had access from below but I don't. I thought that that might be the answer. Technically armored cable is metal conduit but it just isn't rigid metal conduit. Correct?

How big of a gap can it do? What I plan on doing know because I cannot use armored cable is attaching rigid metal conduit to the ponywall and running it very close to the ceiling, about 1 foot from, and then doing armored cable from the rigid metal conduit to the circuit breaker box. In order to make sure that the conduit is rigid enough from the ponywall to the ceiling I might have to do RMC with threaded connections but I should be able to attach it well to the ponywall so that it is very straight and secure. Does that work? Thanks for the help everyone.
 
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Old 02-28-18, 02:59 PM
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You could build A wood chase about 2"x2" from ceiling to top of wall and run NM-b in it.

Look at many supermarket check out stations and you will see a similar square chase, except metal, from the ceiling to the register area. If the pros know what I mean that would work also.
 
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Old 02-28-18, 03:15 PM
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Not sure how fancy you want to get but a Tel-Pole make be a good option.
https://www.gordonelectricsupply.com...duct~part~1546
Geo
 
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Old 02-28-18, 03:25 PM
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Correct, it can not be flexible. Also both top and bottom need to be supported.

For something a bit more sturdy at work we use Kindorf/Unistrut with MC running inside.

Those Tele-Power Pole's are nice if you have the budget. They always seem to get beat up and look dirty though.
 
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Old 02-28-18, 04:32 PM
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Bingo Astuff, that is what I meant in my second paragraph.
 
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Old 02-28-18, 04:34 PM
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Conduit is rigid,. You are asking about a metallic cable.

​​​​​​Is this wall totally freestanding? Can you come into the side of the wall?
 
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Old 02-28-18, 05:39 PM
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One idea is to build a hollow post/column next to the pony wall or notched into the side of the counter top.
Professional counter installers are adept at cutting around obstacles.
The post would look load bearing but actually will only be a chase for the cable.

Do a search for fake beams and posts. Here's an example of a fake beam for the ceiling, you could build it yourself much cheaper:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/American...0001/203614488
 
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Old 02-28-18, 05:56 PM
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The wall is attached to cabinetry on both sides which makes it very secure; so there was no need to screw it to the concrete. However, if needed I can unscrew a panel in the middle of the wall (I didn't fasten it with nails but used screws on this panel) and screw the wall down. This panel can also be removed to help me run wires inside the wall. I was going to unscrew that panel, drill a hole on the top of the ponywall, and attach rigid conduit in a way that the conduit is secured at the top and about 4' into the wall which would make it straight up and down and unable to be bent over; with that installation I would have thought that there would be no need to secure the conduit to the top. But perhaps not.

I think that square Kindorf/Unistrut sounds like a very appealing option if that wont work. I am having trouble finding square Kindorf/Unistrut that is 10 feet long. Anybody know were I can find it? However, I can find the unistrut that has one side open. For appearance I would like all sides closed. But is there a cover to close that side of the unistrut?

 
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Old 02-28-18, 06:03 PM
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I've never seen a unistrut cover. Maybe find a metal supply and get square aluminum tubing such as Aluminum Tube - Square - Online Metal Store
 
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Old 02-28-18, 06:07 PM
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Is it acceptable to use square aluminum tubing at 10'? I can easily get access to this. I figure sense it is aluminum I can easily drill through it to attach it to whatever I need to attach it to.
 
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Old 02-28-18, 06:10 PM
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haha that is funny. I was going to ask you if I can use square aluminum tubing and you just said I could. We posted about at the same time so I didn't read that last post.
 
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Old 02-28-18, 06:25 PM
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I should make sure that we are on the same page, but now after this thread I will add square aluminum tubing that is secured to the top of the ponywall and the beams for the ceiling. The armored cable will run from the circuit breaker box and into the square aluminum tubing to the receptacle located on the ponywall. Sense I have armored cable I will use that for the whole run.

Does all that sound acceptable?

Thank you
 

Last edited by 951Michael; 02-28-18 at 06:49 PM.
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Old 02-28-18, 07:03 PM
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I am having trouble finding square Kindorf/Unistrut that is 10 feet long. Anybody know were I can find it?
Strut is typically sold on 10' lengths. Most home stores will carry it. (Home Depot, Menards, Lowes)
 
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Old 02-28-18, 07:19 PM
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Hello Ironhand, I could only find the stuff that is open on one side that looks like the picture I put up; that I can easily find in 10 feet. I would really like to find stuff that is closed on all four sides though which is why I was going to go with the square aluminum tubing.

Thanks
 
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Old 03-01-18, 05:36 AM
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Just curious,if the pony wall is attached on both sides to cabinets why not fish the MC down through the cabinets?
Geo
 
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Old 03-01-18, 06:42 PM
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Strut systems are designed to secure pipe and cables, which is why one side is open. Why not sleeve the cable in some IMC. Of course any metallic raceway would need to be grounded somehow.
 
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Old 03-02-18, 09:03 AM
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I could only find the stuff that is open on one side that looks like the picture I put up

All strut is open on one side. I have used 20 foot lengths of 1 7/8" strut as heavy duty power poles bolted to the floor and secured to the bar joists above in industrial work to feed conveyor systems using the snap on cover so the strut becomes a UL Listed raceway for individual THHN conductors. B-Line has all the accessories in their catalog and I found them stocked locally at supply houses in my area. B-Line shows some specific strut catalog numbers that are UL Listed just for this.
 
 

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