Overheard a builder say "just run it under the slab" and I had to walk away

I was at a job site last Tuesday in a new subdivision out near Edwardsville and I heard one of the framing guys tell the foreman to just bury the cable under the concrete instead of using conduit. He said it would save them a day of work and nobody would ever know. I stood there for a second trying to figure out if he was joking but he was dead serious. I told the foreman that if they did that and something ever shifted or needed a re-run they'd be cutting up a brand new foundation. He just shrugged and said "not my problem that's for the electrician later." I ended up talking to the site super instead and he agreed to put in a sweep conduit but man the attitude some builders have about future proofing drives me crazy. Has anyone else run into this kind of pushback on new construction jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean11917d ago

A guy once told me to bury Romex in dirt and I just laughed and walked away too.

kaiharris17d ago

Three counties where I used to work actually require direct burial rated wire for any underground run, even in conduit. @sean119, I get why you'd laugh, but out here in farm country people do bury Romex in pvc pipe all the time without the right rating. My buddy spent a whole weekend digging up 50 feet of line because he used standard NM and the insulation cracked from moisture after two years. Gotta at least use UF-B if it's going in the ground, even with conduit.

anna_green4817d ago

Bet he'd never had to dig up a wet splice before.