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Can someone explain the difference in wires?

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  1. #1
    racerboy832 started this thread.
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    Can someone explain the difference in wires?

    I have been watching rockawayrecycling.com for prices. The list a Insulated wire, Thhn wire and a Romex wire. I have about 70 lbs of wire. These are the insulated 12-14Gauge wire that is inside BX wire and inside Romex. I pulled all the wire out of the BX and sliced the Romex to separate the wires. Which prices should I be looking at for what I have?

    Insulated cable is $2.25
    Thhn is $1.82
    Romex is $1.40



    Bare Bright is $3.35 if I felt like stripping it.


  2. #2
    High Voltage Processing's Avatar
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    To answer the question though, if the wire is separated its thhn
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    billygoat's Avatar
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    THHN is actually a type of wire insulation. So they are probably saying a single wire inside an isulation jacket. To see what kind of insulation is on the wire, just look at the insulation and it will be printed on there.

    Romex is basically housing wiring. Romex itself is a brand name that got put into general use, like Kleenex is often used for various brands of snot-tissue paper. It generally comes in a three or four cable.

    Cable is a generic term for multiple wires inside an outer jacket of insulation.

    If this doesn't clear things up for you, take a trip out to Lowes or Home Depot and check out the different types of wires. Ask a sales associate if you have to.

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    i was wonder the same thing i am going to take a sample of the wire to them and let them tell me so i know for sure . i live in hopatcong where are you for .

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    Quote Originally Posted by billygoat View Post
    If this doesn't clear things up for you, take a trip out to Lowes or Home Depot and check out the different types of wires. Ask a sales associate if you have to.
    Good description Billy but with this suggestion You should add , please record sales associate's reaction to this request.

    Have you ever tried to get 12 foot of service entry cable? It is like you asked them for a personal favor!

    Remember if you need help in these types of stores just stand near the high dollar appliances, a sales associate will be right with you!
    Last edited by injunjoe; 03-02-2012 at 10:45 PM.
    When the white man discovered this country Indians were running it
    no taxes, no debt, women did all the work.
    White man thought he could improve on a system like this. - Old Cherokee saying

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    billygoat's Avatar
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    I used to work at Home Depot. It seems totaly different now. When I worked there they put a lot of emphasis on customer service. You could not get five feet into the store before an associate was offering to help. Now it's like you have to hunt someone down to get some assistance.

    But still, everything is labeled so all one has to do is go there and look.

    If it were up to me, I'd strip the wire. But then and again, I'm an electrician by trade so stripping wires as thin as 16 gage is a breeze for me. That would take all the guess work out of it.

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    racerboy832 started this thread.
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    Well they told me they consider it Insulated #1. I have alot of the old cloth wire that was in BX. I'm keeping that separate just incase.

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    billygoat's Avatar
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    It's more of a paper insulation than cloth, but all the same, it's very tough to strip. I used to strip it with wire strippers an inch at a time. Then after a while I gave up and took it in the way it was. Also check the ends to see if it is copper, but most likely it is copper clad wire. But in any event, you will most likely find it's not worth the time it takes to strip it. Just pull it out of the sheath and take it in.

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    racerboy832 started this thread.
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    Is it worth the time to try to sell the wire on craigslist for a little more then the scrap yard is paying. I see alot of people strip wire but I don't have the patience. I have too many pay projects I can do. I think they are paying 1.60 for #1 insulated and 3.10 for BB.

  12. #10
    billygoat's Avatar
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    It depends. I personally wouldn't buy it from you for over scrap value, but maybe someone else would. I think it would be best to be fair and ask for the actual value of the wire, not more.

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    Quote Originally Posted by billygoat View Post
    It's more of a paper insulation than cloth, but all the same, it's very tough to strip. I used to strip it with wire strippers an inch at a time. Then after a while I gave up and took it in the way it was. Also check the ends to see if it is copper, but most likely it is copper clad wire. But in any event, you will most likely find it's not worth the time it takes to strip it. Just pull it out of the sheath and take it in.
    Really? This is some of the easiest wire to strip that I know of.

    I am picturing this wire being cut into one inch lengths and can hardly contain myself.

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    Dumpster-Dee's Avatar
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    Oh Lord, billygoat, why didn't you just chew the insulation off !!!

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  17. #13
    billygoat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by injunjoe View Post
    Really? This is some of the easiest wire to strip that I know of.

    I am picturing this wire being cut into one inch lengths and can hardly contain myself.
    You must be thinking of something else. That old paper insulation is almost impossible to strip with a knife. Yeah, once in a while I came across some where the insulation was brittle and practically fell apart, but that was very rare.

    I had to do a face-palm when I read the second sentence. No, I did not cut them in one inch sections. I used a wire stripper to strip off the insulation instead of using a knife. In order to do that I had to remove an inch or so of insulation at a time.

  18. #14
    Mechanic688's Avatar
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    I think he was talking about a stripper something like this,
    P & M Recycling - Specializing in E-Waste Recycling.
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  20. #15
    billygoat's Avatar
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    Yeah, that's pretty much what I was talking about.

  21. #16
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    I don't think so billy !! We're just teasing you....we know what you meant....I think you must have had a dull blade when you tried it with a utility knife. It's all different though, like joe said, sometimes you try it and find that it's weathered or wet inside or just tough somehow...those I usually use the end of the knife to get the outer layer off...I keep forgetting to get the carpet blades or whatever you call those crooked blades...for that purpose. And the "chew it" was a play on what goats do....chew everything !

  22. #17
    billygoat's Avatar
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    I knew you were "kidding" around. I thought it was kinda funny. I dunno, maybe a brand-new razor in a utility knife might do the trick. I was stripping it with a knife. This was before razor knives became fashionable and common.

    Besides, most of the time the wires are not all copper. They tended to use what's called copper-clad wires in the old days. If you cut one, you can see copper on the outside and a silvery metal underneath. I forget what it is. I'd guess they would be about the same as tinned wire to the yard. I always put them in a separate box unstripped and took them in when I had enough bare bright. I'm doing the same with my tinned copper from the "electronical" things I'm tearing apart. Until I can come up with a way to strip those tiny wires I just don't feel like dealing with them.


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