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dave11_gw

Evaluating a kinked cable

dave11
13 years ago

I took a close look for the first time at a cable running through the joists in my basement, which runs from the main to a garage subpanel. It's a 6/3 NM cable, length about forty feet. It's secure up in the joists, but I noticed one area that looks like it had been pretty badly kinked, then straightened. I assume it happened either before or during installation, because the cable doesn't have enough slack or play to have kinked after the install.

It's the only area like that. My question is what, if anything, to do about it. The cable sheath is intact, but the wire bundle underneath has a ridge in it that can be seen and felt.

The breaker on the main for this cable is 50 amp. Now, I never come close to that amperage in the garage. I have a large compressor, but wired for 240 it draws I think 18 amps. The lights when all on draw 3 amps. The receptacles can carry 20 amp, but they're not in use most of the time. The prior owner had a welder, which must have needed the extra amperage.

Given that my expected ampacity in the garage is way below the cables rating, am I being goofy by wondering about the kink in the cable?

And would simply touching the cable at the kinked area, after its under full load for say an hour, be a decent way to test if there's a problem? Obviously, if it warmer there, then there's a problem, but if it's the same temp, is there no problem?

I suppose the alternative is to cut out the kink and splice the ends, but I don't want to if it's not necessary.

Thanks for any input.

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