On September 15, 2009 at 12:33, Eastside A/V said...
To my knowledge, the issue is it is not coated in a fire retardent (CL2/CL3 rated) material,
Yes, or that the insulation itself is inherently fire retardant, or, more importantly, did not give off toxins when heated.
and as such if there were a fire, it would heat up almost instantly,
Fuzzy thinking. You're saying that because it's not coated, it will heat up rapidly in a fire. Nails will heat up rapidly in a fire, but they aren't forbidden. The issue is what happens when it's heated up in a fire.
and become essentially a fuse with a high heat melting plastic sheath...accellerating the progress of a fire to other parts of a house.
No, I don't think a piece of plastic melting inside a wall will help spread the fire to other parts of the house. Now, plastic burning inside a wall will help spread the fire, mostly upwards, but not laterally.
This is the same reason extension cables, and power cables being put in wall are not to code.
That's true once you get the issues sorted out.
On September 15, 2009 at 14:25, Mr. Stanley said...
It's legal as long as you don't hook it up to anything!!!!
Zip cord is NOT CL-3 fire rated. It's jacket is flammable and produces toxins.
BINGO! THAT is the issue.
But because it produces toxins, it's not legal even if you don't hook it up to anything.
On September 15, 2009 at 13:54, Rob Grabon said...
NEC: "...and shall be listed as being resistant to the spread of fire."
That's interesting because it does not address toxic fumes at all. The things that make plenum wire different from other wire are two:
higher resistance to heat, so there's less likelihood of a short between two conductors that touch when the insulation goes soft,
and
constructed of materials that do not give off toxic fumes in a fire.
