Splicing feed to sub panel

[devans175]

I'm remodeling my basement and the only thing keeping me from being able to easily drywall the ceiling is a thick, grey cable that feeds a 100 amp sub panel in the addition of my house. If I re-route the cable, it'll make the remodel much easier and cleaner. Disconnecting from the main box and re-routing would be a tough job. Can I cut the cable, re-route it and splice it back together? The new cable location will be a few feet shorter, so it would only be one splice. What kind of hardware do I need for the splice?

[220/221]

Avoid splicing this cable. It CAN be done but not by a homeowner.

Can you notch a stud or two to reroute it? If so, be sure to put nail plates over the notches to keep screws/nails from damaging it.

If you insist on cutting it, remember that J box must be accessible (easily accessible please) and connections must be made with the appropriate connectors.

Use a big (6x6x4) jbox (I'd use plastic) and some kind of mechanical connector made by Polaris or Ilsco.

[devans175]

I do plan to hire a pro. I'm just looking for advice and confirmation that it's a good or bad idea to splice it at all. What's the down side of splicing it?

[nickdel]

A splice is a point of weakness, of higher resistance, which means more heat and eventual possible failure. I'm curious, where is this cable running that you can cut it, reroute it, and splice it such that the junction box will be both out of your way in the ceiling and accessible?

[devans175]

Thanks for your input, nickdel... and 220/221. It's hard to descibe the configuration. I'll just say that the original owners of my house took a roundabout route in order to conceal the cable without taking down the ceiling. I've taken down the ceiling and located a perfect "chase" that will allow me to take a shorter route, thus giving me the extra I need for a splice. There's even room for the 6x6x4 j box. I understand your point about creating a weak point and potential point of failure. Unfortunatly, notching my joists gives me a similar concern. The cable alone would only require a notch of an inch or so, but it's in conduit. The notch would need to be 1 3/4 inches... pushing the limits on notching a 2x10...

I can't pull the cable out of the conduit without either cutting it or disconnecting from the panel. If I disconnect from the panel, I have to tear out the ceiling of a large, finished part of my basement that I didn't plan to touch... so is the weak point in the cable really that big a deal? I don't want to burn my house down, but I also don't want to tear out a 30 foot length of perfectly good, finished ceiling...

[220/221]

As long as the splice is done correctly, it will be fine.

Use the proper materials and leave it accessible

[hj]

I am having a difficult time visualizing how it could be in a conduit, and still require tearing out 35' of ceiling to pull it out after disconnecting it from the panel.

[devans175]

I am having a difficult time visualizing how it could be in a conduit, and still require tearing out 35' of ceiling to pull it out after disconnecting it from the panel.

It's not all in conduit. The run is 100' + Some of it, the part that is enclosed by the finished ceiling, is just fastened to the floor joists... I know this because I had to cut a small hole in the ceiling to fix a minor plumbing leak a few years ago.

Thanks again for all your help!