[hippity]

I'm in the process of having my second-floor master bath remodeled after flood damage. We're back to the point of having the tiling done, and we're having radiant floor heating installed at the same time. Yesterday, the electrician was supposed to come and install the controller for the floor heating right next to the main light switch in the bathroom. Mind you... the tiling guy had already fished a line from floor up to where the new switch is supposed to be so it just needs the controller installed in the wall and electrically connected. I got home last night to an open circuit panel (which is at the other end of the house in the garage on the first floor) and no electrical work. I called the contractor who informed me that she had spoken with the electrician who claimed that the circuit for the master bath couldn't accommodate the controller without overloading so he needed to run a new line from the circuit box - $2,000. While my home is pretty large, I've done quite a bit of low-voltage work within my home, and we're talking about fishing a piece of romex up the wall a couple feet from the circuit panel into a storage space above the garage where all of the upstairs cables (maybe fifteen cables of romex, phone, coax, etc.) lay around the perimeter, in the open, and then all go through a thin piece of plywood (that is holding in the insulation) into the studwork up the second story wall to the upper attic and then simply travels across the attic and down to whatever room as normal. Again, maybe fifteen other cables are on this same path from the panel. I called the contractor back, in disbelief, and asked her what the catch was - I must have missed something. I explained that the other wires follow the same path and than, other than pulling romex, it didn't seem all that difficult. Having not seen what I was talking about (the electrical), she called back the electrician and asked him to explain the reason for the lofty estimate. He then came back and said that, after further review, they needed to run the romex OUTSIDE my home to the bathroom via conduit and then run it into my bathroom for $3,000!! What the heck? I know that I'm not doing a great job of explaining the wiring, but does this seem like a $2,000 job in light of the fact that this is not a "virgin" path through the attics to my bathroom? Do I even wait for an explanation, or do I simply find and electrician who's not high on drugs?

[donf]

Well, first of all, NMB (ROMEX is a trade name) is not listed as an outdoor cable regardless of whether it is inside conduit or not. Not ALLOWED! It is a "dry" area only cable. Outdoor conduit is considered to be a "wet area".

Next, you really need to understand why the electrician needs to come off the main panelboard. What is the amperage required by the floor heating system and do the installation instructions call for a "Dedicated" circuit. Those two questions have to be answered.

Next, I would get three estimates from three licensed electricians for the work and make my decision from there. Do not use your contractor to supply the names, look them up yourself.

[ma0641]

We can only second guess what the total issues are. Call for another estimate. Somehow, WE always seem to think it's easier than it might be. A lot may be due to the code consciousness of the electrician. Running NM cables across an attic ceiling may require placing guard strips in the attic for protection of the cable, even if it was not done properly before. NEC 320.23. I run into this quite a bit. "Change the outside flood with a motion detector unit." OK, except there isn't a box in the fascia! "Well, it was done that way 25 years ago, isn't it Grandfathered?" Not by me, I'm not buying your house when it burns down due to unprotected cable!

[hfcarson]

If you can, get a few estimates as suggested by Don..
(it's pointless to argue with idiots or children..)