BX cable in plaster by sink

Question

I am re-plastering a wall in my kitchen after removing some damaged plaster. I am burying the electrical in BX cabling before plastering as allowed by NEC. However, NEC does say BX is not allowed in wet or Damp locations:

320.12 Uses Not Permitted. Type AC cable shall not be used as follows: (1) Where subject to physical damage (2) In damp or wet locations (3) In air voids of masonry block or tile walls where such walls are exposed or subject to excessive moisture or dampness (4) Where exposed to corrosive fumes or vapors (5) Embedded in plaster finish on brick or other masonry in damp or wet locations

NEC Damp Location: "Locations protected from weather and not subject to saturation with water or other liquids but subject to moderate degrees of moisture. Examples of such locations include partially protected locations under canopies, marquees, roofed open porches, and like locations, and interior locations subject to moderated degrees of moisture, such as some basements, some barns, and some cold storage buildings."

NEC Wet Location: "Installations underground or in concrete slabs or masonry in direct contact with the earth; in locations subject to saturation with water or other liquids, such as vehicle washing areas; and in unprotected locations exposed to weather."

These definitions do not really help. Because the cable will be buried in the wall behind a sink does that count as damp and wet?

Answer 1

You're fine

A "damp location" in the NEC is a location that's subject to dampness on a regular basis, not any location that conceivably could be damp at some point in time. For instance, a walk-in cooler is a damp location because of condensation forming on a regular basis, and the area beneath a fixed awning will often be subject to dew (and sometimes to horizontal rain), but the bathroom vanity cabinet is a dry location even though it will get wet if the sink leaks (because a sink leaking is hopefully not a regular or normal occurrence).

This is accounted for by the definition of "Location, Dry" in the NEC:

Location, Dry. A location not normally subject to dampness or wetness. A location classified as dry may be temporarily subject to dampness or wetness, as in the case of a building under construction.