Code Change of the Week

I’ve been getting a few calls lately about the new requirement for separation of mains when more than one main is supplied.  Yes they need to be separated and or separate, and grouped together, below you will see the old and new ways to comply with this requirement.  I’ve also seen a bar that can be installed across two mains in a meter main combo to make it comply with 230.71(A) for a single means of disconnect.

Also good news from Boca Raton they no longer require Arc Fault breakers to be installed when doing a service change or panel changeout.  Thanks goes to Mike the Building Official for Boca.

That’s all I got for this week.

Be safe work safe.

Jake

When there is more than 4 ground wires in a box as shown below, the ones over 4 shall be counted as a 1/4 of a volume each (cu. in.) based on largest ground in the box. 

New to the 2020 and could put you over on box fill.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK KIND OF GOES WITH BOX FILL

Can you sat rats nest!

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake

It’s back, after a few years they finally brought this table back into the Code.  For the last few cycles it has been found in the examples back in Annex D.  It’s been a few years but it’s back  The 83% still lives on, but they also gave us 31012 TABLE, which shows us what size conductors we can use for a dwelling service.  Remember this TABLE only works when we feed the entire load from one feeder/service (see A through D below).  If you have two mains then this table does not work and you have to go to 310.16 for the conductors.

A through D below applies to 120/240 single phase services, and A through C applies to 120/208Y services.

(A) Services.  For a service rated 100 amperes through 400 amperes, the service conductors supplying the entire load associated with a one-family dwelling, or the service conductors supplying the entire load associated with an individual dwelling unit in a two-family or multifamily dwelling, shall be permitted to have an ampacity not less than 83 percent of the service rating. If no adjustment or correction factors are required, Table 310.12 shall be permitted to be applied.

(B) Feeders.  For a feeder rated 100 amperes through 400 amperes, the feeder conductors supplying the entire load associated with a one-family dwelling, or the feeder conductors supplying the entire load associated with an individual dwelling unit in a two-family or multifamily dwelling, shall be permitted to have an ampacity not less than 83 percent of the feeder rating. If no adjustment or correction factors are required, Table 310.12 shall be permitted to be applied.

(C) Feeder Ampacities.  In no case shall a feeder for an individual dwelling unit be required to have an ampacity greater than that specified in 310.12(A) or (B).

(D) Grounded Conductors.  Grounded conductors shall be permitted to be sized smaller than the ungrounded conductors, if the requirements of 220.61 and 230.42 for service conductors or the requirements of 215.2 and 220.61 for feeder conductors are met.

Where correction or adjustment factors are required by 310.15(B) or (C), they shall be permitted to be applied to the ampacity associated with the temperature rating of the conductor.

Informational Note No. 1:

The service or feeder ratings addressed by this section are based on the standard ampere ratings for fuses and inverse time circuit breakers from 240.6(A).

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake

This is new to the Code just clarifying what was required by Life Safety 101.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year, and remind you that the 2020 NEC is now in effect.  All permits pulled prior to 12/31/23 are still going to use the 2017 NEC.

NEW TO THE 2020 NEC IS ARTICLE 242 WHICH COMBINES OLD ARTICLES 280 AND 285.  THIS ARTICLE SHOULD MAE IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SURGER ARRESTERS AND SURGE-PROTECTIVE DEVICES.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

New to the 2020 NEC is section 230.85 which will require a disconnect outside a one or two family dwelling unit.  Again this starts December 31st 2023

Till next time

Be safe work safe

Jake

The six service disconnect rule for services is retained in the 2020 edition of the NEC, but is revised with the change that for up to six service disconnects they would require each disconnecting means to be installed in separate enclosures or separate compartments.  We will no longer will be able to have a meter main combo with two 200 amperes mains fed off of a 400 ampere meter if they enclosed in a single enclosure.  See the changed Code section below.  

The mains below in the picture are enclosed in separate enclosures within the piece of switchgear.

230.71(B) Two to Six Service Disconnecting Means.

Two to six service disconnects shall be permitted for each service permitted by 230.2 or for each set of service-entrance conductors permitted by 230.40, Exception No. 1, 3, 4, or 5. The two to six service disconnecting means shall be permitted to consist of a combination of any of the following:

(1) Separate enclosures with a main service disconnecting means in each enclosure

(2) Panelboards with a main service disconnecting means in each panelboard enclosure

(3) Switchboard(s) where there is only one service disconnect in each separate vertical section where there are barriers separating each vertical section

(4) Service disconnects in switchgear or metering centers where each disconnect is located in a separate compartment

Informational Note No. 1:  Metering centers are addressed in UL 67, Standard for Panelboards.

Informational Note No. 2:  Examples of separate enclosures with a main service disconnecting means in each enclosure include but are not limited to motor control centers, fused disconnects, circuit breaker enclosures, and transfer switches that are suitable for use as service equipment.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

New to the 2020 is Surge–Protection for dwelling units services.  This section 230.67 gives us the parameters for the location and type of surge protection to be provided.

A new section was added to service equipment for barriers.

230.62(C)  Barriers.

Barriers shall be placed in service equipment such that no uninsulated, ungrounded service busbar or service terminal is exposed to inadvertent contact by persons or maintenance equipment while servicing load terminations.

If disconnecting or de-energizing the service conductors supplying a service panelboard, switchboard, or switchgear is not feasible, it might be necessary for a qualified person to work on that equipment with the load terminals de-energized but with the service bus still energized. Barriers provide physical separation (adequate distance or an obstacle) between load terminals and the service busbars and terminals. This provides some measure of safety against inadvertent contact with line-energized parts during maintenance and installation of new feeders or branch circuits.

Can’t see the whole picture just Click on it.

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake

Text taken from the enhanced Code Book 2020 NFPA 70.

New to the 2020 NEC is a section on “line side splices or taps”.  Devices used to make splices or taps on the line side of the service disconnect shall now be listed for use on the line side of the main (service side).  Section call for effective date of 1/1/23, but will not actually go into effect until 12/31/23 when adopted by the Florida Building Code.

Can’t see the whole picture just click on it.

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake