Code Change of the Week

New to section 210.8 GFCI protection is the inclusion of up to 250v receptacle outlet both for residential and commercials installations.They will be required in all the locations shown in 210.8(A) and (B) below.

210.8 (A) Dwelling Units.

All 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A)(1) through (A)⁠(11) and supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to ground shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.

(1) Bathrooms

(2) Garages and also accessory buildings that have a floor located at or below grade level not intended as habitable rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas, and areas of similar use

(3) Outdoors                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Exception to (3) Receptacles that are not readily accessible and are supplied by a branch circuit dedicated to electric snow-melting, deicing, or pipeline and vessel heating equipment shall be permitted to be instal⁠led in accordance with 426.28 or 427.22, as applicable.

(4) Crawl spaces — at or below grade level

(5) Basements                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Exception to (5): A receptacle supplying only a permanently installed fire alarm or burglar alarm system shall not be required to have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection.        Informational Note: See 760.41(B) and 760.121(B) for power supply requirements for fire alarm systems. Receptacles installed under the exception to 210.8(A)⁠(5) shall not be considered as meeting the requirements of 210.52(G).

(6) Kitchens — where the receptacles are installed to serve the countertop surfaces

(7) Sinks — where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) from the top inside edge of the bowl of the sink

(8) Boathouses

(9) Bathtubs or shower stalls — where receptacles are instal⁠led within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the outside edge of the bathtub or shower stall

(10) Laundry areas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Exception to (1) through (3), (5) through (8), and (10):                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Listed locking support and mounting receptacles utilized in combination with compatible attachment fittings installed for the purpose of serving a ceiling luminaire or ceiling fan shall not be required to be ground-fault circuit-interrupter protected. If a general-purpose convenience receptacle is integral to the ceiling luminaire or ceiling fan, GFCI protection shall be provided.

(11) Indoor damp and wet locations

(B) Other Than Dwelling Units.

All 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to ground, 50 amperes or less, and all receptacles supplied by three-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to ground, 100 amperes or less, installed in the locations specified in 210.8(B)(1) through (B)(12) shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.

(1) Bathrooms

(2) Kitchens or areas with a sink and permanent provisions for either food preparation or cooking

(3) Rooftops                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Exception: Receptacles on rooftops shall not be required to be readily accessible other than from the rooftop.

(4) Outdoors                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Exception No. 1 to (3) and (4): Receptacles that are not readily accessible and are supplied by a branch circuit dedicated to electric snow-melting, deicing, or pipeline and vessel heating equipment shall be permitted to be installed in accordance with 426.28 or 427.22, as applicable.

Exception No. 2 to (4): In industrial establishments only, where the conditions of maintenance and supervision ensure that only qualified personnel are involved, an assured equipment grounding conductor program as specified in 590.6(B)(2) shall be permitted for only those receptacle outlets used to supply equipment that would create a greater hazard if power is interrupted or having a design that is not compatible with GFCI protection.

(5) Sinks — where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) from the top inside edge of the bowl of the sink

Exception No. 1 to (5): In industrial laboratories, receptacles used to supply equipment where removal of power would introduce a greater hazard shall be permitted to be installed without GFCI protection.

Exception No. 2 to (5): Receptacles located in patient bed locations of Category 2 (general care) or Category 1 (critical care) spaces of health care facilities shall be permitted to comply with 517.21.

(6) Indoor damp and wet locations

(7) Locker rooms with associated showering facilities

(8) Garages, accessory buildings, service bays, and similar areas other than vehicle exhibition halls and showrooms

(9) Crawl spaces — at or below grade level

(10) Unfinished areas of basements

Exception to (1) through (5), (8), and (10): Listed locking support and mounting receptacles utilized in combination with compatible attachment fittings installed for the purpose of serving a ceiling luminaire or ceiling fan shall not be required to be ground-fault circuit-interrupter protected. If a general-purpose convenience receptacle is integral to the ceiling luminaire or ceiling fan, GFCI protection shall be provided.

(11) Laundry areas

(12) Bathtubs and shower stalls — where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the outside edge of the bathtub or shower stall

CAN’T SEE THE PICTURE CLICK ON THE LINK.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

This weeks post has a change that will affect a few installations.  The garbage disposal will now have to be GFCI protected because they took out the words door and doorway in the section when measuring the distance from a sink.  It will also effect the outlets in hallways that are close to the bathroom, so you will have to position your outlets strategically when you have outlets in the hallway near a bathroom sink in order to save a little money.

Again these are not in use at this time they will be adopted on 12/31/2023.

I also received a couple of great pictures from Nancy, thanks for the great pictures.  I never “wood” have never thought of using them this way.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

This is the first of my newsletters for the  2020 Code changes,  There are quite a few changes that will impact your inspections and costs for construction.  I will send out a change every few weeks so as not to overloads your email.  We will not even use these changes until December 31, 2023 which is a ways off.  If you are getting inspections and they are using the 2020 Code they are not supposed to be using it until it is adopted, and like I said “NOT ASDOPTED FOR USE UNTIL 12.31.23”.

This first change has to do with large equipment and the requirements for safe egress from the gear rooms and such.  Being able to exit an area around large equipment is something that needs care in planning and is often misunderstood.  In past Codes, the equipment needed to have a breaker or fuse that was rated at least 1200 amperes individually for this section to apply,  and under the 2020 it will only need to have individual overcurrent devices that add up to 1200 amperes installed and are 6’ or more IN width.

So you could have 3 or 4 600 ampere disconnects that are more than 1200 amperes combined and when added together more than 6’ in width.  The potential for an arc flash or explosion in this area is still high even when the overcurrent devices are not rated at 1200 amperes.  All we are trying to accomplish is to give a worker a safe exit from the area around large electrical equipment.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

So you have a building with a required emergency power system and you have to service it or make repairs to it.  This new section requires that we have a means to connect a portable power system to our emergency system without rewiring the existing system.  So we now have to insert a manual transfer switch into our permanent wiring system.. So we can bypass the emergency generator so it can be serviced, but also have a temporary means of service available for the emergency system.

Cant see the whole picture just click on it.

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake

PS Registrations for CEUs is open and filling up fast,

This Code Change is all about GFI protection.  Anything above 30 volts will have to be GFCI protected.  So if you have a 120 volt gas-fired “POOL” water heater then it will be required to be GFCI protected.

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake

How close can you place these items near a pool.  As long as you use a listed power supply that complies with 680.23(A)(3), and if it is metal, and you bond it you can be LESS THAN 5’ from the inside wall of the pool.

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

We are getting a lot of calls about continuing education classes, and we want you to know that we will be holding classes in May, June, and July to help you renew your license.

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake

This new section gives us the requirements for wiring methods when you have stored chemicals in the same area as your pool equipment.  Most of the chemicals that are used in pool maintenance are corrosive and the vapors can end up in the air and cause damage to the electrical system for the pool.  When I use to do pools we always kept most of the electrical work above 48” so that we were above some of the vapors.  A good installation will have a ventilation system to take these vapors out of the room.

For those of you who missed our continuing education class in December don’t fret we will be running a few more next year in time for the renewal of your license.

Till next year be safe work safe

Jake

This weeks change is an easy one to understand.  They included photovoltaic powered signs to also be listed for use as a sign’s electrical system.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

A new section has been added to article 555 requiring signs to be placed so as to “WARN” people of the protentional hazards that could exist in the water. If you are working on a marina or dock you will be required to post “permanent signs” to warn potential swimmers of the hazard that could be there.

Till the next time be safe work safe.

Jake

This section has changed the GFCI protection for marinas and docks from a 100 mA down to 30 mA.  When a marina’s or dock’s electrical system is installed, it must be installed under the adopted code at time of installation.  So an existing dock will not be required to updated unless a major upgrade or expansion to the dock is made.  You may still run into the AHJ that will require you to change the feeder or branch circuit device on an existing dock, but that was not the intent of this “new change”.  This covers both residential and commercial marinas and docks.

On another note we have set the dates for our first in class CEU courses.  December 7th and 8th will be our first 7 hours of continuing education for the new cycle.  Hope to see you there.

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake