Code Change of the Week

First just want to say I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  It was a quiet one for us this year.

This section has been changed and some of the requirements have been deleted.  We only have to worry about raceways on roofs when they are installed less than 7/8” above the roof other wise no adjustments required.  This was a concern for years about having raceways installed above roofs and the derating of the conductors in the raceway.  We will only need to adjust the ampacity of a conductor when it is installed less than 7/8” above the roof.  Looking at the photo below none of these conduit runs would need ampacity adjustments.

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

Till next time be safe work safe and don’t forget your masks your customers will appreciate it.

Jake

This weeks post is about a practice that I’ve seen done out in the field and even required by inspectors.  Running a bond wire from your pool’s steel cage to the ground rod is not an acceptable practice which when I found it in the field the contractor told me that they were required to do it by an inspector in another municipality.  So if your inspector requires you to bond your pool to the ground rod at your service you can now show them where in the Code book it states it is not allowed.  That “Bond” from your pool’s steel cage goes to the pool motor bond lug on the outside of the motor not to the ground rod.  The pool steel is the new part of this section the Aluminum, and the gas piping have been here for a while.

250.52 Grounding Electrodes. (B) Not Permitted for Use as Grounding Electrodes.

(3)  The following systems and materials shall not be used as grounding electrodes:

(1) Metal underground gas piping systems

(2) Aluminum

(3) The structures and structural reinforcing steel described in 680.26(B)(1) and (B)(2)

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

This change will make it easier to understand what can be considered a grounding electrode when it comes to structural steel.  A metal in-ground support structure(s) that is in direct contact with the earth vertically for 3.0 m (10 ft) or more, with or without concrete encasement shall be used as a grounding electrode.  This can be a steel column or rebar as long as it is in contact with the earth for 10’ vertically with or without concrete encasement.  As stated in 250.50 each electrode that is present shall be bonded together to form the Grounding Electrode system.  So if you have this present in your building then it is required to used.

Also got this great picture from Hector from Royal Palm Beach.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

This weeks selection has to do with peninsular countertop outlet spacing and its change from the past Code.  It now requires one outlet measure from the connecting wall and not the connecting countertop.  Unless there is a sink or stove in the countertop there is only “one” receptacle outlet required (see 210.52(c)(4). 

210.52(C)(3) Peninsular Countertop Spaces. At least one receptacle outlet shall be installed at each peninsular countertop long dimension space with a long dimension of 600 mm (24 in.) or greater and a short dimension of 300 mm (12 in.) or greater. A peninsular countertop is measured from the connected perpendicular wall.

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

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

This section added the words “WORK SURFACE” to the places that count as counter spaces.  Kitchens, pantries, dining rooms, and the catch all “similar areas” are now where these outlets will be required to be installed in work surfaces.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

New to this section is the addition of AFCI’s in guest rooms and guest suites of hotels and motels.  Just as we did with tamper resistant outlets we have added this protection to guest rooms and and guests suites of hotels and motels.  No much to add, this is a pretty straight forward addition to the expansion of the AFCI’s.

Also this week I was sent a picture of a new in the wall splitter for wiring fixtures in Bathrooms.  Enjoy!

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

This is a new section added a mandate that we install a dedicated 20a circuit in the garage for receptacle outlets, when the garage has power installed.  So the outlets installed in the garage can be on this circuit, and it goes on to say in the section that it shall have no other outlets. So it can not feed outlets in other rooms only outlets in the garage.  They added an exception to allow outdoor receptacle outlets that are readily accessible to be installed on this circuit.  In 210.52(G)(1) it requires that an outlet be installed for each vehicle bay, which would allow them to be installed on this circuit.

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

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake

A couple of new additions to GFCI protection come to us in the 2017 NEC. In the residential portion of this section in 210.8(A)(5) they added unfinished portions or areas of a basement not intended as habitable space.  So your man cave in the basement would not be required to be protected by GFCI protection.  Also in the commercial/industrial portion of 210.8(B)(9), and (10) they included the same areas for basements and added crawl spaces to the protected areas.  Then in 210.8(E) in all occupancies they added the 120 volt lighting in crawl spaces to the areas that need GFCI protection.   So a few new addition to the list of GFCI protection for the protection of personnel.

Till next time be safe work safe

Jake

This weeks change is one of the new GFCI requirements in the 2017 NEC.

210.8(B) Other Than Dwelling Units. All single-phase receptacles rated 150 volts to ground or less, 50 amperes or less and three phase receptacles rated 150 volts to ground or less, 100 amperes or less installed in the following locations shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.

The added requirements now apply to single phase receptacle outlets that are 150 volts to ground or less including 240 volt ones 50 amperes or less, and three phase receptacle outlets 150 volts or less to ground and up to and including 100 amperes or less.   That are installed in the areas listed in 210.8 (B) (1 through 10). Those locations include, bathrooms, kitchens, rooftops, outdoors, within 6’ of sinks, indoor wet locations, locker rooms with showering, garage and service bays, crawl spaces at or below grade, and unfinished portions or areas of basements not as habitable rooms with a few exceptions. 

So this is a big change and it will cause some problems when it goes into effect for the people who don’t know about this change.  240 volt receptacle outlets are now included in these requirements.  Which will include numerous outlets installed in commercial kitchens and other areas in this section.

Till next time be safe work safe.

Jake

Under the 2017 NEC Code the garbage disposal is not required to be GFCI protected, unless there is no door on the kitchen cabinet.  We have fought about the disposal for the last couple of years until the 2017 made its appearance and stated that the cord could not go through a door to be used for the measurement for GFCI protection.  Again this is what is stated in the 2017 NEC.  When we do accept the 2020 NEC in a few years this will go away and the disposal will be required to be GFCI and AFCI protected, but we are only adopting the 2017 NEC at the end of this year, so by Florida Building Code we can only enforce the 2017 NEC.   

Can you protect the disposal with GFCI protection?  Yes you can because our NEC Code is a minimum standard and you can always have a better installation.

I’ve been asked about the dishwasher protection  and “YES” the dishwasher is required to be both GFCI and AFCI protected because of changes to the 2014 NEC which addresses dishwashers.   210.8(D) was added for GFCI protection and 210.12(A)  was changed and “KITCHEN” outlets were added to the list of AFCI protected outlets, but that was in the 2014 Code.

As stated above the 2020 NEC will change all this GFCI protection including the addition of 240 volt outlets.

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

Till the next time be safe work safe

Jake