Picture of the week 10/26/2019
Another great picture from Howard.
Thanks and be safe work safe.
Jake
Buss Duct Failure
I’m not sure that this was the intended way to install some buss duct.
Maybe it was for expansion and contraction. 368,244?
Till next time work safe be safe
Jake
Whole new meaning to “Going Green”
This picture was given to me by Robin an inspector with WPB (he fills in when someone is off). The picture is of two back fed breakers from a Photovoltaic System. This is taking the Going Green systems a little to far.
Till the next time be safe work safe.
Jake
Grandfathering of Registered contractors into State Certified contractors.
This is just a note to all county licensed contractors (ER) that the State is going to open up the grandfathering of locally licensed contractors into State certified contractors.
This State program will start on July 1st 2019 and end on November 1st 2021. See statement below.
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Certification of Registered Contractors
House Bill 763, which passed during the 2019 legislative session, was approved by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 7, 2019. This bill will re-open the time period for electrical and alarm contractors to request that their registered license be grandfathered to a statewide certified license. Grandfathering begins July 1, 2019 and ends November 1, 2021. All applications for grandfathering must be postmarked no later than November 1, 2021 to be considered for grandfathering.
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You will need to have had your license for Five Years with no major licensing problems.
This is your chance to become State Certified throughout the State of Florida.
Jake
555 Marinas, Boatyards, and Commercial and Noncommercial Docking Facilities
New to 2017 Code is the inclusion of residential docking facilities. This was something that should have been done long ago. There is just as much danger at a residential dock as a commercial dock. Water and electrical hazards are present at both. Todays column is just the introduction to this new inclusion in the Code, and over the new couple of columns we will look into the Codes that affect these dock wiring systems.
Just click on the pictures above to see them in a larger view.
As always work safe be safe
Jake
310.15(B)(7) 120/240-Volt, Single-Phase Dwelling Services and Feeders.
I keep getting calls from contractors that tell me that this town or that county no longer allows them to use 2/0 Cu. for a 200a dwelling service or feeder. This section changed in the 2014 Code but the only thing that changed is they took out the Table and made it into a calculation using 83%. This 83% rule has seemed to throw off a lot of people in our trade (plan reviewers, inspectors, and contractors). Just so you know the old table from 2011 Code will still work nothing has changed. It is not just the 2/0s its all the conductor we use to use in the old Table (see the Table below) they all still work for serving the loads that are shown to serve in the old Table. They work for both feeders and services.
EXAMPLE:
A 2/0 conductor in the 75 degree column in 310.15(B)(16) is good for 175 amperes
A 200 ampere service rating multiplied by 83% equals a 166 amperes.
So as you can see a 2/0 will be large enough to serve 166 ampere service rating.
As long as your load calculation does not exceed 200 amperes the “CODE” allows you to exceed the rating of the 2/0 conductors ampacity, by applying the 83% rule in 310.15(B)(7)(1)(2).
See #1 and #2 below to see what the conductors ampacity is based on “SERVICE RATING” and FEEDER RATING”
310.15(B)(7)
(1) For a service rated 100 through 400 A, 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.
(2) For a feeder rated 100 through 400 A, 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.
3/0 is not needed for a dwelling service rated 200 amperes unless it is not feeding the entire load to that dwelling.
Below you will find a dwelling service table from the 2014 Florida Building Code 5th Edition that was taken out in the 6th Edition of the FBC, but it still works and it includes both copper and aluminum conductors plus the size of the required grounding electrode conductor. Use it in good faith that it will give you the right size service and/or feeder to your dwelling unit. .
Till next time be safe work safe
Jake
Looking for inspectors
The city of BOCA RATON has two job openings for Electrical Inspectors one Full time and one Part time.
If you have questions call Michael DiNorscio Assistant Building Official at 561-3937961
Jake
Handyman Fan installation 1/27/2019
This weeks picture comes from Howard B. from a Condo. Fan has an exposed piece of NM Cable (ROMEX) run to it and if fan is needed just plug it in.
NOT GOOD!
Handy men give our trade a lot of work, they put it in and we fix it.
Till next time Work safe be safe
Jake
Picture of the week 1/13/2019
This week picture comes from Howard Borna, he found this in Jupiter. Thanks Howard always good to hear from you.
It came with a side order of working clearance violations.
This is a good example of why we need permits even to replace pool equipment.
Till next time be safe work safe and do it right!
Jake
MC Cable and ANTI-SHORTS
Got a call this week from a contractor who was told by his inspector that he needed ANTI-SHORTS on all his MC cables. If you are using MC cable per 330.40 of the Code you are not required to have ANTI-SHORTS installed, they are only required when you use AC cable. Looking at sections 330.40 and 320.40 these section are easy to read and understand when anti-shorts are required. See my graphic below to help understand when they are required and when they are not. In the field today we mostly use MC cable I personally have not seen AC cable used in a long time we just got use to calling MC, “AC cable or BX”. This contractor had to spend a day and a half inserting something that was not required. When you buy the reels on MC most come with anti-shorts because some places have required them because they wanted them, not because the Code required them. See the link below to NEMA’s bulletin for the use of ANTI-SHORTS.
MC cable has a plastic strip inside of it NO PAPER OR CARDBOARD
AC cable has paper and or cardboard fillers surrounding the conductors.
As always if you are having trouble seeing the graphic just click on it.
Till the next time be safe work safe.
Jake