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
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
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
This picture is from a 8th floor condo. Take a good look, how many violations can you see?
Yeah this was in the wall. You can see the saw marks on the back of the 1900 box.
Till next time be safe work safe.
Jake
Question came up this week in reference to having a service outlet near the service equipment. I referred them to section 210.64 and told them one was required, except at a one-family and two-family dwelling. This would be for service equipment installed both inside or outside of a building. If you install a 480 volt service make sure to put in a small step down transformer in order to comply with this section………..
Till next time be safe work safe
Jake
Just wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving
Darlene, Jake, and Aaron
This is a follow up to the smoke alarm posting from last week. Smoke alarms do have a requirement for being 4” down from the ceiling, but only when two kinds of ceilings are encountered. Sloped and peaked ceilings have a 4” requirement to the top of the smoke alarm. See the picture below. But on a flat ceiling the top of the detector can be mount right up against the ceiling.
Till next time be safe work safe
Jake
This is just a reminder from a recent post as to where a smoke alarm can be placed on a wall or ceiling.
We still have inspectors out there that require the alarm to be 4” down from the ceiling and the bottom not more than 12” down from the ceiling, which changed several years ago (2007 NFPA 72). Don’t be afraid to show the inspector this section. We can all learn new code changes from one another on a daily basis.
Per NFPA 72 17.7.3.2.1 the smoke alarm when installed on a side wall ca be placed right up next to the ceiling and be down as much as 12” to the top of the detector from the ceiling. Most of the complaints from contractors are because the inspectors are failing them on the final and want it moved. See the picture below, this comes right out of NFPA 72 which regulates the placement of smoke alarms in residential dwelling units.
The 4” down is an old section for smoke alarms from NFPA 72, but still exists for the installation of heat detectors.
Till next time be safe work safe
Jake
I keep getting calls about bonding metal gas piping from contractors who tell me that the inspector is telling them to bond the gas system to the grounding electrode conductor or the grounding electrode, and they want to know if it is OK. Those are two of the methods that are permitted to be used but they are not the only ones you can use. In 250.104 B (1) allows the equipment grounding conductor from the branch circuit that is feeding the gas appliance to be used and that would be all you would have to use no other Bonding required. See the slide below where a branch circuit is feeding a gas heater in an air handler. This circuit could be for the fan motor or the gas restrike it doesn’t matter as long as it has an equipment grounding conductor. Note that the section states any of the following methods 1 through 5.
Till next time be safe work safe
Jake
This weeks picture comes from Steve in Deerfield Beach, Thanks Steve.
