Mark C. Ode

Even though the 2020 National Electrical Code was just issued in September 2019 and many states will not adopt the new Code until this year, electrical contractors should be aware of the major changes that will affect most...

In the early 1950s, most 15- and 20-ampere receptacles in commercial buildings and residential dwelling units were ungrounded, two-prong receptacles supplied by branch circuits without an equipment grounding connection. In...

A few years ago, I received two phone calls regarding voltage gradients in swimming pools at existing homes in North Carolina. The pools had supposedly been installed using 680.26(A) and (B). This section of the Code was...

The 2020 edition of the National Electrical Code, issued Aug. 5, 2019, became effective Aug. 25, 2019, and superseded all 54 previous editions beginning in 1897. There were a total of 3,730 public inputs with 1,400 first...

Last month’s article covered the technical requirements of power over ethernet (PoE), limited-power (LP) cable, regular Class 2 and 3 cables and the temperature limitations of Class 2 and Class 3 cables and installations. But...

Recently, my refrigerator stopped making ice. The manufacturer told me to get close to the fridge with my cellphone so he could connect electronically to troubleshoot. If you had told me 10 years ago, or even two, that I...

As a home ages, an owner can take many steps to make it more energy-efficient and lower heating and cooling bills. Adding a UV-light glass coating to windows will keep sunlight out. Installing double- or triple-paned glass...

With the addition of new Section 725.144 and the accompanying Table 725.144 in the 2017 NEC covering transmission of power and data to a powered device comes the requirement for a special marking of the cable used for these...

at the 2019 NFPA Conference and Expo in San Antonio in June, we had a 17-hour marathon dealing with various code and standards that were up for adoption. I was most interested in the last NFPA document and the adoption of the...

Hardwired and battery-operated fire and smoke alarms for dwelling units have become more sophisticated in recent years, which vastly affects their compatibility with both wired and wireless smoke alarms. Many of these devices...

As an electrical contractor in the 1970s and 1980s, I received intriguing phone calls from homeowners and commercial customers with strange electrical problems. I could troubleshoot some of these issues over the phone. Others...

For the past few national electrical code cycles, there has been a growing concern in the electrical industry with a phenomenon called electric shock drowning (ESD) occurring in and around marinas, boatyards, floating...