Mark C. Ode

Some of the most challenging electrical installations involve healthcare. From major hospitals to clinics in pharmacies, anyone who is not intimately familiar with the intricacies of medical headwalls, major electrical...

A friend called me recently with some intriguing questions about some electrical work that he was having done at his newly purchased home. The home was built in the mid-to-late 1950s with some electrical work done in various...

My single-speed swimming pool pump motor, installed in 2004, finally quit working. I nursed it along for many years and probably should have replaced it a long time ago. However, I kept finding other ways to spend the money...

July’s article provided a preliminary discussion on cathodic action and dissimilar metal reaction with deterioration of various metals, such as steel water and gas lines. Many of the old metal underground natural gas lines...

Cathodic action and dissimilar metal interaction are phenomena with a long history of recognition in the laws of physics as well as within the National Electrical Code. I first ran across this issue back in the 1970s and ‘80s...

An electrical contractor emailed me a photo of a feed-through all-in-one 200A 120/240V, single-phase, eight-circuit panelboard with 200A main circuit breaker. It had an auxiliary 2-pole circuit breaker position where up to a...

For example, has a limited amount of NM cable been installed in outside locations, such as inside a Type 3R enclosure or inside electrical metallic tubing (EMT) where the EMT has been installed exposed on an outside wall, and...

When I was an electrician, I tried to ensure the location and sequence of switches made sense, especially when there were several installed in one location. My goal was that homeowners could understand the installations and...

Switching out circuit breakers or fuses in existing homes Care must be taken when replacing circuit breakers and fuses in existing services and panelboards at single- family, two-family and multifamily dwellings. Older single...

Splices and taps of conductors have been in the National Electrical Code for a long time. The 2020 NEC contains major changes involving distribution blocks, splices and taps, and to understand the reasons for these changes...

Periodically, a change in the National Electrical Code occurs that is long overdue, such as 2020‘s new Section 300.25. This change may have long-term consequences for electrical contractors, especially if the designer...

When I was doing fire and electrocution investigations, I received a phone call from an insurance company about a fire in a home the company insured. Upon arrival at the home, I discovered that the fire department had...