The purpose statement of the NEC, section 90.1(A) states, “The purpose of this Code is the practical safeguarding of persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity.” In other words, it all comes back to...
The National Electrical Code is a complete collection of rules for electrical installation requirements suitable for adoption into law. It contains no guidelines or recommendations. It does not contain “best practices,” nor...
Jim Dollard has an extensive background in codes and standards. If you have a query about the National Electrical Code, Jim will help you solve it. Send questions to codefaqs@gmail.com. Answers are based on the 2017 NEC...
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...
Jim Dollard has an extensive background in codes and standards. If you have a query about the National Electrical Code (NEC), Jim will help you solve it. Send questions to codefaqs@gmail.com. Answers are based on the 2017 NEC...
A very knowledgeable electrical contractor in the Phoenix area recently emailed me, stating he was having a National Electrical Code (NEC) discussion with a local electrical inspector. The discussion involved the sizing of...
In my columns on hazardous locations, I didn’t get around to equipment. Hazardous location classification provides opportunities to practice ingenuity in design. First, some background information from NFPA’s National...
Part 3 of this series focuses on revisions in Article 110 of the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC). Article 110 of the NEC, “General Requirements for Electrical Installations,” comprises three parts. Part I contains general...
Jim Dollard has an extensive background in codes and standards. If you have a query about the National Electrical Code (NEC), Jim will help you solve it. Send questions to codefaqs@gmail.com. Answers are based on the 2017 NEC...
Electrical engineers, inspectors and contractors, and the National Electrical Code (NEC), have dealt with nonlinear loads for many years. The issue arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the increased use of solid-state...
As I finish my last of 10 cycles as Secretary of the NEC, I marvel at the changes during the nearly 40 years of my involvement. We have seen numerous new technologies, from electric vehicles to solar photovoltaic systems to...
Last month, Part 1 of this series focused on general revisions in the introduction and provided a look at some new articles added in the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) . As this series continues, it will provide the NEC...
Jim Dollard has an extensive background in codes and standards. If you have a query about the National Electrical Code (NEC), Jim will help you solve it. Send questions to codefaqs@gmail.com. Answers are based on the 2017 NEC...
Jim Dollard has an extensive background in codes and standards. If you have a query about the National Electrical Code (NEC) , Jim will help you solve it. Send questions to codefaqs@gmail.com. Answers are based on the 2017...
With the advent of power over ethernet in the 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC) , in Article 393 of the 2014 NEC covering low-voltage ceiling grid power, and other applications dealing with power-limited circuits, there...
This column completes last month’s discussion on the history of working space requirements in the National Electrical Code (NEC) . Now, it is time to look to the more recent past and even into the future. 2002 Code Section...
Around 2007, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) introduced a concept known as prevention through design (PtD), which addresses preventing and controlling occupational injuries, illnesses and...
The words in this headline opened every episode of the original Star Trek, along with some of the movies. Lately, when I hear those words, I think of Section 110.26 of the National Electrical Code (NEC) . Space in buildings...
Selecting the correct size conductor is not difficult, but it involves more than just selecting a conductor based on the ampacity shown in Table 310.15(B)(16) in the National Electrical Code (NEC). Many factors must be...
The National Electrical Code (NEC) is the most important and comprehensive document created for the practical safeguarding of persons and property from the use of electricity and its hazards. Right now, the 2020 edition is...
