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...
Recently, I received a phone call from an electrical contractor friend who was discussing with an electrical inspector the differences of branch circuits supplying swimming pool equipment versus swimming pool equipment feeder...
In last month’s column, I introduced the traditional approach to hazardous locations. This month, I discuss hazardous materials grouping with some specific occupancy requirements, and I compare the traditional way of...
Every three years, the National Electrical Code (NEC) is revised and often expanded. As the 2020 NEC development cycle comes to a close, the process’ final stages unfold. This article is the first in a series that examines...
In a general context, a “qualified person” has a very broad definition. Outside of the codes and standards world, qualified means having the qualities, accomplishments, etc. that fit a person for a specific function, office...
My 40-year career using the National Electrical Code (NEC) began in an unusual place, toward the center of the Code book, specifically Chapter 5. I began that phase of my career working for the research arm of a large...
Electrical contractors are becoming more involved in the design, installation and servicing of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for residential, commercial and industrial facilities. While this may be a sideline business for...
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...
Let’s be honest here. Most Code change seminars start at the beginning of the National Electrical Code (NEC), and by the time the class is over, we’re lucky if we get as far as Article 700. It is important that electrical...
Modern technologies and equipment have found their way into many electrical installations and systems. It seems like the biggest evolution is occurring in lighting, and it brings many benefits with it. Having installed a...
When I discuss a fire alarm system with a contractor in the field, they always state their system installation complies with NFPA 72 2019, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. So, when I ask which chapter in the code they...
Does the National Electrical Code (NEC) stand in the way of implementing new technology? In the words of Michael Johnston, chair of the NEC Correlating Committee, “The NEC’s purpose is to ensure the safe but sound...
