Pue Russian Electrical Code

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Electrical code specifies how electrical outlets should be spaced and which types of outlets to use in general areas, bathrooms, and kitchens. Far from being arbitrary, electrical code as it relates to outlets tends to yield to practicality. One prime example of this is with outlet spacing. In the kitchen, countertop outlets should be no farther than 48 inches away from each other. This spacing is based on the average length of electrical cord found on most small kitchen appliances. The intent is to prevent homeowners from stretching cords too far and creating hazards. Code requirements for residential wall outlets may differ from one community to another since model building codes can be adopted and adapted as a community sees fit. Be sure to check with your permitting department for particulars.

Outlet Spacing Code for Walls in General Areas

General areas are considered to be places like living rooms, family rooms, bedrooms, and hallways. Wall outlets should be spaced no farther than 12 feet apart. The idea is that you should never have to extend an electrical cord for a light, appliance, computer, or another personal item more than 6 feet in either direction.

Spacing outlets more frequently than every 12 feet is sometimes found and it is your choice, but it is not required by code. If the space receives heavy use, such as with people charging phones or plugging in laptops, this type of frequent spacing may be desired.

One exception to the rule specifying 12-foot placement of outlets: If the wall is less than 24 inches wide, an outlet is not required. Placing an outlet on walls less than 24 inches wide, again, would be your choice.

Hallways more than 10 feet long must have at least one electrical outlet.

Code for Types of Outlets to Be Installed in General Areas

For general areas that do not require GFCI (ground fault current interrupter) outlets, install either a 15 amp or 20 amp outlet, depending on the amperage carried by the circuit servicing that outlet. Check the circuit's breaker in the service panel to find out whether it is 15 amp or 20 amp service. Fifteen amp circuits for general rooms are permitted to use 20 amp-rated outlets, if desired.

As an additional safety measure, many municipalities have begun to adopt requirements for tamper-resistant outlets into their local electrical codes, for general areas of the home. These outlets are identified by the recessed letters 'TR' on the face of the outlet. In tamper-resistant outlets, a spring-loaded gate within the outlet prevents young children from pushing objects such as knives into the outlet. Tamper-resistant outlets typically are not required:

• When located 66 inches or more above the floor
• If supplying an outlet behind a large appliance that is difficult to move (namely, a refrigerator)
• If the outlet is part of a light fixture or appliance

Outlet Spacing Code for Walls in Bathrooms

On bathroom walls, there must a receptacle at least within 3 feet of the outside edge of the sink basin. Generally, it is desirable to install the outlet above the countertop. But the code's 3-foot designation provides leeway in case the outlet is not directly above the countertop.

Code for Types of Outlets to Be Installed in Bathrooms

Only install GFCI (ground fault current interrupter) receptacles in bathrooms. No receptacles may be installed face-up on countertops in bathrooms.

Receptacles must be on at least one separate 20 amp branch circuit since this receptacle often services high-powered devices like hair dryers.

Outlet Spacing Code for Walls in Kitchens

In kitchens, electrical outlets should be placed no farther than 48 inches from each other. The idea is that no point on the countertop should be more than 24 inches from an outlet. Even smaller size 12-inch wide base cabinets topped with a counter must have an outlet, as any wall 12 inches or wider is required to have an outlet. No outlets may be installed face-up in kitchen countertops.

Outlets should not be positioned higher than 20 inches above countertops, with certain exceptions for physically disabled persons and for islands or peninsulas where this height rule cannot be met.

Code for Types of Outlets to Be Installed in Kitchens

Only install GFCI (ground fault current interrupter) receptacles over countertops in kitchens.

• POST a QUESTION or READ FAQs about the national electrical code & local electrical codes for residential wiring

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This article answers basic questions the National Electric Code (NEC) for homeowners.

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Electrical Code Advice for Homeowners & DIY Repairs

This article series provides information about a variety of electrical hazards in buildings, with articles focused on the inspection, detection, and reporting of electrical hazards and on proper electrical repair methods for unsafeelectrical conditions.

Watch out:Do not attempt to work on your electrical wiring, switches, or outlets unless you are properly trained and equipped to do so. Electrical components in a building can easily cause an electrical shock, burn, or even death.

Even when a hot line switch is off, one terminal on the switch is still connected to the power source.

Before doing any work on the switch, the power source must be turned off by set­ting a circuit breaker to OFF or removing a fuse.

See SAFETY for ELECTRICAL INSPECTORS

and ELECTRICAL WIRING BOOKS & GUIDES

Why we Must Follow the National Electrical Code When Performing Electrical Work

Building code enforcement authorities and local laws in many communities require that electrical work be performed only by a licensed electrician.

In some communities local laws permit certain electrical work to be done by the homeowner without a permit and without conflict with local codes. Contact your city or village building department for a copy of local regulations.

In any case, any electrical work, new wiring, repairs, replacements of parts, must comply with the requirements of both local laws and the National Electrical Code.

Since the electrical code is written by experts and since the 'code' is intended to assure that electrical wiring in a building is functional, adequate, and most of all, safe, not only should electrical work comply with the code to be legal, it should comply with the code to be safe.

Electrical work by the homeowner might affect not only safety but also fire insurance coverage. If a fire loss claim results from wiring you installed, the company may classify you in a higher risk category or in some cases your insurance company may fail to honor your claim entirely.

The NEC - National Electric Code

The National Electrical Code Book provides thorough, very detailed instructions for determining the adequacy of an electrical wiring system and is written intending to guide a professional electrician (not a homeowner) in the safe repair and modification of electrical systems such as lighting, receptacles, and electrical wiring.

The chances are your house wiring was safe and adequate when your house was built.

It is probable, too, that your house wiring was originally done in accordance with the National Electrical code. This code was developed by the National Fire Protection Association and is revised from time to time.

TheUS National Electrical Code or 'NEC' itself has legal status only insofar as it has been adopted by cities, towns, counties, and other governmental units as part of local building ordinances. The status of the code in your locality can be determined by contacting the building inspection department of your local government.

The NEC does not give step by step instructions

The National Electrical Code does not provide step-by-step instruction.

Rather, the code specifies the preferred method of performing electrical wiring tasks and the proper materials to use in various in various applications. Incidentally, the code does not limit or prohibit electrical work by a homeowner, but as we explained above, local laws may require that you hire a licensed electrician.

Beware: understanding the electrical code requires some expertise. Even licensed electricians often buy a version of the National Electric Code which includes explanations, interpretations, and sketches to help clarify the details of safe electrical wiring practices.

Most home electrical work is surprisingly easy to do; the system is logical; replacement parts are standardized so they will fit anywhere in the U.S.

Where to Obtain the National Electrical Code

The NEC is published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and can be easily obtained from that association directly as well as from lots of online book-sellers. The NEC is also available to read online as an electronic document as well as in the form of a large (1000 page) bound book.

The text remains © protected property of NFPA however. So to print the text you need to buy the CD ROM of the code from NFPA, or buy the book itself.

Copies of the electrical code are probably also available at your local library. Copes are often on sale in electrical supply stores and in some book stores. A some­what simplified version of the electrical code, known as the 'One- and Two-Family Residential Occupancy Electrical Code,' less costly than purchasing the entire NEC. The simplified edition covers the most popular and widely used wiring methods.

The Canadian Electrical Code

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has been publishing the Canadian Safety Standard for Electrical Installations since 1927. This document forms the basis for electrical codes adopted in the individual Canadian provinces. The U.S. and Canadian electrical codes differ in some technical details but are slowly merging.

The 2006 Canadian Electrical Code draws from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standard 60364, the European standard for electrical wiring.

The United Kingdom Electrical Code

In the U.K., electrical wiring is specified by the UK Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in IEE Wiring Regulations BS 7671 which, like the CSA code, draw on IEC 60634.

In Australia and New Zealand, electrical wiring is specified by the wiring rules in AS/NZS 3000.

Examples of Electrical Code Requirements that Homeowners Should Know

How to select the proper electrical junction box

Electrical codes require that all wire connections or cable splices be inside an approved metal or plastic box. You cannot bury a box inside a wall - that is, you cannot hide or cover over a junction box with a finished surf race like drywall or paneling.

The junction boxes in a home must all must be accessible. This protects your home from the danger of fire and makes it easier to inspect and upgrade your wiring in the future.

The size, shape, and type of electrical junction box you need to choose depends on what it's for. Boxes vary in size, depth, and material. The junction box you need to use to join wires together in an attic for a splice is not the same shape as a box you need to use to install a single electrical outlet.

Even the choice of a single junction box to install a single electrical outlet on an existing electrical circuit will be affected by the number of electrical wires that have to enter the box (more wires need more cubic inches of space to be wired safely).

These details are spelled out in the National Electrical code as well as in subsets of the code written and amplified to guide installers of residential electrical wiring.

Adding or Wiring an Electrical Outlet

A very common homeowner task that some people tackle is replacing a worn electrical outlet, or more complicated, adding a new electrical outlet in a building. While this task is not difficult, if it is not done properly there can be a real risk of fire or shock or even a fatality.

See ELECTRICAL OUTLET, HOW TO ADD & WIRE for an example of a simple task that has more details that need to be correct than you may have thought.

How to Connect Multiple Wires to a single terminal on a switch or electrical outlet

Never attach more than one wire to a terminal. Codes prohibit it, and it's unsafe because terminal screws are made to hold only one wire.

An easier way to join many wires to a terminal is to cut a short piece of wire (about 4 inches), strip both ends, and splice it to the other wires to form a pigtail.

See ELECTRICAL SPLICES, HOW TO MAKE for details of the proper procedure for splicing wires together.

How & Why It is Important to Assure Safe Electrical Grounding at a Property

Home inspector Arlene Puentes summarizes distinctions important in understanding the function of electrical grounding at a building:

1. Grounding to trip the circuit breaker or blow the fuse: Electrical grounding is necessary to protect people from electric shock by providing a good electrical path to route a faulty electrical connection (such as a SHORT CIRCUIT) to ground (literally, to the earth) so that current will flow through and thus trip the circuit breaker or blow the fuse, safely and quickly turning off the electrical circuit.
   (A short circuit is one of the two ways that a fuse or circuit breaker will blow. The second is the drawing of more current (amps) than the circuit is intended to carry.)
2. Grounding to route stray electricity from static electricity, electrical power surges, lightning, etc. to ground.
   This can protect the insulation on electrical wires from damage due to high voltage. The protection against static electricity helps reduce the chances of an un-wanted spark that can cause damage to electronic components or cause an explosion of nearby combustible gases.
3. Grounding to provide a normal path for electricity to flow: energy flows in an building's electrical circuit from a power source (the utility pole through electrical panel, though building circuits and electrical devices connected to them) to the ground, to earth.
   If there is no good connection to earth, electricity does not flow, though it might if you stand on wet ground and touch a live electrical wire - an action that could be fatal. Ground and neutral are related electrical terms. Neutral is used to describe the 'return path' from in an electrical circuit to the electrical panel.
   Inside of the main electrical panel the neutral wires are bonded to the ground wires and to a grounding conductor that connects that assembly to earth (typically through a grounding electrode or 'ground rod')

See ELECTRICAL GROUND SYSTEM INSPECTION for a detailed example of the importance of proper electrical ground connections and of what can go wrong if the electrical ground wiring is faulty.

See ELECTRICITY BASICS, HOW IT WORKS for a very basic explanation of electricity.

See DEFINITIONS of ELECTRICAL TERMS for more explanation of electrical potential or volts. In that section, see Definitions of Electrical Equipment Ground, Grounded Electrical Conductor, Ground, Ground Rod & Ground Bond for details.

What Authorities or Certifications Make Electrical Components Legal for Use ?

Listed Electrical Equipment: as defined in the U.S. National Electrical Code (NEC) (CSA provides similar terms) as: equipment, materials, or services included in a list published by an organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction and concerned with evaluation of products or services, that maintains periodic inspection of production or listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services, and whose listing states that the equipment, material, or services either meets appropriate designated standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specific purpose.

In simpler terms this means that listed electrical equipment (circuit breakers, wires, connectors, switches, receptacles, and more) has been tested by someone whose procedures are acceptable to your state, provincial, or city or town electrical inspectors.

By implication, an electrical part that has not been listed may not be approved for use in a building, and by implication, may be unsafe.

Labeled Electrical Equipment is equipment or materials to which has been attached a label, symbol, or other identifying mark of an organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction and concerned with product evaluation, that maintains periodic inspection of production of labeled equipment or materials, and by whose labeling the manufacturer indicates a compliance with appropriate standards or performance in a specified manner.

In practice we've seen a range of care in the application of standards, testing, listing, and supervision, in the listing and labeling of electrical products, extending from serious, responsible, and proper, to improper and downright dangerous over the history of electrical products.

An example of improper labeling practices was documented in the history of the FPE Stab-Lok electrical panels and circuit breakers: the manufacturer lost their UL label for a time after getting caught placing labels on equipment where they did not belong.

See FEDERAL PACIFIC FPE HAZARDS for details.

The UL Seal provided by Underwriters Laboratories for electrical parts

An example of a long-established listing organization for electrical products is Underwriters Laboratories, founded in 1894 by William H. Merrill, an electrical engineer who supported the development of electrical standards, testing, and protection from electrical hazards. Originating in the United States, UL has facilities in more than 100 countries.

Underwriters' Laboratories Inc. is a nonprofit organization that per­forms tests on electrical products. If an item meets minimum safety standards avoidance of fire and shock, it is listed with the Underwriters' Laboratories.

Listed items display the UL seal on the item or on its package.

This indicates minimum compliance standards. Products having a wide variety of prices may all have the UL seal. Higher priced items will generally have additional features for convenience or longer life.

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Php pdf library tutorial. Continue reading at ELECTRICAL WIRING BOOKS & GUIDES or select a topic from closely-related articles below, or see our complete INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES below.

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BUILDING CODE DOWNLOADS - free downloadable PDF files of building codes & standards

Or see these

Electrical Wiring Basics Articles

• ELECTRICAL INSPECTION, DIAGNOSIS, REPAIR - home
• ELECTRIC MOTOR DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE - home
• ELECTRICAL OUTLET, HOW TO ADD & WIRE - home
• ELECTRIC PANEL INSPECTION - home

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Technical Reviewers & References

• Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., is an association providing testing services for product compliance with various electrical standards.
• Elizabeth Sluder, Montross, VA, the original author of this article, is a public school teacher who writes basic educational articles about a variety of building, construction, and other topics. Her husband, a licensed electrician, consults for her writing on electrical topics. Her articles appearing at the InspectAPedia ^TM Website have been edited, illustrated, and on occasion content has been added by the website author. These articles are © 2010 InspectAPedia copyright-protected, all rights reserved.
• Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. Mr. Cramer serves on the ASHI Home Inspection Standards. Contact Mark Cramer at: 727-595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com
• John Cranor is an ASHI member and a home inspector (The House Whisperer) is located in Glen Allen, VA 23060. He is also a contributor to InspectApedia.com in several technical areas such as plumbing and appliances (dryer vents). Contact Mr. Cranor at 804-747-7747 or by Email: johncranor@verizon.net
• Arlene Puentes, an ASHI home inspector in Kingston, NY, suggested text on the importance of safe electrical grounding. Ms. Puentes has served as Hudson Valley ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) chapter president, and is active in professional education in the home inspection field. She can be contacted at ap@octoberhome.com
• NFPA - the National Fire Protection Association can be found online at www.nfpa.org
• The 2008 NEC National Electrical Code (ISBN 978-0877657903) Online Access LINK (you'll need to sign in as a professional or as a visitor)
• The 2008 Residential Wiring Code, a subset of the 2008 NEC, can be understood through Mastering the NEC at http://www.2008nec.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=1

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
• Recommended books on electrical inspection, electrical wiring, electrical problem diagnosis, and electrical repair can be found in the Electrical Books section of the InspectAPedia Bookstore. (courtesy of Amazon.com)
• 'Electrical System Inspection Basics,' Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Annual Education Conference, Boston 1985.
• 'Simplified Electrical Wiring,' Sears, Roebuck and Co., 15705 (F5428) Rev. 4-77 1977 [Lots of sketches of older-type service panels.]
• 'How to plan and install electric wiring for homes, farms, garages, shops,' Montgomery Ward Co., 83-850.
• 'Simplified Electrical Wiring,' Sears, Roebuck and Co., 15705 (F5428) Rev. 4-77 1977 [Lots of sketches of older-type service panels.]
• 'Home Wiring Inspection,' Roswell W. Ard, Rodale's New Shelter, July/August, 1985 p. 35-40.
• 'Evaluating Wiring in Older Minnesota Homes,' Agricultural Extension Service, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108.
• 'Electrical Systems,' A Training Manual for Home Inspectors, Alfred L. Alk, American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), 1987, available from ASHI. [DF NOTE: I do NOT recommend this obsolete publication, though it was cited in the original Journal article as it contains unsafe inaccuracies]
• 'Basic Housing Inspection,' US DHEW, S352.75 U48, p.144, out of print, but is available in most state libraries.
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