BEFORE THE ARCHITECT – HOME DESIGNING BACKGROUND – UNIQUE HOME DESIGNING ARTICLES
HOUSE WIRING SAFETY
By Before The Architect Copyright 2009-2010 Before The Architect
It is not my self-concept that clients darken my doorstep for salvation. Before The Architect
When you don't know whassup, any place will do . . . Aim high and fry . . .
INTRODUCTION
House wiring safety involves, among other matters, electrical installation, electrical outlets, electrical circuits, and electrical devices - for example, electrical switches and electrical receptacles. These are all favorite subjects of this home designer. Following are some house wiring safety highlights
. Q: What if I don't know furshur whassup with this particular wiring situation? A: Find some who is furshur, furshur.
1) A closet below a staircase shall not contain a high-voltage electrical outlet
Comment: By exception, an open area below a staircase, e.g., bookcase, bar, etc., may contain a high-voltage electrical outlet.
2) Each electrical circuit from its panelboard
a) shall include
i) 1 grounding conductor (equipment bonding conductor) and
ii) 1 grounded conductor (neutral, common)
b) of which the grounded conductor
i) shall run throughout that circuit exclusively and
ii) shall not be crossed-over to or interconnected with or otherwise shared by or split with any other circuit
c) shall include no interconnection whatsoever between a grounded conductor and a grounding conductor in a panelboard, subpanel, junction box, device, etc.
3) Each electrical circuit load
a) shall be judged as to whether it is continuous, i.e., could reasonably operate continuously for 3 hours or more and
b) if judged continuous, then it shall be derated by 20% (, or the peak load multiplied by 1.25) subsequent to all other deratings
4) A utility electrical receptacle
a) shall not be placed flat to a counter in a kitchen counter area, peninsula, or island
b) shall not be placed below countertop level, as on the side of a counter, peninsula, or island
c) except a utility receptacle
i) may be placed in the parting wall of a two-tier counter, peninsula, or island
(1) if set flush to that wall and
(2) if protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter
d) shall be spaced at not less than code in a kitchen to include depth of sidewalls and not just backwalls
Comment: The AG knows that this receptacle limitation is off the National Electric Code reservation, wherein below-counter receptacle placement may be made more permissively than the old boy’ll let happen on his watch. Too bad for the folks who follow the code; a child playing in the kitchen may not be really familiar with that code and its implications and so, maybe too, for the adults thereabouts. This is about painfully, even deadly serious safety concerns.
5) No wall or floor electrical outlet shall be installed without GFCI protection to that outlet
a) below a window that opens to weather
b) on a wall or floor within 5 linear feet interior to a door or window that opens to weather
6) Hallway electrical receptacles shall be wired only on their own electrical circuit(s) and none shall be connected to any other circuit
7) All 120V, nonlighting wiring in a room, including hallways and vestibules collectively as a room, shall be from the same panel and hot bus
8) All passages to a room or hall shall have reasonable access to lighting device control of at least 1 shared lighting outlet in that room or hall
Comment: The AG gets heat now and then for this one. And he cannot make anyone wire this way; all he can do is draw it and explain it. This is a safety issue, pure and simple. If you want to cross a space to turn off a light and then recross it in the dark to exit through another passage, go ahead. The AG doesn’t want you to, but he cannot make it so, only draw it so.
9) In a room with a door lock, bolt, latch, or similar of any sort, a lighting switch control for at least 1 lighting fixture rated 120V in that room shall be placed on the locked, or interior, side of passage
Comment: This is a safety issue of absolutely vital importance.
10) In a room with a door lock, bolt, latch, or similar of any sort, a lighting switch control for at least 1 lighting fixture rated 120V in that room shall be placed on the locked, or interior, side of passage
Comment: This is a safety issue of absolutely vital importance.
11) An electrical switch
a) controlling a garbage disposal shall be within not less than 18 linear inches from any other switch
b) controlling a dishwasher shall be within not less than 12 linear inches from any other switch
Comment: The AG has been told outright that he’s an old fuddy-duddy in making this last entry – that times and technology no longer require such safety-sensitive steps. Let’s hear it for old fuddy-duddies.
12) Lighted (a/k/a pilot) switch shall be in a bathroom at entry and in bedroom-kitchen passage(s)
Comment: Lighted switches may be applied elsewhere for safety and convenience, e.g., in pathway between Masters Bed area and children's bed area(s), stair head, exterior doors, etc.
13) Back-wired, push-in electrical receptacles
a) For attics . . . at least one lighting outlet containing a switch and controlled by a wall switch shall be installed where these spaces are used for storage or contain equipment requiring servicing
b) at least one point of control shall be at the usual point of entry to these spaces.
c) the lighting outlet shall be provided at or near the equipment requiring servicing
d) what’s wrong with this picture?
i) is one wall switch enough to assuage major safety concerns when, for example,
(1) a passer-by innocently turns off the attic light?
(2) an attic-occupant doesn’t turn off the attic light on departing the attic?
ii) who’s judging or has the prescience to discern whether an attic space will ever be used for storage?
(1) designating a lighting outlet does not designate a bulb, let alone a bulb protected from physical damage.
(2) what about lighting when ‘equipment’ isn’t near the attic entrance?
e) it gets worse, in this guy’s opinion; let’s talk cable
i) in attics,
(1) the NEC gets unusually hinky about protecting cable from physical damage – even MC cable . . .
(2) this from folks who haven’t written one word about protecting an attic light bulb from physical damage wherever it’s sited).
ii) IRC330.23 via 320.23, the former in regard to flex, requires ‘substantial guard strips’ to cable specifically close-by occupant entrances to attic space –
(1) a feature never seen by Before The Architect’s principals in all their years
Comment: All this can lead to alternative prescriptive for attic energizing in this enterprise as follows for lighting and cabling –
14) All passages to a room or hall shall have reasonable access to lighting device control of at least 1 shared lighting outlet in that room or hall
Comment: The AG gets heat now and then for this one. And he cannot make anyone wire this way; all he can do is draw it and explain it. This is a safety issue, pure and simple. If you want to cross a space to turn off a light and then recross it in the dark to exit through another passage, go ahead. The AG doesn’t want you to, but he cannot make it so, only draw it so.
15) In a room with a door lock, bolt, latch, or similar of any sort, a lighting switch control for at least 1 lighting fixture rated 120V in that room shall be placed on the locked, or interior, side of passage
Comment: This is a safety issue of absolutely vital importance.
16) Lighted (a/k/a pilot) switch shall be in a bathroom at entry and in bedroom-kitchen passage(s)
Comment: Lighted switches may be applied elsewhere for safety and convenience, e.g., in pathway between Masters Bed area and children's bed area(s), stair head, exterior doors, etc.
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