Program, Code Panel Questions, & Survey/Comments

NORTH CAROLINA ELECTRICAL INSTITUTE 90 th ANNUAL MEETING APRIL 9 th 10 th, 2019 HILTON NORTH RALEIGH RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA Program, Code Panel Questions, & Survey/Comments Opinions of the Code Panelist are NOT interpretations issued by the NC Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal NC Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal www.ncdoi.com/osfm NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors www.ncbeec.org NC Ellis Cannady Chapter of the International Association of Electrical Inspectors www.nciaei.org

2019 NC Electrical Institute Program Notice: The State Electrical Division has been tasked with documenting the answers provided by each member of the panel. The question and answers will be posted on the Electrical Education Resources page of the website link below. This information will be available to the public approximately three weeks after the conclusion of the Institute meeting. Opinions of the Code Panelist are NOT interpretations issued by the NC Department of Insurance, Office of State Fire Marshal. http://www.ncdoi.com/osfm/state_electrical_division//default.aspx Tuesday, April 9, 2019 8:25 a.m. Early Bird Prizes ------------------------------------------------------ Mitch Bryant & Tommy Green 8:30 a.m. Opening Remarks / Invocation / Pledge ---------------------------- Tim Norman & Joe Starling 8:40 a.m. Institute in Session (Residential Topics) ------------------------------------------------ Joe Starling 11:30 a.m. Lunch (1 hour & 10 min) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12:40 p.m. Early Bird Prizes ------------------------------------------------------ Mitch Bryant & Tommy Green 12:45 p.m. Institute in Session (Swimming Pool Topics) --------------------------------------- Chris Faucette 2:50 p.m. Break (15 min) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3:05 p.m. Early Bird Prizes ------------------------------------------------------ Mitch Bryant & Tommy Green 3:10 p.m. Institute in Session (Swimming Pool Topics) --------------------------------------- Chris Faucette 4:30 p.m. Recess Meeting 6:30 p.m. Social Hour ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Function Area 7:30 p.m. Banquet Dinner ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ballroom Wednesday, April 10, 2019 7:55 a.m. Early Bird Prizes ------------------------------------------------------ Mitch Bryant & Tommy Green 8:00 a.m. Opening Remarks / Pledge -------------------------------------------- Tim Norman & Joe Starling 8:10 a.m. Institute in Session (Alternate Power Topics) ----------------------------------------- Joe Starling 10:40 a.m. Break (25 min) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11:05 a.m. Early Bird Prizes ------------------------------------------------------ Mitch Bryant & Tommy Green 11:10 a.m. Institute in Session (Commercial & Misc. Topics) --------------------------------- Chris Faucette 1:00 p.m. Adjourn Meeting

Residential Topics 1. I m retired and now would like to shelve my license. What would I have to do to reactivate if I later decided I would like to make my license active? 2. Does the NEC require a conduit on a back-to-back exterior meter base to an interior service panel be filled with sealant? How about an exterior conduit that penetrates the soffit of an attic or crawlspace? 3. Section 210.8(A)(10) requires the receptacles in a laundry room be GCFI protected. Most low voltage residential security system cabinets come with a duplex receptacle mounted within the cabinet. If the cabinet is installed in the laundry room, must the receptacle within the cabinet be required to also be GFCI protected? 4. I have a 400 amp meter base on the exterior of a home that is back-to-back with two main service panels, each with 200 amp main breakers. Are the service entrance conductors serving both of these panels allowed use the 83% rule (AKA Pewee Chart in NC) described in section 310.15(B)(7). One panel alone does not supply the entire load of the home, but both panels together supply the entire load of the dwelling. 5. I have a 3-way switch installation that has a 14/2 NM cable with hot-leg and a neutral from the same circuit supplied at both switch boxes. Then there is another 14/2 NM cable that is only travelers for the 3-way circuit; thus, the hot is used on the 3-way switch and the neutral is not used in one box, and the neutral is used on the wire feeding the light and the hot is not in the other box. Does this installation violate the Conductors of the Same Circuit Rule in section 300.3(B)? 6. I passed an inspection with a non-fused pullout disconnect for a heat pump that had 20 inches of clearance from the front of the disconnect. However, I replaced the disconnect with a fusible pullout and the inspector says I need 3 feet of working space. There is an unwritten rule in NC that if a disconnect did not possess overcurrent within the enclosure (non-fused pullouts, snaps switches, non-fused knife throws, etc.) it was not likely to require examination while energized and therefore was not required to adhere to the clearance requirements of section 110.26(A), but if the disconnect has overcurrent within the enclosure it must comply with 110.26(A). Where did this rule come from and why? 7. I have a detached garage and I want to add a receptacle and a light, but I do not want to install a panelboard in the building. Can I install 12/2 UF to the garage or Is a multiwire type branch circuit necessary in order to separate the lighting circuit from the receptacle? Would the answer be different for an accessory building?

Residential Topics 8. If I have a one bay garage with 7 receptacle outlets, can I install one 20-amp branch circuit to any one of the seven receptacles and then supply the other six with 15-amp circuits? One of the seven is on the ceiling to serve the garage door opener. 9. Table 300.5 Column 5 allows low voltage landscape and irrigation wiring 30 volts or less to have zero coverage under a building. Does this mean the wires can lay on the ground inside of a crawl space? 10. Section 210.11(C)(3) requires one 20 amp bathroom receptacle circuit, and section 210.52(D) requires one receptacle be installed within 3 feet and adjacent to the bathroom sink. I have a bathroom that has a receptacle 1 foot from a nd adjacent to the sink and another receptacle 15 feet away from the sink and located under the bathroom window. If I supply the receptacle closest to the sink with a 15 amp circuit and the receptacle under the window with a 20 amp circuit, has the NEC been satisfied? 11. I m a home owner and I want to do my own electrical wiring. May I do this without an electrical contracting license? My friend that works for an electrical company said if I would get the electrical permit he would save me some money and help me do the wiring. 12. Is a 15 amp circuit allowed to supply a switched receptacle in a dining room that is part of the 6 & 12 wall space rule? What about only the top of a duplex and then allow the bottom to be non-switched? 13. I want to use AFCI type receptacles in lieu of AFCI breakers in new construction. Section 210.12(A)(4) appears to allow the use of AFCI receptacles within 50 feet of a typical non-afci breaker. Can you explain why the inspector says that part (d) cannot be met? 14. If NM cable in a new home under construction has become wet because the roof was not finished or was in the bed of the pickup truck for a week, has the cable violated the NEC? 15. If I purchase an Eaton panel with the new plug-on neutral to be used as a subpanel, can the bar that connects the neutral terminal bars on each side of the buses be removed so one terminal bar can be isolated and used for the neutral conductors and one side be bonded to the cabinet (via the green screw) to terminate the equipment grounding conductors? If I must buy another grounding terminal bar instead, will the old model grounding terminal bars work in these new panels?

Residential Topics 16. If I have a closet that is 48 inches wide with a 30 inch door centered (9 inches of closet space on each side of the door). Can I install a 2 foot florescent light fixture directly above the door on the wall header? 17. I have a 100 amp panel in the attic of a home suppling power to two air handlers. Can I use that panel to supply general purpose receptacles and lighting within the habitable areas (bedrooms, living rooms, kitchen) of the dwelling? 18. I am running NM cable across the top of attic joists. The joists support the cable. Does the NEC require the cable be stapled or secured in place? 19. I am installing a receptacle on a dedicated 20-amp circuit for a cord-and-plug fastened in place microwave in the cabinet above the stove. The data plate suggests that the microwave will use 13.5 amps. Does section 210.23(A)(2) prohibit the 120-volt receptacle for the microwave from being a duplex type? 20. If I install one 20 amp circuit in the area solely for the washing machine (within 6 feet), can the a wall receptacle in the laundry room be connected to the living room circuit? Alternatively, if I install one 20 amp circuit solely for a wall receptacle in a laundry room that is 10 feet from where the washing machine is located, can the receptacle for the washing machine be connected to the living room circuit? 21. How much wiring can a handyman do without holding a valid electrical contracting license? 22. If I connect my grounding electrode conductor to the rebar in the concrete on a wood framed house, is a ground rod also required? What is there is a plastic vapor barrier that separates the concrete from touching the soil? 23. If I have a receptacle for a refrigerator in a kitchen that is within 6 feet from a sink, is that receptacle required to be G FCI protected? If so, can a GFCI type receptacle be located behind the fridge? Can I place the fridge receptacle in the cabinet under the sink and avoid the GFCI requirement? 24. Section 210.70(A)(1) states that a wall switch-controlled lighting outlet be installed in a habitable room but never says where the wall switch has to be located. Therefore, can I place the wall switch that serves the wall switch-controlled lighting outlet anywhere I want in the home?

Residential Topics 25. Is a phone outlet still required for every home? If so, how many and does it mater where they are located? 26. I have an existing heat pump installed in 2005 that requires a minimum circuit ampacity of 23.4 amps supplied with 12/2 NM cable and is now in need of replacement. I plan to install another heat pump that also has a required minimum circuit ampacity of 23.4 amps. The 2017 NEC has reduced the allowable ampacity of 12 gauge NM cable to 20 amps, and I am worried that the new unit requires the NM cable be replaced with 10/2. Is there any relief for this situation? 27. If I have a damaged cord on a 120 volt cord-and-plug condensate pump, can I cut the cord where the damage is and install a new listed plug? How about placing the cord in a listed box and install a listed switch to control the pump? 28. I have a kitchen island that is 6 feet long and 30 inches wide with a 20 inch square sink in the middle. The NEC requires a receptacle on each side of the sink because the sink divides the space into two parts. But why does section 210.52(C)(4) only require one receptacle if the island grows to 6 feet long and 60 inches wide? It seems ironic that the larger the island, the fewer receptacles would be required. 29. A customer has overhead lighting in a bedroom but wants to be able to switch all the receptacles off in the room so that no electrical current or electromagnetic fields can be present. Is this compliant per 210.52(2)? If not, then how is this different from having the room on a circuit breaker and turning it all off? 30. If I install a subpanel in a detached structure via a feeder with an equipment grounding conductor and floating neutral, does the detached structure require a grounding electrode system? 31. I have a Special Single-Family Dwelling license. I have a customer that has a Barber shop on the back porch of his single family detached dwelling home that he lives in. May I still do wiring in this home and in the area where this person cuts hair for the public? 32. Section 314.27(C) does not require a box to be listed for a fan if the fan is not supported by the box; however, in the next paragraph the NEC requires a fan rated box if there is a spare separately switched ungrounded conductor in the box. I believe the NEC is assuming a home owner might install a fan later and they would not be cognizant of the need for a fan box. However, in the first scenario these boxes are often blanked off or fans are replaced at a later date so why isn t there consistency in this section?

33. I am wiring a house for a general contractor that is ready to pour concrete and does not want to wait for me to install a conduit under the slab of a kitchen to get power to the island. The general contractor s solution is to put in a 1 inch plumbing pipe for me to use later. Does the NEC prohibit me from using the plumbing conduit as a sleeve for UF Cable under the concrete? 34. If NM and UF cables are fabricated with 90 C conductors, then why are they de-rated to the 60 C allowable ampacity in the NEC? 35. If I am using a main lug only panel for a service with four breakers as my service disconnecting means, must I have lug covers over the main terminals? 36. NC has decided to amend Article 555 for marinas and docks exempting this Article from regulating residential applications. Does Article 682 that regulates equipment surrounding natural and artificial bodies of water still apply to the wiring method for a residential dock? 37. I have a homeowner that wants to make their own dining room chandelier. If the homeowner uses all listed parts and assembles the fixture in accordance with each component s manufacturer s instructions, is there an issue? 38. I have an exterior light beside my back door to illuminate a set of exterior steps. I want to remove the steps and build a screened in back porch with a screen door that opens to a similar set of steps. I believe the existing light beside the back door will illuminate the back porch and new steps. Does the NEC address where the illumination for the exterior steps are located and how much illumination is required? Would my flood lights that also provide light in the stair area among other areas suffice? 39. A range is labelled 13.3 kw and 55 amps by the manufacturer. Clearly the manufacturer just divided 13,300 watts 240 volts = 55 amps. The NEC states to use the Table 220.55 which calculates to be a 40 amp minimum circuit. Which is the governing rule, the manufacturer s instructions or the Table in the NEC? 40. I have a subpanel in a room 2 feet beside a closet where my air handler is in installed. The disconnect means for the air handler is a breaker inside of that subpanel. If I open the closet door to work on the air hander, I lose sight of the subpanel. Is the fact that the closet door prevents me from watching the air handler a violation of the NEC?

Swimming Pool Topics 1. I have a Special Swimming Pool License. I have installed the bonding and it has passed inspection by the local authority. The owner would like for be to wire the swimming pool pump and associated electrical equipment. May I subcontract this to a Limited, Intermediate or Unlimited. Licensee and bill the owner for the electrical work? 2. There are general purpose receptacles, subpanel, snap switches, light fixtures, and an exhaust fan in a pool equipment room that is considered a corrosive area. Section 680.14(B) wiring methods be listed and identified for the corrosive area. Does the equipment previously mentioned require any corrosive listings also? 3. I have the receptacles within 20 feet of a swimming pool supplied by a pool subpanel. If I place a GFCI breaker to protect the feeder to the pool subpanel or have a GFCI main in the pool subpanel to protect all the branch circuits and feeders supplied by that panel, do the receptacles have to have additional GFCI protection solely for the branch circuit itself? 4. Is the interior room that houses an indoor swimming pool considered to be a corrosive environment? If so, is NM Cable prohibited from being installed inside of this room? 5. There is a fiberglass pool with non-conductive handrails, ladders, etc.; thus, there does not exist any metallic components that are constantly in contact with the water to bond the equipotential grid to. Can I install a 6 inch metallic pipe nipple on the water supply with a pipe clamp bonded to the grid and be compliant with the NEC? 6. If I take out an existing non-gfci 2 pole, 50 amp breaker that supplies the swimming pool pump motor just to look at it, does the State Electrical Code require GFCI protection? 7. Fiber mesh concrete is installed completely around a pool. The concrete uses a metal square wire cage that also surrounds the perimeter of the pool in lieu of rebar but is metallically bonded throughout. If the metal wire cage is bonded as would rebar, is the wire cage considered reinforcing steel and satisfy section 680.26(B)(2)(a) of the NEC? 8. Concrete surrounds a swimming pool for 5 feet in every direction and plans are to bond the reinforcing steel with the metallic components of the pool. A plastic liner is placed between the soil and the concrete. Does the NEC require any special provisions be made to bond the concrete to the soil?

Swimming Pool Topics 9. Can a pool heat pump be used to bond the pool water of a vinyl pool where none of the bonded parts identified in 680.26(B) are in direct connection with the pool water? 10. I have an outdoor spa that is on the second story of a wooden deck and is 10 inches from the brick exterior wall. Is the perimeter soil underneath the spa required to be part of an equipotential bonding system? If so, how would you accomplish this? 11. I m a Limited licensee of the Board and I was hired to check the swimming pool heater. The fix for the pool heater is minor. I see so many other electrical items that are in my opinion dangerous and need to be repaired. The home owner s association only wants me to fix the issue I was called to do. What is the best way to handle this matter? 12. I have a spa recessed within a deck that has a bare copper #8 AWG wire stapled underneath and to the flooring members of the decking boards. Does the #8 add any value to the equipotential bonding requirements? 13. My town park is installing a splashpad. Joe Starling has already told me that a splashpad is a fountain that has water common to a pool as described in section 680.50; thus, there must be an equipotential grid bonded to all fixed metallic parts within 5 feet of the inside wall of the pool. This particular splashpad is completely circular with 100 feet in diameter of concrete and 50 feet in diameter in the center is where the water spray extends. If there is a metal fence that abuts the concrete (the fence would then be 25 feet from the water spray area), does that fence have to be bonded to the equipotential grid? 14. Can you explain the difference between a spa, therapeutic tub, and hydromassage tub? 15. I have 4 inch thick concrete paver blocks that will surround a swimming pool for 5 feet from the interior pool wall. I am planning to bury a bare copper #8 AWG in the soil 18-24 inches from the interior pool wall. Where do I measure the 4-6 inch depth from, the top of the paver or top of the soil? 16. I am working for a general contractor who covered my equipotential bonding with concrete prior to my inspection. Is there any way the inspector or State will grant a variance to accept what has been covered? Can an engineer approve the installation?

Swimming Pool Topics 17. Is the typical brass or copper split bolt connector sold in the large box stores listed to be installed for splicing the bare copper #8 in the soil or in concrete? 18. If I am bonding a ladder and a handrail on opposite sides of the pool, can I bond both the ladder and handrail to the closest piece of rebar via a bare copper #8 and let the rebar complete the bond, or must I carry the #8 copper from the ladder to the handrail? Could I use the wire cage in fiber mesh concrete to complete the bond? 19. Is there a distance phone or other low voltage communication land lines need to be from a swimming pool? 20. How would I make an equipotential bond if I have a pool that has concrete with rebar around half the pool and soil around the other half? Alternate Sources Topics 1. I had a call from photovoltaic contractor that doesn t hold a NC Building Contractor s license, nor do they hold a NC Electrical Contracting license. Their contract is with the owner. I m an Unlimited electrical contractor. An electrical inspector posted a stop work order on this project for no permits. The Photo Voltaic firm wants to hire me to get an electrical permit for the wiring their firm s employees installed. The electrical inspector warned me not to obtain a permit unless my contract was with a licensed general contractor, licensed electrical contractor or the owner. Why can I not have a contract with this photo voltaic contractor? 2. The typical home generator comes with a 100 amp breaker under the lockable top cover as the means of disconnect. The inspector is questioning the readilyness of accessibility of the means of disconnect and the disconnect means itself must be able to be locked in the open position not just the access to the means. Must an additional disconnect be mounted to the exterior of the generator? 3. I have a generator manufactured with a fuel cell/tank underneath the engine. Because of the size of the generator, the factory disconnecting means is exceeds 6ft 7in in height from grade and the manufacturer s instructions do not address this issue. Is the NEC violated? 4. The installation instructions for my generator requires the frame be attached to a grounding electrode system. If I use ground rods, are two rods required if 25 ohms cannot be obtained?

Alternate Sources Topics 5. I have a generator located inside of a building with a non-fusible knife throw as the generator s disconnecting means. Must the automatic transfer switch be suitable for service disconnect? 6. Does the NEC permit the feeder conductors from the service disconnect to pass through the meter socket enclosure for easy access to the interior wall of a building? 7. On meter panel combos with factory bars between the metering jaws and the main breaker, can I modify the equipment by removing the bars between the metering jaws and the main breaker, so I can install a transfer switch between the two? 8. I have a 400 amp meter base on the exterior of a dwelling suppling back-to-back two interior panels each with 200 amp main breakers. I want to add an automatic transfer switch with a 200 amp main breaker between the meter base and one of the panels so that the one panel will become a subpanel with backup power. Can the ATS be mounted on the exterior of the house and leave the other service disconnecting means on the interior? 9. There is a dwelling where the utility supplies a main panel and a feeder suppling power to a detached garage. If a rooftop PV system installed on top of the detached garage is supplying power to the dwelling s main panel (not through the garage s feeder), is a disconnect required for the output circuits at the detached garage and the at the dwelling? 10. Is a PV system with several string inverters considered multiple PV systems? 11. I m a fence contractor and I want to install a photo voltaic wiring system for a charger for an electrical fence around a car sales lot. This is not powered by the local utilities. Do I need an electrical contracting license for this installation? 12. My generator came from the factory with an integral disconnecting means. Does the NEC require the generator s disconnecting means to be suitable for service disconnect?

Alternate Sources Topics 13. I have a generator that came from the factory with a system bonding jumper connecting the neutral to the frame. I do not want to install this generator as a separately derived system and the manufacturer s instructions do not address how to alter the factory design. Will the listing being voided if I remove the jumper so I can float the neutral at the generator and install the generator as a non-separately derived system? 14. I have seen 3-pole and 4-pole automatic transfer switches installed. Is there any NEC section that mandates using a 4- pole and switching the neutral? 15. A generator with an integral disconnecting means is installed 40 feet away from the building being served. Is an additional disconnecting means required at the building? 16. I am an electrical inspector who has a PV installer asking the procedure for obtaining permits and inspections for a new PV installation on a 3-story residential roof. I am not trained or equipped to climb a ladder to heights of that magnitude. Is there any information the State has that can assist us? 17. On meter panel combos with factory conductor wires between the metering jaws and the main breaker, can I install vampire connectors on the factory conductor wires as a tap to a PV system? 18. If a panelboard is installed within a listed generator housing, does the clearance rules of section 110.26 apply to the panelboard? 19. Can a standby generator wired as a separately derived system connect to and share the grounding electrodes with the structure being served? 20. I am planning to install a PV system and tap the service conductors between the meter and main breaker. Since the service conductors are being tapped, are my tapping conductors between the tap and PV s AC disconnect defined by the NEC as service conductors?

Alternate Sources Topics 21. I install wiring for low voltage systems that fall up under the exemption for electrical licensing. Now I would like to install fire alarm, burglar alarm, CCTV and Door access control wiring as a subcontractor for owners, licensed building contractors and licensed electrical contractors. What license do I need for these installations? 22. Are there any products that satisfy the rapid shutdown requirements in section 690.12(B)(2) that became mandatory in January of 2019? 23. I have a solar farm producing 120/240 volts that will feeds the utility grid via a 120/240 volt main service disconnecting means. The solar farm and the service disconnect are 1000 feet from each other. The engineer has decided that it is cost effective to place a transformer at the solar farm and at the service disconnect in order to create 7200 volts for the 1000 feet between the transformers to reduce the amperage and wire size. Because a power source is being supplied from both directions, do the transformers have a primary and secondary side? 24. Are generator interlock kits listed? Does installing an interlock kit violate the listing of the panel? 25. I want to install a PV system on a detached building and tap into the feeder suppling power to a panel the detached building. The PV tap is protected by 30 amp fuses and the detached building s feeder is rated for 100 amps and protected by a 100 breaker at the main structure. If I use jacket piercing tap connectors (vampire connectors) to make my tap, is the 100 amp feeder undersized between the tap and the detached building s panel? Could the feeder now draw 130 amps from the detached building to the tap? 26. If I place a PV system on my agricultural farm building that is exempted by statute from building permits and the building code, must I obtain an electrical permit and conform to the State Electrical Code? 27. Can a PV system be backfeed into a main lug only main service panel with six existing breakers? If yes, then the backfed breaker cannot be considered one of the service disconnects. Is this method considered a line side or load side tap? 28. I have a main service panel with a 100 amp main breaker rated at 100 amps. I want to backfeed a 30 amp breaker from a PV system into this panel but cannot because of the 120% rule. Can I add and feed a subpanel from the main service panel and then backfeed the subpanel?

Alternate Sources Topics 29. If you have a home with a 200-amp main service panel that has a calculated load of 90 amps, can I size the wire for a 25kw standby generator to feed the service by the 83% rule? Suppose it is a 20kw generator? 30. I have a DC source circuit from a PV system that penetrates the soffit of a two-story home and is ran through the attic space in EMT. Is a disconnect required at the point of entry to the soffit? Commercial and Misc. Topics 1. I have a Limited electrical license and I m wiring an upfit in a mall space for a clothing store. There is wiring being done in this store that I shouldn t be responsible for. Example: Wiring for a music / speaker system, Cat 5 / Cat 7 Cabling, alarm system and the sign wiring at the front is not in my contract. Why am I the only contractor that has an electrical permit for this store? 2. If I install a concrete encased electrode connected with a #4 bare copper connected to the rebar, then at what point does the #4 wire become part of the electrode? Depending on the answer to part 1, if my grounding electrode conductor from my concrete encased electrode gets cut outside the footer can I use a split bolt that is listed for use in direct burial to connect the grounding electrode conductor to the electrode 3. I have identified my 120/208 volt A, B, and C phases with black, red, and blue colors respectively (phased out) in my main panelboards and for the 277/480 volt panels A, B, and C phases with brown, orange, and yellow colors respectively. If I use typical 12/2 MC cable (black, white, green) for a 120 volt circuit supplied from the B or C phase, does the NEC require the black wire in the cable be reidentified as red or blue at the terminations? What if I pull all blue conductors in EMT, can I land them on any 120/208 phase? 4. I am being told that section 110.14(C)(2) allows me to use the 90 C ampacity rating for THHN/THWN between terminations. Can you explain this section and how would this be properly applied? 5. I have an existing 120 volt 30 amp receptacle on a pedestal that is for my RV. The receptacle is 20 years old and has become corroded. If I replace this receptacle, must it now be GFCI protected? 6. I have properly torqued all my terminals in accordance with section 110.14 and even used the required calibrated torqueing tool. I was present during my inspection and witnessed the inspector check the tightness of my connections with a flathead screwdriver. What can I do to prevent the inspector from altering my installation?

Commercial and Misc. Topics 7. I have a 50 amp 3-phase receptacle in a commercial kitchen that I am having a hard time finding a GFCI breaker to protect it in accordance with section 210.8(B). A company called Little Fuse makes a Class C device that appears to provide GFCI protection. Is this a suitable alternative or must this be a Class A device? 8. AFCI protection for branch circuits in section 210.12 is limited to dwelling units, dormitory, guest rooms, and guest suites. Would the living quarters of an assisted living facility also apply? 9. A double lugged meter base is mounted to a non-residential building with one service disconnect on the inside of the building. The second disconnect is mounted at a detached structure. My understanding is that this would be compliant if it was a single-family unit by section 230.40 exception No. 3. Why is this method not allowed for other non-residential structures, or is it? 10. I am pulling four parallel runs of 500 kcmil copper for a feeder between panels that is protected by 1200 fuses; thus section 250.122 states that the equipment grounding conductor must be 3/0 copper. Can I pull one 3/0 copper conductor in any or the four conduits; or must I pull 3/0 copper in each of the four conduits; or can I divide the actual size of 3/0 by four and pull the parallel equivalent in each of the four conduits? 11. I reside in Alabama and I have a NC Unlimited electrical contracting license. I would like to bid on electrical projects in NC but have more than I can do in Alabama. Do I have to come to NC and be active of duty at the NC projects or is it ok to just send my employees? These employees are trained by my firm and know what they are doing. 12. The last sentence in section 312.2 addresses the type of connectors installed in enclosures in a wet location where the connector will penetrate the enclosure above live parts. Section 321.2 simply states the fittings used (connectors) must be listed for wet locations. The general practice across NC is that this section requires a Myers Hub be installed in these locations and nothing else. However, isn t the typical PVC male connector not listed for use in a wet location? 13. I have a calculated available fault current suppled to a service panel at 18300 amps and a main service panel with a main breaker rated at 22kA. Do the breakers being protected by the main breaker also have to be rated at 22kA or can I reduce the downstream breakers in the service panel or other subpanels to 10kA at some point in the circuitry of the system? 14. Why is the ampacity of some insulations (XHHW, THHW) using the 75C instead of 90C when installed in a wet location?

Commercial and Misc. Topics 15. A 12 inch square box has a 2 inch conduit in the left top part of the box and a 2 inch conduit in the right bottom part of the box on the opposite wall. Because there is a large offset, is this considered a straight pull or an angle pull? 16. I have an installation where the service-entrance conductors will be entering a building from the exterior wall. I have a letter from the NCDOI dated 1998 that gives guidance for the length of service-entrance conductors entering a structure that would allow approximately 8 feet for this design. I have another letter from the NCDOI dated 2002 that when applied would allow approximately 5 feet for this design. I assume the most recent letter is the governing rule in NC, how I do I know if there are additional letters since 2002 that takes precedence? 17. I have a motor that has a backwards RU on it and no other laboratory label. I was told that is a UL mark. Is the motor listed by UL and no other marking are needed to install this motor in the field? 18. Section 230.31(B) states that the minimum wire size for a service is 8 AWG copper; however, the exception allows us to use a 12 AWG copper in some situations. Section 250.24(C)(1) tells us the minimum size of the grounded conductor is sized by Table 250.102(C)(1). The question is if I use the exception in 230.31(B) and use #12 copper service conductors do I have to use an 8 AWG grounded conductor? I cannot find an exception to use 12 AWG for the grounded service conductor in this circumstance. 19. An auto body shop (commercial garage) has a 60-amp 3-phase cord-and-plug welder. Section 210.8(B) appears to require GFCI protection for this receptacle; however, section 511.12 only requires GFCI protection on 15- and 20-amp 120-volt receptacle outlets. Because section 90.3 tells us that Chapter 5 modifies Chapter 2, does the welder s receptacle need to be GFCI protected? 20. There is a service lateral to a building that has 4 storefronts attached to each other. The lateral terminates in a trough on one end of the building and there are 4 conduits in the slab going to each store. There will be 4 meters fed from the trough. Are disconnects required out at this location or can each building be fed from its meter to a main breaker (service panel) in each store? 21. I have a contract with a farmer to wire new chicken houses. There are three chicken houses on one set of drawing and one set of specifications. The farmer wants to build a chicken house this spring, one in the summer and then one in the fall. I have a Limited license and will get an electrical permit for the chicken houses individually. The wiring for each chicken house is less than $50,000. The inspection department will not issue me electrical permits because I was told the value of all the chicken houses are over my $50, 0000 project limitation. Is this true?

Commercial and Misc. Topics 22. Section 408.40 states Where the panelboard is used with nonmetallic raceway or cable or where separate equipment grounding conductors are provided, a terminal bar for the equipment grounding conductors shall be secured inside the cabinet. Does this mean I cannot use multiple ground lugs and fasten them to the box? 23. I have a buried conduit required to be 24 inches deep and is on a sharp slope where there is only 16 inches of cover from one side. Are all the measurements described in the burial chart of Table 300.5 measured from the top in a straight path down? 24. I know that smaller conductors are readily available in many colors but why can we not tape a black conductor with white tape in sizes smaller than 6 AWG? If it is marked what is the issue? 25. I have a 2 inch PVC male connector with several 1/0 conductors. Does the NEC require a plastic bushing be installed? 26. I have an underground lateral with utility conductors being supplied to an 800 amp main breaker. The utility will terminate their conductors on the terminals of the 800 amp breaker. At what point does the NEC have jurisdiction? Can the NEC sections that govern the main breaker use the size at type of the utility conductors for regulating the breaker? 27. If I have a motor that only has the UL mark and not an additional US mark in the 4 o clock position, is the motor certified to use in North Carolina? If the motor has the UL mark and an additional C in the 8 o clock position but not an additional US mark in the 4 o clock position, is the motor certified to use in North Carolina? 28. I have a Type V building with wooden trust system and a drop down lay-in type ceiling that is 3 feet below the trusts. If NM cable is installed within the trusting portion, is the NEC violated? What are the boundaries of the cavity for a drop ceiling? 29. Do we need to de-rate dc control circuits or low voltage dc circuits when there are more than 3-current carrying conductor s in a conduit? If yes, why? 30. EMT installed within a cooler that does not exit the cooler is installed without any sealant or compression type of connectors. The climate of the cooler should stay generally consistent at 0 F. Does the NEC require provisions be made to account for condensation?

Remember to Scan-Out in order to receive your Continuing Education Credit. Thank you for attending. We hope to see you next year at the 91 st Annual NC Electrical Institute April 7 th and 8 th, 2020.

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Tear this page off and place on table in the Back when you leave. NORTH CAROLINA ELECTRICAL INSTITUTE EVALUATION FORM 1. Did the Institute meet your needs? Yes No (please explain 2. What part of the Institute did you like the most? 3. What part of the Institute did you like the least? 4. How could the Institute be improved? 5. Other Comments: Are you an Inspector Contractor Other Use other Side for Additional Comments