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This video is the introduction to the NEC
I'm gonna get real with ya. I've been recording this video over and over
and over and over and I'm kind of tired of it already!
So here we go!!
Safety that's what the code is about.
Why is it about safety?
Well it's about safety because the codes were written based on people getting hurt or killed
or property being damaged because of something that somebody else did
electrically. That's why the codes were written.
Another good reason for having a code is so that everyone is working towards a standard.
Could you imaginge if everybody were allowed to come up with their own codes?
They'd probably just do whatever is easy. Probably not a good thing.
So now we all have to work up to a standard. That standard though is the minimum that is required.
Ya I know....It seems like we have to do a lot of stuff and it's only the minimum,
Imagine if you went over and above? Whoof?
I don't know it would cost a fortune. But it does keep us all in line...and that's important.
Because when you do a job, whether you are doing it for the company or....
I'm not going to say side work because I am not supposed to talk about it.
But say you were doing it on the side...for your family?
Ya you still need to follow the code and that's going to keep you in line.
Let's get into article 90. The purpose of article 90 is what? We discussed it in the last class....
It's the practical safeguarding of people and equipment. We're trying to keep people from
dying and equipment from exploding....That's what were doing
So what's the intent of the code?
Well the code book also tells us that. The intent is this.....
It is not an ABC 123
design and installation manual for untrained people.
But you know what?.....We're not untrained. So
we don't have to worry about that right? It is a good guide for me and you.....
to actuall take and abide by and it does help
us install things the way that they need to be installed.....Safely!
So the most important part of this article 90.2..hmmm?...
what could that be?....
How about the scope that's probably the part of every article that you've never read?
or never even thought to read. Well the scope is super, duper important....Why?
Well think about it, You gotta hit what you're aiming at that's what a scope is for
Right?
You get your rifle out, you aim at a deer, you use a scope...it's got to be right on
It's got to be accurate, it's got to be calibrated, it's got to be ready to go.
You're not going to hit what you're aiming at.
Well if you don't look at the scope in the article you are in you may not be hitting what you're aiming at.
You might find a code article that seems to apply to your situation
but you may be completely in the wrong code article.
You know what you can do? Look at article 225 and article 230.
Two completely different articles that talk about two completely different installations.
but the codes are pretty much the same. So guess what?.....You answer
with article 225 code on your code test when
it should of been 230, even though it reads right? It's gonna be wrong.
Scope.....IT's IMPORTANT!!!!!!!
So the scope tells us what's covered
what is covered? Well houses, that what we're doin. It also covers
other things like carnivals...and I know that weird ya carnivals, but
whatever....and it covers lots and yards and buildings
and you know things that normally we would think it would cover.
The things that it does not cover....well how about
ships...never wired a ship....
and...aircraft...never wired an aircraft
and mines either or automobiles.
doesn't work for this somebody else has a code standard for that.
If you want to figure out how to find things in the code...One...One of the best
things you can do is this...Understand how it's arranged.
It's arranged in chapters...Chapter one
what does that tell ya....I'm going to tell you. Chapter one tells you
that you have some general requirements that you must follow.
The first thing that it talks about is this...Definitions.
Second...Installation requirements... Unbelieveable, can you believe it?
General requirements. How about wiring protection?
Well that's chapter two. And we'll see a lot of that article for grounding
we'll see it for branch circuit conductors and for services. We'll use that
chapter constantly. Chapter three is wiring
methods and there's a lot of stuff in there. Especially table 310.15(b)(16)
That is our go to number one table that we are always looking at.
And thats the table that you're going to hear me talk about 60 degrees, 75 degrees, 90 degree
table and is also has a heading which is kind of the scope for that table
and we will be talking a lot about those things.
How about number four, chapter four. Equipment for general use
Lights, motors, all kinds of things
in that chapter for us in residential, All four
of those chapters put together though, generally apply to all electrical
installations. So no matter what kind of
wiring that you get into as an electrician you are going be going through
chapters one through four quite a bit. Another chapter that we will
use every once in a while will be chapter six which will talk about
pools and hydromassage bathtubs. It's a pretty good article
especially when you are putting in that kind of stuff. You reall need to
understand how to ground and bond those kinds of things. You don't want anybody
dyin' next to a pool. And then chapter nine
tables. We'll use it every once in a while but
most of the time that thing gets used for voltage drop.
because we want to understand our conductor properties and
that's what we are going to find in table 9. And then we'll go to annex c.
Annex C is an informational note but it's a really good place
to go to let us understand conduit fill for the type of wire
and the type of conduit we are putting in. So let's go to my
favorite article and probably every inspectors favorite
article. And that's 90.4. It says the inspector
is GOD. Well
it don't really say that but it's kind of what it means. It calls the inspector
Authority Having Jurisdiction. Which is whoever can
can red tag your job. Well
it goes on to say in that article that it is up to them interpret
the code the way that they see it. So don't argue with them
if that's what they want, that's what they get.
We move on to article 90.5 that
is rules that we have to do.
what are those rules? Those rules say shall and
shall not. Ya mandatory rules.
You have to do it or you can't do it.
The next set of rules that you are going to see in the code
are permissive rules, which are shall be
shall not be. Which are maybe or maybe not.
Well then we head in to
informational notes, which I told you is basically
what all the annexes are. But we'll find
informational notes all throughout the code which are pretty much notes that
give us best practices. They used to be called FPN's
or fine print notes. They are now called informational notes.
So my absolute
I'm lyin'. It's not my absolute favorite article
but it's a good one. Article 100.
Definitions. Ya...they are really, really important!!
You know you and I, we probably don't see eye to eye
on words we use sometimes and the code
definitely wants to make sure we are all on the same playing
field. So what it does is it actually
describes and defines a lot of words
in relation to how they are used in to the code. Let me give you an
example. Well maybe not a code example but a
a good example about why definitions are good. My son when he was in
Highschool one time wanted to stay out well a little bit later. But he
said he'd be home early so I told him sure that's fine.
I'm thinking you know, twelve o'clock his normal curfew is
is eleven so if he's home by tweleve I'm happy. Twelve thirty I give him a call
and......hey bud where are you at?
Well I said I'll be home early. Ya it's twelve thirty. Oh
ya, ya, ya I didn't realize that it's that late but ya I'll
I'm leavin' in just a few minutes so I'll be
home in a bit. One thirty, no kid.
Call him up.....Oh......ya
I was still talking to my buddies. I told you that I would leave in a little bit. Well you see my definition
of a little bit and his definition of a little bit, completely opposite.
My definition of hey, you know be home
early not his definition.
So what is your definition of something being accessible
and something that is readily accessible?
Really kind of sound like the same thing but go to your code book
and find out because I want to talk about those two things in the next class.
Let's also talk about these six words that we
usually use incorrectly. How about outlets?
Have you ever went somewhere and somebody said, hey go put in all of the outlets?
They weren't telling you the truth it was wrong. Wrong words.
They're receptacles. Or how 'bout
hey run that feeder over there for that air conditioner
Well feeder may not be the right word for that
depending on what you are connecting to on the other side. How about
Ground that or Bond that? Grounding and Bonding
Kind of sounds like the same thing. We use them
interchangeably but they're not. We always say the hot wire, the neutral wire
the ground wire. Ya that's not right either.
Ya it's the ungrounded the grounded
and the grounding wire. Ya pretty confusing
huh? Try to read that in a code article when they are using all three
in the same article. It is crazy. You got to start like taking
notes to figure out what they are talking about. Ya you didn't
realize it maybe but the code is written in
legal language. Ya they make it even difficult for even us to understand
Then what about a ground rod?....Hmmm
I'll bet your really not going to find ground rod but your probably going to find
grounding electrode in the code book.
Ya, I didn't get it either.
But once you start to understand how words are defined
and how we use them you'll definitely be able to use the code book
a lot better. So let me tell you this.
Take a look at these things that I talked about today
Take notes and then I'll see you next class.
Be Safe!!.