black tape on white wire

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Gac66610

Senior Member
Location
Kansas
The cost of a code book is no excuse.
It is part of the cost of doing business. .......

Just to throw my two cents in, I dont spend $80 on a code book either

Its an electrical tool, probably the most important tool we have, being a tool it is a taxable deduction

my company supplies them when asked.
 

realolman

Senior Member
The cost of a code book is no excuse.
It is part of the cost of doing business.

If you don't have a code book and don't know how to use it and work in an area that follows it, you shouldn't pretend to be an electrician or electrical contractor.

I agree with everything you say.:jawdrop:

I still think the reason people don't have one is the cost.
 

ActionDave

Chief Moderator
Staff member
Location
Durango, CO, 10 h 20 min from the winged horses.
Occupation
Licensed Electrician
The cost of a code book is no excuse.
It is part of the cost of doing business.

If you don't have a code book and don't know how to use it and work in an area that follows it, you shouldn't pretend to be an electrician or electrical contractor.
Apples and oranges. I have a code book, I buy a new one every, cycle, and follow it.......mostly.

I can have an opinion about what I have to do. That opinion is code books cost too much, very little has been added, and a lot of what has been added only dumbs down the code or benefits manufactures only.
 

tkb

Senior Member
Location
MA
Is $80 every three years going to be the difference between eating steak or eating beans? Really?
 

tallgirl

Senior Member
Location
Great White North
Occupation
Controls Systems firmware engineer
They cost too much for one thing.

Then don't become a software engineer. I think I paid $80 for my NEC 2011. I've spent about $300 in the last two months buying computer books for my son who is a EE intern this summer.

On the other paw, I own something like $2,000 just in meters and meter gadgets. That's ignoring hand tools, which is several grand more.

(Yes, kid made it out of high school and wants to be a EE ...)
 
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K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
You can usually get used code books at colleges for a discount. I got one for helping a guy in my PV class hook up a three way in his house and he got it used at the book store. He got it for a different class, we didn't need them for PV, but we did need two other books that were 175 bucks or so.
 

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
I'm a Doctor! I ain't buying none of them there stupid medical books! :weeping:

I don't think there is a National Medical Code.....

On the other hand, and I quote, "This Code is not intended as a design specification or an instruction manual for untrained persons.", so untrained persons would really have no use for a code book and thus, would have no reason to own or buy one.

:lol:
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
The cost of a code book is no excuse.
It is part of the cost of doing business.

If you don't have a code book and don't know how to use it and work in an area that follows it, you shouldn't pretend to be an electrician or electrical contractor.

I agree with everything you say.:jawdrop:

I still think the reason people don't have one is the cost.

Apparently your jurisdiction does not charge enough for reinspecting if you fail the first time. Here one reinspection fee gets you close to buying a code book. If that is not enough reason to buy one and use it there is no hope for you becoming a good electrician.

I don't think there is a National Medical Code.....

On the other hand, and I quote, "This Code is not intended as a design specification or an instruction manual for untrained persons.", so untrained persons would really have no use for a code book and thus, would have no reason to own or buy one.

:lol:
I'm quite sure there are standards for medical practices, and would not be suprised if they are not even more complicated to follow than the NEC is.
 

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
Location
Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
I don't think there is a National Medical Code.....

On the other hand, and I quote, "This Code is not intended as a design specification or an instruction manual for untrained persons.", so untrained persons would really have no use for a code book and thus, would have no reason to own or buy one.

:lol:

It is for trained persons!

So I gather that you have no use for it? "so untrained persons would really have no use for a code book and thus, would have no reason to own or buy one"
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I don't think there is a National Medical Code.....

On the other hand, and I quote, "This Code is not intended as a design specification or an instruction manual for untrained persons.", so untrained persons would really have no use for a code book and thus, would have no reason to own or buy one.

:lol:

It is for trained persons!

So I gather that you have no use for it? "so untrained persons would really have no use for a code book and thus, would have no reason to own or buy one"

I am confused, are you agreeing or disagreeing with what K8MHZ said?
 

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
Location
Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
I am confused, are you agreeing or disagreeing with what K8MHZ said?

I cornfused also. Bottom line. I do not see how you can be in the biz without owning or having access to a current (for your area) NEC.

I guess some think that an auto mechanic should work on a car using no manual?????
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I cornfused also. Bottom line. I do not see how you can be in the biz without owning or having access to a current (for your area) NEC.

I guess some think that an auto mechanic should work on a car using no manual?????

Not quite the same. Is there one manual that works for all cars?

Experienced mechanics only need manual for certain things like how much to torque the head bolts on a specific engine - note it may not be same for all engines, or occasional things they do not run into very often. Now today's cars are complicated enough there is probably more use of resources to help work on them then there used to be. The electronic diagnostic equipment of today also makes troubleshooting somewhat easy for many common problems though. Just plug it in and it tells you what the problem is or narrows it down to a small list anyway.

When will we have the day when a homeowner has electrical problems, calls a repair company, they come out and plug in a diagnostic machine into a port near the main panel or meter socket and it will tell them what is wrong and where to go to find the defective equipment?

Same goes for my use of NEC. Outside of using ampacity tables, raceway fill tables, motor current tables, and a few other items like that (and even some of the most common used parts of those tables I have memorized) I don't have to open the NEC for everything I do. But I do know how to find what I need when I run into something I don't know or am not quite sure about.
 

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
Location
Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
Not quite the same. Is there one manual that works for all cars?

Experienced mechanics only need manual for certain things like how much to torque the head bolts on a specific engine - note it may not be same for all engines, or occasional things they do not run into very often. Now today's cars are complicated enough there is probably more use of resources to help work on them then there used to be. The electronic diagnostic equipment of today also makes troubleshooting somewhat easy for many common problems though. Just plug it in and it tells you what the problem is or narrows it down to a small list anyway.

When will we have the day when a homeowner has electrical problems, calls a repair company, they come out and plug in a diagnostic machine into a port near the main panel or meter socket and it will tell them what is wrong and where to go to find the defective equipment?

Same goes for my use of NEC. Outside of using ampacity tables, raceway fill tables, motor current tables, and a few other items like that (and even some of the most common used parts of those tables I have memorized) I don't have to open the NEC for everything I do. But I do know how to find what I need when I run into something I don't know or am not quite sure about.

Fair enough. What is your source for info when you need it?
 
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