Freeze!!! NEC Police!!

[electricmanscott]

Looks like I have become the NEC police, at least as far as TR receptacles and AFCI's go anyway.

While at Lowes yesterday I asked the electrical guy where they kept the TR receptacles. :wink:

The look on his face answered the question. I explained the new code requirement and also the combo AFCI requirement. He went to tell the manager who he said was going to hit the roof, and I got the heck out of there. :grin:

Now more importantly...
I have a kitchen project comming up. They want no receptacles in the backsplash so I gave 'em the old Angle Powerstrip sales pitch.

http://www.tasklighting.com/ap/angle-strip.htm

Of course they went gaga for the stuff, then as I am sitting here about to price it out 406.11 smacked me upside the head.

No way the plug strip is going to have TR receptacles in it.

I called Task Lighting and of course they had no idea.
Same with Wiremold Legrand.


They both said they have to meet with R&D and see what the heck is going on.

Now I have to tell the customer that they really have no choice but to go with the backsplash receptacles.

 

[480sparky]

Is your area enforcing the '08 yet?

 

[steve66]

Have they already adopted the 2008 NEC where you live?

 

[electricmanscott]

Yep. 01/01/2008

Unless a job was permited prior to that date all work is now under the 2008 NEC.

I returned all my receptacles to my supplier the other day and bought all TR. In fact I have already installed a whole bunch.

Felt kind of goofy installing one as a replacement when the rest of the house is not TR.

 

[charlie b]

Now I have to tell the customer that they really have no choice but to go with the backsplash receptacles.

Is it an option to put the TRs upside down on the bottom of the cabinets?

 

[peter d]

Looks like I have become the NEC police, at least as far as TR receptacles and AFCI's go anyway.

While at Lowes yesterday I asked the electrical guy where they kept the TR receptacles. :wink:

I live in a border town with MA and neither the Lowes or HD right over the line in MA have the TR stuff yet. I think I may have to speak with the managers of both stores as you did.

 

[480sparky]

Big Box DIY stores like Orange and Blue aren't really interested in stocking material that is to current codes... they are interested in selling to homeowners.

 

[peter d]

Big Box DIY stores like Orange and Blue aren't really interested in stocking material that is to current codes... they are interested in selling to homeowners.

I'm not so sure about that. Why do they have a "contractor desk" then?

 

[480sparky]

I'm not so sure about that. Why do they have a "contractor desk" then?

Propoganda.

How much three-phase equipment can I buy there?

 

[peter d]

Propoganda.

How much three-phase equipment can I buy there?

You're joking right? Propoganda? I don't think they would go through the trouble of putting those desks in every store and creating a separate website for contractors just for propoganda. I think they have real interest in selling products to contractors. And why do they plaster signs all over the store saying "Attention contractors, purchase $xxxx minimum of (insert commodity item here) and get factory direct delivery to your jobsite!"

Look at the name on the store: HOME Depot. It's obviously not a place geared for the commercial market of for 3-phase equipment. Although someone told me they can order any piece of SQD equipment that you want.

 

[480sparky]

You're joking right? Propoganda? I don't think they would go through the trouble of putting those desks in every store and creating a separate website for contractors just for propoganda. I think they have real interest in selling products to contractors. And why do they plaster signs all over the store saying "Attention contractors, purchase $xxxx minimum of (insert commodity item here) and get factory direct delivery to your jobsite!"

Look at the name on the store: HOME Depot. It's obviously not a place geared for the commercial market of for 3-phase equipment. Although someone told me they can order any piece of SQD equipment that you want.

If Joe Homeowner thinks all contractors shop exlusively at Orange or Blue, then the contractor is paying too much. Big Boxes are retailers, not wholesalers. Do contractors shop there? Of course they do. But a builder who sells 200 houses a year isn't going to buy all his 2-bys there. He may buy a handfull in order to finish an urgent project, but that's about it.

The 'warehouse' look of the stores is also made to make common folk think they are getting 'contractor prices' on the merchandise. Look at the prices of many small items.... They're not ending with a 9 or two 9s....34?, 67?, $3.81... all designed to appear to be 'wholesale' prices.

Isn't that propoganda?

 

[jameselectric]

I suppose those guys that use the recepticles on baseboard heaters have to be sure they are tamper resistant as well.

 

[iwire]

I think a lot of contractors do use Home Depot, I actually get multi page advertisements in the mail from Home Depot aimed specifically at electrical contractors. It is addressed to me, not 'resident'. The only way they could have my name and address is from the state licensing board.

 

[celtic]

He went to tell the manager who he said was going to hit the roof, and I got the heck out of there. :grin:

Now more importantly...

I think you have deprived the readers of a very humorous story there :smile:

All work and no play... :wink:

 

[raider1]

The only way they could have my name and address is from the state licensing board.

You wouldn't believe all the crap I get in the mail from company's that get my name and address from the state licensing board. It is just another marketing tool.

If you have ever priced items at the big box stores you will have noticed that they use lead loss items to get you in the store, such as wire priced below what the wholesale houses prices are. When you price other items they are typically much higher then the supplyhouses. The local big box stores in my area are definitly geared for the typical DIYer.

I usually cringe when I go the the big box stores and hear the "advice" that the "experts" give the HO's.

Chris

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I just learned, from a fairly reliable source, that NC will probably not be enforcing the TP receptacles nor will they be enforcing 334.15(C) -- the crawl space part. Sorry Ryan.

 

[peter d]

I just learned, from a fairly reliable source, that NC will probably not be enforcing the TP receptacles nor will they be enforcing 334.15(C) -- the crawl space part. Sorry Ryan.

Will inspectors be turning a blind eye to the code rules, or is NC going to ammend the NEC? Officials who purposefully ignore code rules could set themselves up for trouble, don't you think?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Will inspectors be turning a blind eye to the code rules, or is NC going to ammend the NEC? Officials who purposefully ignore code rules could set themselves up for trouble, don't you think?

Relax, they will be amending the rule.

 

[peter d]

Relax, they will be amending the rule.

That wasn't clear in your post. That's why I asked.

 

[sguinn]

The HD in my town sells 90% white devices. I could count on one hand the amount of jobs I've done in the last ten years that had white devices. I spoke with the manager about this and told him that most all EC's in the area predominantly use ivory devices. He said that all stock was based on what was normally stocked in Atlanta. I let him know that his store was losing a ton of money by not asking local EC's, general contractors, plumbers etc. what type of material they used mostly.