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Eros

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I have a new residential construction project and the AHJ is questioning some installation issues. First, the smoke detectors being tied into the bedroom circuits the are protected by AFCI's. And second, the protection of lights located in the shower ( do they have to be GFCI protected off the dedicated bathroom receptacle circuit. Unfortunately I do not have my code book for reference so any help would be appreciated
 
I download the gfci to the switch for lights over shower or tub.
I dedicate smokes and carbon monoxide all interconnected.
If that helps, watch location of smokes.

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1964element said:
I download the gfci to the switch for lights over shower or tub.
I dedicate smokes and carbon monoxide all interconnected.
If that helps, watch location of smokes.

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I actually try not to dedicated the smokes on purpose. My thought is that if some stupid HO pulls all of the batteries and the circuit trips for some reason, they could feasibly never know if they're off, so I always put them on with something else, nonAFCI protected of course.
 
huh

huh

We install SD's on the bed room lighting circuit. There required to be AFCI protected. If your shower light is recessed with shower trim. GFCI is not required. Almost any thing else would be. You have to refer to the instructions the light came with
 
Eros said:
I have a new residential construction project and the AHJ is questioning some installation issues. First, the smoke detectors being tied into the bedroom circuits the are protected by AFCI's. And second, the protection of lights located in the shower ( do they have to be GFCI protected off the dedicated bathroom receptacle circuit. Unfortunately I do not have my code book for reference so any help would be appreciated
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Have you even asked the inspector for Code references?
 
Eros said:
I have a new residential construction project and the AHJ is questioning some installation issues. First, the smoke detectors being tied into the bedroom circuits the are protected by AFCI's.
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Some areas may have an ordinance that will not allow smokes to be on an afci. The nec does not forbid it so it is compliant there.

And second, the protection of lights located in the shower ( do they have to be GFCI protected off the dedicated bathroom receptacle circuit. Unfortunately I do not have my code book for reference so any help would be appreciated
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There is a light that requires gfci protection over a shower but I have never seen one in the real world, Almost all recessed can do not req. gfci protection when installed over a shower
 
2014 NEC 210.12(A) starts off with "All 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets or devices installed in..."

"or devices" was new to 2014.

Most other wording has existed since AFCI was first introduced into NEC - just the rooms that follow what I quoted has changed over the years.

Smoke detectors fit the definition of "outlet" and have always been required to be AFCI protected if in an area that requires protection - with interconnected smoke detectors that meant that the entire circuit supplying smoke detectors required AFCI even back when bedrooms were the only place AFCI was requried.

There is no NEC requirement for GFCI protection of lighting fixtures associated with showers or bathtubs. There are restrictions on types of luminaires permitted in those areas as well as luminaires that may have instructions that require GFCI protection in certain conditions. Those instructions primarily seem to exist with bathroom exhaust fans and fan/light combination units though.
 
kenman215 said:
I actually try not to dedicated the smokes on purpose. My thought is that if some stupid HO pulls all of the batteries and the circuit trips for some reason, they could feasibly never know if they're off, so I always put them on with something else,
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I agree with this philosophy.
nonAFCI protected of course.
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That's impossible to do and meet code unless you have some local amendments.
 
If HO pulls batteries and the 120 volt power is on he should get a reminder every few minutes that he doesn't have a good battery installed, so he is likely to turn the circuit off to silence that if he doesn't want the reminder.

We have freedoms in this country and Darwin's theory still works.;)
 
kwired said:
If HO pulls batteries and the 120 volt power is on he should get a reminder every few minutes that he doesn't have a good battery installed, so he is likely to turn the circuit off to silence that if he doesn't want the reminder.

We have freedoms in this country and Darwin's theory still works.;)
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Not as well as it should, IMO

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Eros said:
I have a new residential construction project and the AHJ is questioning some installation issues. First, the smoke detectors being tied into the bedroom circuits the are protected by AFCI's. And second, the protection of lights located in the shower ( do they have to be GFCI protected off the dedicated bathroom receptacle circuit. Unfortunately I do not have my code book for reference so any help would be appreciated
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As you should be able to see opinions and codes vary greatly on the subject of smoke alarm circuits. That being the case you really need to ask your local AHJ for the rules in your area. The NEC is silent on this.

As a side note these are smoke alarms not smoke detectors so nothing in NEC article 760 applies.
 
kenman215 said:
2008, been on it since 2010

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kenman215 said:
Things move kinda slow when any governing body is involved around here...

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They are kind of slow at reading and enforcing the content of 2008 as well, lighting outlets in rooms mentioned in 210.12 in all editions of NEC since AFCI was introduced need AFCI protection, unless they specifically exempted them with local amendments.
 
kenman215 said:
Things move kinda slow when any governing body is involved around here...

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Slow is definitely better when it comes to afci requirements. Speaking of that, you must have a whole lot of contractors being sued because you're still on 2008 rules. :roll:
 
kenman215 said:
Things move kinda slow when any governing body is involved around here...
Click to expand...

FWIW, I talked to an inspector last week about that, he thinks they might get out a new NYS residential code by the end of this year. If so, we're in for a 2-cycle jump. Will believe it when I see it.
 
Eros said:
I have a new residential construction project and the AHJ is questioning some installation issues. First, the smoke detectors being tied into the bedroom circuits the are protected by AFCI's. And second, the protection of lights located in the shower ( do they have to be GFCI protected off the dedicated bathroom receptacle circuit. Unfortunately I do not have my code book for reference so any help would be appreciated
Click to expand...

Smokes on bedroom afci circuit: there is no prohibition in the NEC. Do you have a local amendment?

Shower lights (ok, usually!) do not need GFI protection. Though if you do want to GFI protect them it doesn't necessarily need to be done from the 20a bathroom plug circuit.

RE: smokes being on a dedicated circuit. I'm pretty sure that is prohibited by the NFPA 72. It requires the smokes to be on a general lighting circuit.
 
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