going_commando
Member
- Location
- NH
Here are some ideas to actually make the code better, instead of reworking language to make it still nonsensical:
1. Delete 210.12 completely. AFCI is a waste of money, and they don't actually do anything. The first ones that had ground fault protection in them at least did something.
2. In 210.8 delete "through 250-volt" for receptacles. Trying to use GFCIs on inverter driven equipment is stupid, and a waste of time.
3. Delete GFCI protection for EVSE. They all have built in GFCI protection anyway, so all you are protecting is the branch circuit feeding the EVSE, which is stupid. Also delete the 3 phase part too. Manufacturers are not building them, so people have to do all kinds of janky stuff to make it compliant. We had to put in a receptacle for a 3 phase fryer, and there was an Eaton panelboard. We had to install a Square-D QO plug on 3-circuit can with a 3-pole 50 amp gfci. It was ridiculously expensive when all we did was pull an extra wire through a conduit to replace an existing 2-pole 50 amp receptacle.
4. Bring load calculations into reality. Namely, show window receptacles, recessed lights, track lighting, and lighting load calcs in general. Everything is LED now. Also allow a reduction in residential load if central heat/air is installed. If you have central air, you aren't going to have a window shaker in every room.
5. Get rid of the 2 ground rod rule if you don't measure 25 ohms to ground with 1. Ground rods don't do anything except maybe help the utility. Call 1 good, even though they don't do anything for your house electrical system. Around here they usually aren't 8' long anyway, since the soil is so rocky.
6. Get rid of the intersystem bonding jumper. I've never seen one actually used, and new installations are all basically fiber optic, so its not used at all. Its irrelevant.
7.Delete 805.156. See #6, its an obsolete ruling because fiber has replaced DSL, and only a tiny fraction of homeowners use a copper land line. Fiber and Cable both need modems (or whatever they call them) and they aren't installed outdoors.
8. Bring back the rule that lets emergency disconnects feed the service disconnect with a 3-wire wiring method. Outside disconnects are a good thing, but don't make people rip apart their houses to install a 4th wire that doesn't do anything for safety.
9. Ban pull-out style disconnects. They are fine for HVAC condensers, but are proven to be unsafe when using actual resistive or EV charging applications. Just get rid of them.
10. Get rid of the stupid pop up island/peninsula receptacles. They are junk. Go back to allowing receptacles in the side of the island. People accepted that even if they thought they were ugly. I was talking to a GC in Texas that says they just leave a coil of wire below the island to pass inspection, and then their electrician comes back and installs a receptacle in the side of the island. If someone wants to plug a cheesy triple tap 16 gauge extension cord into their side island receptacle and run a toaster off it, then that's their problem, and being stupid should hurt.
11. Get rid of the separate barrier rule for multi-gang meter packs. Anyone dumb enough to go flailing around in a live meter pack should feel pain for it. Stop making stuff more expensive because someone was a moron 30 years ago.
12. Get rid of the bonding rule for portable generators. No one drives a ground rod to hook their 5000w generator to when they roll it out because they lost power. It's a stupid rule that no one follows, and it confuses inspectors into thinking they are supposed to look for a ground rod.
13. Mandate minimum wiring compartment size for light fixtures. I just installed a few Lithonia 2x4 flat panel troffers and the wiring compartment was smaller than my thumb, but somehow its rated for 2 12-2 cables. You couldn't even fit 3 yellow wirenuts in it with the wires cut to 3" long. Make them follow them same rules we have for boxes or something. The 6" wafer lights I installed to replace CFL cans had far larger wiring compartments. It's stupid.
14. Get rid of the raintight fitting rule for EMT installed outdoors. Raceways outdoors are a wet location, so the wire inside is designed to get wet. Those things sucks, and for some reason whenever I install EMT outdoors, there are little gaskets and metal rings laying on the ground. It's very strange.
15. Fix 110.26(A)(1) for 151-600 volts to ground. 1 meter is 39.37" and 3'6" is 42". Pick one.
16. Get rid of the torque rule. I don't know anyone that follows it.
17. Get rid of the available fault current labelling rule. Most don't follow that either.
18. Get rid of more labelling rules. The labels are getting ludicrous and everything is plastered in red stickers. It's stupid.
There are plenty more, but that's just off the top of my head. The code has been getting more and more stupid every cycle, and I'm sick of it. Start deleting stuff, and changing with the times instead of adding more and more garbage on top of garbage.
1. Delete 210.12 completely. AFCI is a waste of money, and they don't actually do anything. The first ones that had ground fault protection in them at least did something.
2. In 210.8 delete "through 250-volt" for receptacles. Trying to use GFCIs on inverter driven equipment is stupid, and a waste of time.
3. Delete GFCI protection for EVSE. They all have built in GFCI protection anyway, so all you are protecting is the branch circuit feeding the EVSE, which is stupid. Also delete the 3 phase part too. Manufacturers are not building them, so people have to do all kinds of janky stuff to make it compliant. We had to put in a receptacle for a 3 phase fryer, and there was an Eaton panelboard. We had to install a Square-D QO plug on 3-circuit can with a 3-pole 50 amp gfci. It was ridiculously expensive when all we did was pull an extra wire through a conduit to replace an existing 2-pole 50 amp receptacle.
4. Bring load calculations into reality. Namely, show window receptacles, recessed lights, track lighting, and lighting load calcs in general. Everything is LED now. Also allow a reduction in residential load if central heat/air is installed. If you have central air, you aren't going to have a window shaker in every room.
5. Get rid of the 2 ground rod rule if you don't measure 25 ohms to ground with 1. Ground rods don't do anything except maybe help the utility. Call 1 good, even though they don't do anything for your house electrical system. Around here they usually aren't 8' long anyway, since the soil is so rocky.
6. Get rid of the intersystem bonding jumper. I've never seen one actually used, and new installations are all basically fiber optic, so its not used at all. Its irrelevant.
7.Delete 805.156. See #6, its an obsolete ruling because fiber has replaced DSL, and only a tiny fraction of homeowners use a copper land line. Fiber and Cable both need modems (or whatever they call them) and they aren't installed outdoors.
8. Bring back the rule that lets emergency disconnects feed the service disconnect with a 3-wire wiring method. Outside disconnects are a good thing, but don't make people rip apart their houses to install a 4th wire that doesn't do anything for safety.
9. Ban pull-out style disconnects. They are fine for HVAC condensers, but are proven to be unsafe when using actual resistive or EV charging applications. Just get rid of them.
10. Get rid of the stupid pop up island/peninsula receptacles. They are junk. Go back to allowing receptacles in the side of the island. People accepted that even if they thought they were ugly. I was talking to a GC in Texas that says they just leave a coil of wire below the island to pass inspection, and then their electrician comes back and installs a receptacle in the side of the island. If someone wants to plug a cheesy triple tap 16 gauge extension cord into their side island receptacle and run a toaster off it, then that's their problem, and being stupid should hurt.
11. Get rid of the separate barrier rule for multi-gang meter packs. Anyone dumb enough to go flailing around in a live meter pack should feel pain for it. Stop making stuff more expensive because someone was a moron 30 years ago.
12. Get rid of the bonding rule for portable generators. No one drives a ground rod to hook their 5000w generator to when they roll it out because they lost power. It's a stupid rule that no one follows, and it confuses inspectors into thinking they are supposed to look for a ground rod.
13. Mandate minimum wiring compartment size for light fixtures. I just installed a few Lithonia 2x4 flat panel troffers and the wiring compartment was smaller than my thumb, but somehow its rated for 2 12-2 cables. You couldn't even fit 3 yellow wirenuts in it with the wires cut to 3" long. Make them follow them same rules we have for boxes or something. The 6" wafer lights I installed to replace CFL cans had far larger wiring compartments. It's stupid.
14. Get rid of the raintight fitting rule for EMT installed outdoors. Raceways outdoors are a wet location, so the wire inside is designed to get wet. Those things sucks, and for some reason whenever I install EMT outdoors, there are little gaskets and metal rings laying on the ground. It's very strange.
15. Fix 110.26(A)(1) for 151-600 volts to ground. 1 meter is 39.37" and 3'6" is 42". Pick one.
16. Get rid of the torque rule. I don't know anyone that follows it.
17. Get rid of the available fault current labelling rule. Most don't follow that either.
18. Get rid of more labelling rules. The labels are getting ludicrous and everything is plastered in red stickers. It's stupid.
There are plenty more, but that's just off the top of my head. The code has been getting more and more stupid every cycle, and I'm sick of it. Start deleting stuff, and changing with the times instead of adding more and more garbage on top of garbage.
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