Article 680 Outlet distances

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Daniel Palmquist

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Las Vegas, Nevada, and California
I am preparing for the CA General Electrician Exam and am currently Licensed in Clark County Nevada. I am looking over a study guide and there are some questions from Article 680 that are baffling me.

On a permanently installed fountain what is the distance that an outlet shall be permitted from the inside wall? A. 5' - 8' B 6' - 10' C. 5' - 10' D 3' - 6

I read article 680 up and down and even took a look at Mike Holt's illustrated guide for 680 and nothing that definitively answers the question.

Where a permanently installed pool is installed at a dwelling unit, what is the required distance from the inside wall of the pool that a receptacle will be installed? A 10' - 20' B 10' - 30' C 5' - 15' D 8' - 12.

Thank you in advance for your help and if anyone has any pointers for the CA General Electrician test I would really appreciate it! Thanks!
 
Daniel Palmquist said:
On a permanently installed fountain what is the distance that an outlet shall be permitted from the inside wall? A. 5' - 8' B 6' - 10' C. 5' - 10' D 3' - 6
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IMO, none of the above as there is nothing in rt. 680 part I and V that restrict an outlet of any sort from being near a fountain. Any receptacle within 20 feet must be GFCI protected.

Where a permanently installed pool is installed at a dwelling unit, what is the required distance from the inside wall of the pool that a receptacle will be installed? A 10' - 20' B 10' - 30' C 5' - 15' D 8' - 12.
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Another question that is worthless. Minimum distance is 6' so I am not sure what this section is asking.

If these are valid question then there must be amendments in California to the NEC.
 
It is a poorly worded question, is the outlet for the fountain pump? Or for a general purpose outlet? I'm licenced in CA and I don't get the question.:slaphead:
 
Dennis Alwon said:
IMO, none of the above as there is nothing in rt. 680 part I and V that restrict an outlet of any sort from being near a fountain. Any receptacle within 20 feet must be GFCI protected.

Another question that is worthless. Minimum distance is 6' so I am not sure what this section is asking.

If these are valid question then there must be amendments in California to the NEC.
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Remember that it was 10' it changed in the 2008 NEC which is what we are under, so if he is looking at a study guide, it probably hasn't been updated.

Then look at 680.58 for the fountain receptacle, but it only says that any receptacle within 20' of the fountain need to be GFCI protected.

I try to tell people to be careful when testing, a lot of times it's not what you think the answer is but what the instructor thinks the answer is, but don't be afraid to question the answer either. I had the same problem when I was studying for my contractors license. Many of the answers on the practice tests were wrong. The thing is, if you fail, they don't tell you which questions you missed so it's hard to fight it and if you pass they don't tell you what your score is. I may have gotten 100% for all I know, I mean I know I didn't, but who's gonna argue.
 
cowboyjwc said:
Remember that it was 10' it changed in the 2008 NEC which is what we are under, so if he is looking at a study guide, it probably hasn't been updated.
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It was 5 feet minimum from the pool and 10 feet max. They changed it to 6' and anything within 20' had to be GFCI. So the question is not correct. If they meant minimum distance and max then 5 to 10' (C) may have been the answer at one time.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
It was 5 feet minimum from the pool and 10 feet max. They changed it to 6' and anything within 20' had to be GFCI. So the question is not correct. If they meant minimum distance and max then 5 to 10' (C) may have been the answer at one time.
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Those were receptacles for the water pump motor. the code for a receptacle was a minimum of 10' but not more than 20' from the inside wall of the pool so originally the answer would have been answer "A" on the question he asked. Now it is minimum 6', maximum 20'.
 
cowboyjwc said:
Those were receptacles for the water pump motor. the code for a receptacle was a minimum of 10' but not more than 20' from the inside wall of the pool so originally the answer would have been answer "A" on the question he asked. Now it is minimum 6', maximum 20'.
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I stand corrected. Had the book here and didn't check. :thumbsup:
 
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