Conductor Clearance

[Dalehaldeman]

Is there a required distance for conductors(NM Cable)to be from attic opening or stairs?
I was just turned down in Lee county because my branch circuit conductors were with-in 7 feet of the attic stair opening.
HELP

 

[ryan_618]

Re: Conductor Clearance

See 334.23

 

[southernboys]

Re: Conductor Clearance

ryan what is a guard strip?

 

[bphgravity]

Re: Conductor Clearance

Hey Dale, I'm just north of you in Charlotte County.

Read 320.23 carefully. If the attic you are talking about has permanent stairs installed, the protection of the cables could be quite substantial. In most cases, the inspectors here in SW Florida only require the cables to be kept at least 6' from the openings into the attic space.

A guard strip is usually just a 2x4 or other suitable wood strip run parallel with the cable that prevents a person from stepping or leaning on a cable in accessible portions of the attic.

 

[southernboys]

Re: Conductor Clearance

thanks Bryan would you consider fold down stairs permanent?

 

[pierre]

Re: Conductor Clearance

Folding down stairs are permanent. A "scuttle" hole would require a ladder, so 6 feet from the opening of a scuttle hole would meet the requirement.
Fold down stairs access to the attic require the protection (usually in the form of a 2X4 or something similar.
Notice the requirement says; "...(7ft) of floor or floor joists across the face of rafters or studding, in attic and roof spaces that are accessible,..."
These guard strips will be required on the floor and the wall up to 7 ft from the floor.
OR
drill holes in the framing.

 

[LarryFine]

Re: Conductor Clearance

Understand that these restrictions only apply to cables laid on top of the joists (and the face of vertical framing within 7' of the attic floor), not to cables run through the joists (and framing).

In other words, if you bore holes for all cable runs within the 7' radius (6' for scuttle holes), and of course adhere to the 1-1/4" depth requirements), you need no other protection methods.

 

[LarryFine]

Re: Conductor Clearance

Beat me by seconds!

 

[southernboys]

Re: Conductor Clearance

thanks guys yet another code not enforced in my area guess Ill start enforcing it on my jobs now that I understand it.

 

[pierre]

Re: Conductor Clearance

"Beat me by seconds! "

Sorry Larry

Talk about a code requirement that has seemed to slip by inspections...now try to enforce this to the masses, make sure you are careful... let them know before you start wholesale enforcement.

 

[steve66]

Re: Conductor Clearance

I guess the romex running across the top of the scuttle hole in my house is a violation. That's one even the "home inspector" didn't catch.

Steve

 

[LarryFine]

Re: Conductor Clearance

Steve, there is a huge difference between building inspectors and home inspectors. The wires-near-scuttle-hole issue is something that should have been addressed when the house was first built (if applicable).

Home inspectors have lost a great deal of credibility as far as I'm concerned. In the last year, we've serviced two customers who recently had home inspections done and ended up with damage.


The first, a couple had just bought a house, which had obviously had an illegal 200-amp service upgrade performed as part of a central AC install. The panel was opened and had "appropriately-sized service cable".

Problem: the service drop, meter base, and meter-feeding cable were still the original 100-amp size. We were called because the POCO cut their service drop when a line-side meter lug burned in two.

We ended up having to charge almost as much as a cpmplete service change, because of all the repairs and corrections we had to make to pass inspection, which the POCO wanted brfore re-energizing: cable clamps, grounding, etc.

Oh, the inspection report was all pretty in a printed folder. Too bad the inspector wasn't qualified to do what he was paid to do. He did cathc one thing they all do: "double-tapped breakers". Whoopie!


The seocond resulted in a fire, because the new, unprotected 10-2 feeding a new water heater melted and burned. It took me a couple of days to really investigate: fire marshall report, POCO report, inetrviews, etc.

INo breakers ever tripped. I finally deduced that, due to hurricane damage, the service neutral became energized. Because there were NO GROUNDS(!), the water-heater-cable's EGC carried the entire fault current.

Again, we had to do a complete service re-install, this time with new equipment, and had to charge the customer extra, because insurance restores to pre-existing conditions (whether legal or not), and not meeting code.

In this case, there were NO cable clamps (even the service cable!), again no grounds (except the water-heater's connections to the piping), and, once again, the original 100-amp service components.


As I said before, home inspectors always find double-tapped breakers, which has to be among the least dangerous of DIY and/or incompetently-done electrical work situations. Too bad they don't recognize real danger. :roll: