ElectricianJeff
Senior Member
- Location
- Southern Illinois
Ok, I will be the first to admit I don't wire many new homes, nobody around here wants to pay you a decent wage to do them and I really prefer service, trouble shooting and upgrades because the money is much better and I find it a greater challenge. That being said, I did 2 last year and I am completing the rough on my first of this year.
This home is different than most, it is a single family detached home 1300 SF on a crawl, no garage, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and total electric. The owner is building this for rental on the rear of a lot where he has one of the several taverns he owns. The town is located right next to several large refineries and has a population of less than 2000.
Today I had the inspection of the rough-in. Here's how it went in order:
1. The inspector immediately pointed out that I had more than one NM under my staples. He told me that since 2005 the code would not allow more than one NM under a uninsulated staple. He then demonstrated how though the years as the wire moved it would wear through the covering of the romex and cause a fire. I told him that my understanding was that I could have up to 3 romex's under that staple and besides the fact that the bottle of my Gardner Bender MS-450-J 9/16ths Cable Metal Staples said "Uses: Secures 3 conductor, #10 and #12 nm cable" that I would need to rectify this "code" violation.
2. I put the panel in the master bedroom located between a window and the rear corner of the home. I really didn't like doing that but with no basement and no garage I didn't have many options. I had previously met with the POCO and put it where they recommended since this home was located at the end of a overhead run for them and the POA off the overhead service was extremely limited do to trees and other factors. The inspector at this time informed that his town is working under the 2008 NEC which strictly prohibits the panel being located in a bedroom. It was at this time that I asked him that considering the fact that there is no basement or garage where would he put it? He decided that he could live with it where it is at.
It was at this point that I question the fact that this little town was on the 2008 code. The county it's in is still on the '05. It was at this point the he informed me that he was an IE????? ( bunch of initials) certified inspector and that he keep his city on the most current code cycle. I thought "cool" ARC fault in the living room plus bedrooms which I was doing anyway, TR receptacles, I bid it high so I am covered. Luckily I hadn't done a bunch of shared neutrals like I usually do.
3. We head out to the meter socket. Everything good there but the "code" requires that the neutral be identified with white tape at all terminations. I said well good because the neutral doesn't terminate there it just passes through, unbroken. Wrong again, I was informed that because the insulation had been removed that according to the code it is the same as a termination.
I apologize for the long post in advance, but for anyone that took the time to read this I would appreciate any comment you might have. I have never wired a house to the '08 code, in fact I don't even own a copy but I thought I had a decent grasp on what was going on by following this forum as close as I do until today.
I did ask for code references and he told me he had the '08 code on CD and could not provide them to me. I have his email address but I'm sure I will do anything other than what he asks.
I feel way better just venting here.
This home is different than most, it is a single family detached home 1300 SF on a crawl, no garage, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and total electric. The owner is building this for rental on the rear of a lot where he has one of the several taverns he owns. The town is located right next to several large refineries and has a population of less than 2000.
Today I had the inspection of the rough-in. Here's how it went in order:
1. The inspector immediately pointed out that I had more than one NM under my staples. He told me that since 2005 the code would not allow more than one NM under a uninsulated staple. He then demonstrated how though the years as the wire moved it would wear through the covering of the romex and cause a fire. I told him that my understanding was that I could have up to 3 romex's under that staple and besides the fact that the bottle of my Gardner Bender MS-450-J 9/16ths Cable Metal Staples said "Uses: Secures 3 conductor, #10 and #12 nm cable" that I would need to rectify this "code" violation.
2. I put the panel in the master bedroom located between a window and the rear corner of the home. I really didn't like doing that but with no basement and no garage I didn't have many options. I had previously met with the POCO and put it where they recommended since this home was located at the end of a overhead run for them and the POA off the overhead service was extremely limited do to trees and other factors. The inspector at this time informed that his town is working under the 2008 NEC which strictly prohibits the panel being located in a bedroom. It was at this time that I asked him that considering the fact that there is no basement or garage where would he put it? He decided that he could live with it where it is at.
It was at this point that I question the fact that this little town was on the 2008 code. The county it's in is still on the '05. It was at this point the he informed me that he was an IE????? ( bunch of initials) certified inspector and that he keep his city on the most current code cycle. I thought "cool" ARC fault in the living room plus bedrooms which I was doing anyway, TR receptacles, I bid it high so I am covered. Luckily I hadn't done a bunch of shared neutrals like I usually do.
3. We head out to the meter socket. Everything good there but the "code" requires that the neutral be identified with white tape at all terminations. I said well good because the neutral doesn't terminate there it just passes through, unbroken. Wrong again, I was informed that because the insulation had been removed that according to the code it is the same as a termination.
I apologize for the long post in advance, but for anyone that took the time to read this I would appreciate any comment you might have. I have never wired a house to the '08 code, in fact I don't even own a copy but I thought I had a decent grasp on what was going on by following this forum as close as I do until today.
I did ask for code references and he told me he had the '08 code on CD and could not provide them to me. I have his email address but I'm sure I will do anything other than what he asks.
I feel way better just venting here.