Are Your Streetlights Grounded?

by Pete Jackson

It had been raining and the sidewalk was wet. This had been one of those summer storms where the temperature outside was a balmy 78 degrees. So the children playing on the sidewalk were in short pants, some were barefoot. One of these barefoot children, eight-year-old Sarah, was chasing Eric when she slipped on the wet surface and started to fall. Sarah reached out to grasp the nearby streetlight to break her fall. But, as she touched the metal pole, she got an electric shock, causing her to pull her hands away and hit her head on the sidewalk. Luckily, she ended up with only some scrapes and bruises. Read more

Article 210, Branch Circuits — Part 2

by Randy Hunter

In this article we will continue where we left off discussing branch circuit requirements, picking up with 210.8, Ground Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. First, we must take notice that this is for personnel protection only. There are other types of ground-fault protection which will be covered later in theNEC. Ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection was first introduced in the 1968 version of the NEC for swimming pool lights. Since then, the Code has continued to embrace and expand the requirements for GFCI protection (see photo 1 for a typical GFCI outlet device). Read more

Old Traditions / New Beginnings — A Year in Review

by Chuck Mello

There is an old saying, "How time flies when you are having fun.” All I can say is that these past twelve months have gone by at light speed. Even though the time has gone by so fast, as I reflect back on this year, a lot got done; and, yes, overall I enjoyed my time as the International President along with all the work. I do want to again thank each of the sections for the kind hospitality shown to me and my wife as we were able to visit and participate in these annual meetings. Read more

Keeping What We Make, the Need to Store Energy

by Jonathan Cadd

While current methods used to produce energy are abundant, and the race for renewable energy is moving ahead at an unprecedented pace, what about the means to store the energy that has been generated, and the option to reuse this energy for another time? Read more

Solar Photovoltaic Installations

by Steve Douglas

Section 50 of the Canadian Electrical Code covering Solar Photovoltaic Installations has seen dramatic changes in the last year and a half. As a result of this action four new rules have been added, and all but two of the existing rules have changed. Rule numbers in this article are the rule numbers from the 2012 Canadian Electrical Code, and minor editorial changes have been left out. Read more

Ohm’s Law and Torque

by David A. Kerr, Jr.

In the course of my travels for many years now, it has become apparent that most electricians don’t understand Ohm’s law, watts and torque. It’s very simple. Electrical wires and connections need to operate at a temperate of no more than 60° or 75° Celsius. Read more

Grounded in Gratitude

by Steve Foran

Yesterday I got a call from a friend who thought he had an electrical problem at his home. He said, "I was digging in the flower bed out back and hit a heavy gauge green wire with a steel rod attached to it.” Read more

Editorial

When good ’nuff defeats the Better

by Kathryn Ingley

When my car began to run hot recently, I took it to a local garage with the hope that the repair would be simple and I could avoid the high costs charged by the dealership. The garage manager said we had two options: 1) flush the engine and change the oil, or 2) replace the oil pump, the timing belt and the water pump — with widely disparate pricing. When hope faded from my face, he added, the first option should be good ’nuff to take care of this problem, particularly since there is no history of overheating. Read more

Canadian Code

Maximum Circuit Loading

by Leslie Stoch

Maximum circuit loading is a recurring theme in the Canadian Electrical Code. Some of the code requirements are not entirely obvious without some head scratching. This article reviews Rule 8-104, maximum circuit loading which happens to be one such rule.. Read more

Canadian Perspectives

Installation of fire pumps — a bit of new information

by Ark Tsisserev

This subject is not new. There have been numerous articles written about the CE Code requirements for fire pump installations and about the selection of the conductors and overcurrent protection for fire pump feeders. Read more

UL Question Corner

Certified Ceiling Grids that Power Lighting Systems

by Underwriters Laboratories

Yes. UL certifies ceiling grids that power lighting systems under the UL product category Suspended-ceiling-grid Low-voltage Lighting Systems (IFFA) found on page 176 of the 2011 UL White Book. UL also certifies low-voltage luminaires and other accessories for these systems under the UL product category Suspended-ceiling-grid Low-voltage Lighting System Accessories (IFFC) on page 177 in the 2011 UL White Book. Both of these product categories can also be found on UL’s Online Certifications Directory at www.ul.com/database; simply enter the four letter category code (IFFA or IFFC) at the Category Code search field. Read more

Focus on the Code

Both dc and ac photovoltaic systems in a common enclosure?

by James Rogers

Where conductors from both dc and ac photovoltaic systems utilize a common junction box or other enclosure, are there any special identification requirements for these conductors? Also, where photovoltaic circuits are run inside a building (whether in conduit or not), can these circuits be run embedded within insulation, and if so, is there any derating of such conductors required? Read more