Not just in print, the current issue of IAEI News is also available online. March/April 2010 is available now for you to flick through from cover to cover online! Try it out and give us your feedback. We would love to know what you think. But remember, you can’t collect a website…
If you were to open an unopened jar, does that jar still qualify as “unopened”? No one would argue the fact that the moment I lock an unlocked door, that door is no longer “unlocked.” I must confess that this author has yet to come across an uneaten piece of cake and left that cake [...]
Today’s demand for attention has brought on the need for signs to be more than just a display. Theses signs are designed for the potential customer to notice them and come in to check out the establishment. The sign might be portraying a message. Or it could be a show in itself. Let me take [...]
Let say, a designer decides to install a backup power supply for the IT network in the office, or to provide an alternate source of power to the sump pump in a building. Or a decision is made to have a standby power source for lighting in all classrooms of a high school. Or what [...]
Across the country and around the world, harnessing energy from the sun is becoming increasingly achievable for homeowners, businesses, and utilities alike. With an increased interest in solar photovoltaics (PV), comes a plethora of opportunities, as well as some challenges for the electrical industry. Amidst all the excitement and advantages of getting connected to alternative [...]
In the beginning Samuel Morse, in 1844, started the digital data communications industry with a 37-mile stretch of wire sending what became known as Morse code from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore. Remember the day? In early copies of the National Electrical Code, Chapter 8 was entitled “Communications and Control Systems.” Included in this chapter were [...]
ANN ARBOR, Michigan — NSF International, a leading public health and safety organization that writes standards and certifies products for food, water and consumer goods, today announced a new strategic partnership with MET Laboratories, the first Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) in the United States.
No discussion of PV systems would be complete without a look at the newest inverter technologies that the installer and inspector will face. These new technologies include the microinverter and the AC PV module. Microinverters The inverters that have been covered in the past several issues are known as string inverters because they operate with [...]
The services of the inspection community are of utmost importance to maximize safety and reliability. This is especially true when the inspector serves as the AHJ for the installation. This article addresses two such instances pertaining to fire pumps, one is covered by the National Electrical Code (NEC) in 695.4 and the other in the [...]
The 2009 Canadian Electrical Code is peppered with references to, and requirements for ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). For very good reasons, GFCIs have become prevalent throughout many sections of the electrical code. And usually without our knowledge, they have no doubt prevented many injuries and saved many lives. This article provides a summary of these [...]
“Where the cow won’t give milk anymore” is a standard lyric in old classic country songs; perhaps you’ve wondered why. Well, back in the early days many strange and downright bizarre occurrences happened on the farm, most of which were thought to be the product of superstition, bad living or old wives’ tales; but that [...]
Question I have an old panelboard made by a company that was sold and no longer produces panelboards or circuit breakers under their old name. How do I find circuit breakers listed for use in the panel when the manufacturer is no longer in business, can I use any circuit breaker that fits?
Question When is the UL White Book published every year?
Question Does UL have any additional information available to AHJs or installers regarding installations of photovoltaic systems, wind turbines and other alternative power source equipment?
Despite more than two hundred years of avid domestication, electricity is neither docile nor submissive. Underneath, it remains wild, unyielding and deadly; daring any to unmask its hidden dangers. Unperceived and unsuspected, these dangers lie in concealment, without motion, for long periods of time before savagely attacking. Then it is often too late. Identifying these [...]
