Pocket Guide to the National Electrical Code, 2002 - Softcover

Fischer, Marvin J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130422096 ISBN 13: 9780130422095

Publisher: Prentice Hall Ptr, 2001

Synopsis

In Pocket Guide to the National Electrical Code, 2002 Edition, author Marvin J. Fischer updates the industry's best-selling NEC pocket guide to reflect all 2002 code changes: new rules for receptacles, cord connectors and attachment plugs; new metric notation; and much more. Contains up-to-the-minute regulations for wiring, design, protection, materials, cords, cables, fixtures, heating, AC, refrigeration, transformers, capacitors, resistors, storage batteries, special occupancies, special equipment, and communications systems. The book is intended for use as a convenient reference guide for architects, engineers, electrical designers, electrical contractors, electricians, manufacturers, inspectors, teachers, students, and all those who use the code in their work.

About this title

About the Author

Marvin J. Fischer, P.E. has 40 years of experience in electrical engineering and facilities management. He has been honored as Engineer of the Year by the American Society for Hospital Engineering, and is past Chairman of several leading healthcare engineering organizations. He now serves as a consultant on codes, investigations, and construction, providing investigation services and expert testimony.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

PREFACE

The Pocket Guide to the National Electrical Code is intended for use as a convenient reference guide for architects, engineers, electrical designers, electrical contractors, electricians, manufacturers, inspectors, teachers, students, and all those who use the code in their work. The reader should have a basic knowledge of electricity and the National Electrical Code or be using this book together with other instructional material in the study of electricity, electrical design, and construction. This book is not intended to replace the National Electrical Code but rather be used with it. It is intended to provide a reference book containing those topics in the NEC¨ that occur most frequently to the user in his or her daily work experience. The Code topics are discussed in plain understandable English. The size of this book is such that it can be carried at all times where it might prove inconvenient to carry a copy of the complete National Electrical Code.

The NEC is probably the most referenced and widely distributed single electrical code in use today. It is adapted into law in most jurisdictions in the United States: town, village, city, county, and state. Most federal and state agencies adapt this code in whole or in part or refer to specific pertinent sections and paragraphs. Naturally, there are some exceptions. It is safe to say that if your work or profession in any way touches the electrical field, a thorough knowledge of the National

Electrical Code may be quite important, if not an absolute necessity.

Let us examine for a moment who might be using the NEC and for what purpose. The reader will note that it is not uncommon today to find one person falling into more than one category. Those people in the design professionÑarchitects, engineers, and electrical designersÑmust surely refer to the Code in their everyday work. Not only must the design conform to the Code theoretically, but practically the work must be capable of being installed in conformance with the Code so as to provide a safe installation. It should be noted that the National Electrical Code should be used as a guide for a minimum provision of an essentially safe installation. Adequate space must be provided, and proper wire size and insulation must be used for specific purposes. These are just a few of the many topics of concern for design professionals. All are aimed at providing safe installation.

Once a project is designed, it must be built. This is accomplished primarily by electrical contractors, their licensed electricians, and helpers. The National Electrical Code includes provisions for the proper installation and construction of electrical work. How to pull wire through conduit, number of wires in a conduit, color coding to be used, and where, how, and under what circumstances the various types of wire and cable may be used are just an example of the many areas of concern.

The supplies and equipment used in an electrical installation must meet minimum requirements that are enumerated in the Code. They must also meet a minimum set of standards, such as color coding and markings on wire and cable, thickness and gauge of materials, and voltage ratings. Hence the manufacturers are constantly referring to the NEC to ensure that their products meet the minimum standards set forth and therefore are saleable.

When work is finished, before being used, it must be inspected by the enforcing authority of the Code. It is at this point that many differences in interpretation emerge. Naturally, it would be nice if we could all come up with one meaning or intent for a given set of rules. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The inspector must be as familiar with the Code as any other person using it and in some cases more so. He may become the final arbiter before a judgeÕs decision.

Finally, let us not forget those who will take our place, the students and their teachers. The National Electrical Code becomes a useful instructional tool and therefore must be understood and used by the instructor and learned by the student.

It has been found that people using it need to refer to certain topics in the National Electrical Code more frequently than other topics. Some are of concern on a daily basis, whereas others may appear infrequently and then only when a special project is in progress. A copy of the complete National Electrical Code is a necessity and should always be available to the reader. However, a book containing a discussion of only those paragraphs or parts of paragraphs that occur most frequently, and one that is more convenient to carry than the entire Code, will obviously be an excellent aid for daily use. To add to the ease of use of this handy reference, it should be of a size that could easily be carried in a pocket and not take up space in a case. This Pocket Guide to the National Electrical Code was developed and written to fill that need and provide that convenience.

The topics and parts of articles, sections, and paragraphs of the NEC chosen for this book are those that the author felt would be most useful to the reader on a daily basis. Less frequently used parts of the NEC are noted by Article headings for reference purposes only. The material presented is not intended to appear as official interpretations or reproductions of the NEC by the author. Official or formal interpretations may be obtained only from the NFPA and through a definite procedure outlined in the Code. It is also recommended that the authorities having jurisdiction be consulted. This book refers to the 2002 edition of the National Electrical Code.

Edition details

• Publisher: Prentice Hall Ptr
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0130422096
• ISBN 13: 9780130422095
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 432