Cost and complexity are the two main reasons you don't see a photovoltaic array on every rooftop in America (except in Seattle).
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Q: Is it okay to fish electrical wiring through the wood-framed chases built around hvac ducts and chimneys?
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Q: To retrofit light fixtures for old plaster ceilings that will be covered with new drywall, I plan to screw 1/2-inch-deep metal pancake boxes into the lathe of the existing ceilings and hang the new drywall around the boxes. But my electrician wants to cut into the ceiling and install deeper...
Your state may be the next to mandate these systems, so it’s a good idea to understand how they work .
Q: A client wants to install LED light fixtures in his closets, but my local code inspector is hesitant to approve them. It seems to me that an LED fixture poses no more of a fire risk than a fluorescent light. What does the code say?
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Q: I know that knob-and-tube wiring can't be covered with insulation, but what about BX cable and joist-mounted junction boxes? Are there any restrictions on blowing cellulose insulation into an attic and burying the cable and junction boxes?
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Q: Is it possible to properly bond an electrical subpanel without running four-wire SER cable to it from the service-entrance panel? Some electricians have told me that under certain circumstances the subpanel can have its own ground wire and rod, while o
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Q. As a building inspector, I understand Article 250 of the most recent National Electrical Code (2005 NEC) to mean that any potential grounding electrodes available to each electrical service must be bonded together into that service's grounding electrod
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From the editor; permeance of foam in unvented attics; electrical red flag; immigration
Expanded AFCI requirements; trenching turns deadly in Southern California; nicad battery recall; more
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Q: Can a fan/light/heater unit be placed on the same circuit as the bathroom's required 20-amp receptacles, or does it require its own separate circuit?
Upgrading service equipment increases safety and load capacity while bringing the house up to code.
Q: On a current kitchen remodel, my electrician placed one of the electrical boxes for the countertop outlets too low. I need to raise it about an inch to clear a stone backsplash. There's enough stripped Type NM-B cable left in the box to do this without splicing, but because the plastic sheathing...
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Q. What's the quickest and easiest way to bring a two-wire circuit up to code?
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Q. How many receptacles can I put on a 15-amp and a 20-amp circuit?
Lessons from Hurricane Charley; stray voltage zaps homeowners; building code comes to Pennsylvania; NAFTA panel slams U.S. on tariffs
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Nail gun accidents, California picks NFPA code, Minnesota stucco warning, mega-home tally, Business Tune-Up
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Q. I am remodeling a 1920s house that has the original knob-and-tube wiring. I would like to blow cellulose into the stud cavities but am guessing that it's not safe to do that with the exposed wiring in the cavities. What does code say?
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NAHB pulls out of NFPA code process, new device for drying basements, California claimed unfair to nonunion apprenticeship programs, suburb’s no-step entry requirement dropped, Business Tune-Up, more
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Q: In a bathroom remodel, we plan to install a light fixture in a shower stall, with a switch near the shower door. Do the fixture and switch need to be GFCI-protected?