Journal of Light Construction: Service

Simpler Solar

Fri, 6 Jul 2012 04:04:49 EST

Cost and complexity are the two main reasons you don't see a photovoltaic array on every rooftop in America (except in Seattle).

Duct Chases and Electrical Wiring

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 04:56:43 EST

Q: Is it okay to fish electrical wiring through the wood-framed chases built around hvac ducts and chimneys?

Q&A: Pancake Boxes and Ceiling Fixtures

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:04:13 EST

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 ceiling boxes, which will require additional blocking and more labor. He says that 31/2-inch-diameter by 1/2-inch-deep pancake boxes don't have sufficient fill capacity to make the electrical connection; is he right?

Residential Fire Sprinklers

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 01:14:17 EST

Your state may be the next to mandate these systems, so it’s a good idea to understand how they work .

Q&A: Are LEDs Okay in Closets?

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:06:07 EST

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?

Q&A: Burying Electrical Wiring In Attic Insulation

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 04:01:47 EST

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?

Q&A: Subpanel Bonding

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:01:36 EST

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

Q&A: To Bond or Not to Bond?

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:00:47 EST

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

Letters From the Editor

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 01:03:15 EST

From the editor; permeance of foam in unvented attics; electrical red flag; immigration

In the News

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 01:02:21 EST

Expanded AFCI requirements; trenching turns deadly in Southern California; nicad battery recall; more

Q&A: Does a Bathroom Fan/Light/Heater Unit Require a Separate Circuit?

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:00:25 EST

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?

Replacing an Electrical Service

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:57:04 EST

Upgrading service equipment increases safety and load capacity while bringing the house up to code.

Q&A: Moving an Electrical Box

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:57:29 EST

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 has been stripped from the cable and there's no slack in the house wiring, doing so would leave an inch of unsheathed - but insulated - wiring exposed in the wall cavity behind the drywall. Is it okay to simply slip a section of plastic sheathing over the exposed wiring, perhaps using electrical tape or heat-shrink tubing to hold the sheath in place?

Q&A: Bringing Two-Wire Circuits Up to Code

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:56:29 EST

Q. What's the quickest and easiest way to bring a two-wire circuit up to code?

Q&A: Limits on Outlets

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:56:07 EST

Q. How many receptacles can I put on a 15-amp and a 20-amp circuit?

In the News

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:43:01 EST

Lessons from Hurricane Charley; stray voltage zaps homeowners; building code comes to Pennsylvania; NAFTA panel slams U.S. on tariffs

In the News

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:32:31 EST

Nail gun accidents, California picks NFPA code, Minnesota stucco warning, mega-home tally, Business Tune-Up

Q&A: Insulating Around Knob-and-Tube

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:52:30 EST

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?

Notebook

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:21:42 EST

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

Q&A: GFCI Protection for Shower Lighting

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:49:27 EST

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?