House Wiring

Click here for information about grounding and remote buildings.

If you are planning to wire a house or building, there are many
things to consider. The size of the service, the number of single pole
(120 volt) circuits, the number of two pole (240 volt) circuits, and
many other things.

To determine the size of the service, you need to know how

many circuits there are and what the load is for them, therfore the
service entrance is the last thing to determine.

Basically the average sized residence will require a 100 amp

service, if the home has gas appliances such as heat, water heater,
and cookstove. A home with all electric appliances usually requires
a 200 amp service. Article 220 of the NEC gives the requirements for
computing the loads. Also look under Electrical Circuits for these
rules and formulas.

Article 230-79 of the NEC states that for a one family dwelling,
the service disconnecting means shall have a rating of not less than
100 amperes, 3-wire under either of the following conditions: (1) where
the initial computed load is 10 kva or more, or (2) where the initial
installation consists of six or more 2-wire branch circuits.

(d) All other installations the service disconnecting means shall have a
rating of not less than 60 amperes.

The service disconnecting means shall have a rating not less

than the load to be carried, determined in accordance with article 220.

Article 230-71 states that the service disconnecting means for

each service permittec by 230-2, or for each set of service-entrance
conductors permitted by 230-40, shall consist of not more than six
switches or circuit breakers mounted in a single enclosure, in a group
of separate enclosures, or in a switchboard. There shall be no more than
six disconnects per service grouped in any one location. This means that
you can use up to six breakers or switches as disconnects without a single
main disconnect. More than six requires a main disconnect.
Article 230-82 states that equipment shall not be connected to
the supply side of the service disconnecting means, except for exceptions
1 thru 8.

Other than load requirements, the mechanical installation also

has it's rules. There should be sufficient working space in the area of
the service entrance and all live parts shall be enclosed, see Article
230-64 thru 230-65, which gives the particulars including a table which
specifies that the minumum clearance for 0-150 volts, under conditions
1,2, and 3 measured from the front of the panel, or if exposed, the front
of the live parts, is to be 3 feet. 151 to 600 volts under condition 1 is
to be 3 feet, condition 2, 3 1/2 feet, and under condition 3, 4 feet.

Article 230-54 states, service raceways (entrances) shall be

equipped with a raintight service head, formed in a gooseneck arrangement
to prevent the entrance of moisture. Service heads and drip loop shall
be above the service drop attachment not farther than 24 inches.

The service should be installed so that the service drop is not

less than 10 feet from the ground, 12 feet from a residence driveway or

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18 feet above a commercial drive and 22 feet above a street.

The service attachment shall be at least 18 inches from the roof

line 24 inch max and no more than 24 inches max from the service head.

The raceway (conduit), when penetrating the roof, should be 2 inch

rigid or i.m.c. conduit.

The meter on a residence should be of a height 5 to 6 feet to

the center from the ground.

The ground wire should be, a min # 8 copper unprotected and the
the ground rod 5/8 inch by 8 feet.

The minimum size equipment grounding conductors for grounding raceway

and equipment as determined by the overcurrent device in amperes:
Copper wire
Amperes Size
********|********
15 | 14
20 | 12
30 | 10
40 | 10
60 | 10
100 | 8
200 | 6
300 | 4
400 | 3
500 | 2
600 | 1
800 | 1/0
1000 | 2/0
1200 | 3/0
1600 | 4/0
2000 | 250 mcm
2500 | 350 mcm
3000 | 400 mcm
4000 | 500 mcm
5000 | 700 mcm
6000 | 800 mcm

The ground wire can be enclosed in conduit, but the conduit must
be solidly connected to the ground rod and the other end. Grounding shall be in
accordance
with Article 250, parts B,C,D,F,G,H and J.

The disconnecting means shall be nearest the point of entrance

of the service conductors at a readily accessible location either inside
or outside of the building. Outside disconnects must be raintight and no
more than six inside or out.

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 Electrical Circuits
My definition of an electrical system is:

A group of electrical circuits designed to safely

provide electric power to any anticipated loads in that system.

The circuits should be installed in a safe workman like manner.

Section 215-2(b) FPN No. 2. Conductors for feeders as

defined in Article 100, sized to prevent a voltage drop exceeding 3 percent
at the farthest outlet of power, heating, and lighting loads, or combinations
of such loads, and where the maximum total voltage drop on both feeders
and branch circuits to the farthest outlet does not exceed 5 percent, will
provide reasonable efficiency of operation.

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 • The NEC does not contain any requirements that ungrounded or
• grounded conductors be sized to accommodate voltage drop.
•
• Voltage drop affects the efficiency
• of the equipment, but is not a safety issue.
•
• The NEC recommends [FPN's to 210?9(a), 215?(b),
• and 310?5] a maximum of 3% voltage drop for branch circuits, a maximum
of
• 3% voltage drop for feeders, but a maximum of 5% voltage drop overall for
• branch circuits and feeders combined.

Each branch circuit must meet NEC requirements in determining

the computed loads:

Sections 220?(a), 220?0(b), and 384?6(c). The NEC

requires the branch circuit computed load for conductor sizing to be sized
at 125% of the continuous load, plus the noncontinuous load (100%).

The general lighting load is first computed at 3 volt-amperes per

square foot of outside area not including the garage or porches.

Table 220?(b), general use receptacles not greater than

20 amperes are included in the 3 VA per foot of the general lighting load.

The number of receptacles in the system are determined by the

locations of the receptacles. Each receptacle is rated at 180 va. A
receptacle must be located within 6 feet of any wall area measured along
the baseboard including around corners. This means the cord of an appliance
in the center of a 12 foot span would be able to reach a receptacle either
direction. There must be a receptacle within any wall space 2 foot of more.
There must be a ground fault receptacle in any bathroom. There must be
ground fault receptacles within any 4 feet of kitchen counter top and do
not install face up. There must be two ground fault receptacles outside,
one in front and one in back. There must be one ground fault receptacle
in the garage area. There must be one receptacle circuit in the utility
room for the washer.

Branch Circuit Calculations:

Section 220?(c)(6). The NEC does not have a specific rule

that says 10 receptacles on a 15 ampere circuit or 13 receptacles on
a 20 ampere circuit. For 15 ampere circuits, the calculation is as follows:
120 volts x 15 amperes = 1800 VA/180 VA = 10 receptacles, and for 20 ampere
circuits, 120 volts x 20 amperes = 2400 VA/180 VA = 13 receptacles.

• Many people think that when calculating the number of receptacles the
• load should be reduced by 80%, but this is not the case! Yes, the NEC limits
• the load on receptacle circuits to 80% for portable appliances [210?3(a)]
• and, yes, the maximum continuous load on a branch circuit shall not exceed
• 80% of the circuit rating (protection device) [220?(a) and 384?6(c)],
• but these rules don't apply to the number of receptacles per circuit. I
• wish the NEC were more specific, but it's not.

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 There are many Articles that apply to branch circuits, such as
210; Overcurrent Protection, 240; Wiring Methods, 300; Conductors, 310;
Appliances, 422; Electric Space Heating Equipment, 424; Motors, 430;
and Air-Conditioning, 440.

A summary of Article 220 branch circuit rules is as follows:

• Voltage for calculation shall be 120, 120/240, 208Y/120, 240, 480Y/277,

• and 480 [220?(a)].
• When a combination of continuous and noncontinuous
• loads are present, the branch circuit conductor is sized based on 125% of
• the continuous load and 100% of the noncontinuous load [220?(a)].
•
• Branch circuits to inductive lighting must be sized according to the
• VA rating, not the wattage rating [220?(c)(3)].
•
• The number of receptacles permitted on a branch circuit for commercial
• occupancies is based on 180 VA per receptacle [220?(c)(6)].
•
• The minimum number of branch circuits is determined from the total
• connected load. Example: An 1,800-square-foot house requires 3?5 ampere
• circuits for general lighting and receptacles, calculated as follows:
• 1800 x 3 VA = 5,400 VA/(120 volts x 15 amperes) = 3 circuits [220?(a)].
•
• A minimum of two 20-ampere branch circuits are required for dwelling
• unit countertop receptacles [220?(b)].
•
• A minimum of one 20 ampere circuit is required for dwelling unit
• laundry receptacle outlet(s) [220?(c)]. General lighting and receptacles
• loads must be evenly distributed between the branch circuits [220-4(d)].
•
• Branch circuit calculations for ranges, cooktops and ovens are according
• to Section 220-19 Note 4 in conjunction with Section 210-19(b).

There are many Articles that apply to branch circuits, such as

210; Overcurrent Protection, 240; Wiring Methods, 300; Conductors,

310;

Appliances, 422; Electric Space Heating Equipment, 424; Motors,

430; and

Air-Conditioning, 440.

Article 225 covers outside circuits:

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Article 225 contains the following requirements:

A readily accessible disconnect is required at the remote building,

located either outside or nearest the point of entrance inside [225?].

There shall be no more than six disconnects mounted in a single

enclosure, or up to six separate enclosures [230?1]. The disconnects

must be grouped and each disconnect must be marked to indicate

the load

served [110?2 and 230?2].

Article 225 does not contain any requirements for grounding,

but Section 250?4 contains the requirements for remote buildings

and

structures. The basic rule is that a ground wire is not required if the

grounded conductor (neutral) is used to ground the separate building

disconnect. However, a ground wire is permitted to the separate

building.

Article 225 contains the same requirements for outside overhead

conductors as Article 230 for overhead service conductors: The

minimum

clearance for the point of attachment is 10 feet but it may need to be

higher to maintain the minimum clearances specified in 225?8 [225?

6].

Overhead conductors must maintain clearances from ground and

roofs

according to Sections 225?8 and 225?9.

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 Wire Size Table
Only one of many, refer to article 310 of NEC:
Wire size is determined by the load computed for the branch circuit.
The load tells you the size of wire to use and the size of the overcurrent
protection to use. Use only 80% of the maximum current capacity of the wire
and the overcurrent protection (breaker or fuse).

TYPES:fepw,rh,rhw,thw,thwn,xhhw,use,zw
Check asterik note table 310-16
*************************************
| AWG | MAX-AMPS |
| ----------------- | --------------|
| 14 15 |
| 12 | 20 |
| 10 | 30 |
| 8 | 50 |
| 6 | 65 |
| 4 | 85 |
| 3 | 100 |
| 2 | 115 |
| 1 | 130 |
| 1/0 | 150 |
| 2/0 | 175 |
| 3/0 | 200 |
| 4/0 | 230 |
| 250 mcm | 255 |
| 300 mcm | 285 |
| 350 mcm | 310 |
| 400 mcm | 335 |
| 500 mcm | 380 |
| 750 mcm | 475 |

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 *************************************

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Wiring Hints
When planning the electrical wiring system there are many things to
consider, the location of the service entrance, the size of the service, the
number and size of the branch circuits just to name a few.

• Try to locate the service as near the kitchen and laundry

area as possible, to reduce voltage drop and material costs,
because, the maximum load is normally in that area.
• Install the service entrance on the end of the building
where the peak of the roof is, if the peak will allow you to install
the service with the 10 foot drip loop height below the roof line.
Because, if you penetrate the roof you must use rigid or I.M.C.
conduit and, if you stay below the roof you can use EMT conduit
which is cheaper by far and, the service will be attached to the
building rather than the conduit.
• Keep in mind the amount of load in the area you are in,
and the next area, dividing the load as you go so that you will
have a balanced load divided evenly between the circuits.
• You normally wont have to be concerned about the
minimum circuits required for a house, because, the baseboard
distance for the receptacles, the two circuits for the kitchen area
and, the laundry area one circuit requirement will usually cause
you to have more than the minimum number of circuits.
• Do not overload circuits; just because you are allowed 10
opennings for a 15 amp cicuit and 13 openings for a 20 amp
circuit, does not mean you have to put that many on every circuit.
Sometimes less is better, to provide for a more balanced and, a
lighter loaded circuit.
• Be careful to install the receptacle boxes the correct depth
for the type of wall. If they are too deep the receptacle screws
wont reach the receptacle and, if they are too shallow the
receptacle will not be flush and tight with the wall.
• Attempt to put all the receptacles the same distance from
the floor. They look good and it makes the carpenters happy.
• Install all boxes, panels, and conduit level and plumb.
Properly support all wire and conduit.

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 • Install the light fixtures in the center of the room or
overhead area. Mount them solid, ceiling fans are heavy.
• If there are more than six steps to a stairwell install 3-way
switches for the light.
• Leave enough wire in the boxes to make good
connections, about 2 inches below the wall box. If you leave
them too long there is too much waste and or, the excess wire
will crowd the box possibly causing shorted circuits. If you cut
them too short, you will have loose connections, from not being
able to properly connect the wires. The code requirement is 6
inches.
• Stay within code requirements at all times, if in doubt
check with the ruling authority, electrical inspector, or power
service provider.

 Article 210 covers branch circuits.

 Article 220 covers branch circuit feeders calculations.
 Article 230 covers services.
 Article 250 covers grounding.
 Article 300 covers wiring methods.
 Article 310 covers conductors.

 Article 37 Hazardous
Locations
Return to Reference Page
The purpose of classification is to provide safe rules for the isolation of ignition sources
from areas of ignitable or potentially ignitable materials.
NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE and NEC are registered trademarks of the National
Fire Protection Association, Inc., Quincy, MA 02269
Explanations, Rules and descriptions taken from the National Electrical Code (r)
Articles 500 thru 516. This page does not completly address the subject of Hazardous
locations. For complete rules and regulations you should consult the NEC (NFPA) 70
Articles 500 thru 516 and the FPNs, This article is an attempt to describe hazardous
(classified) locations as they are covered by the NEC.
Hazardous (classified) locations as described by NEC article 500-2 and the Fine Print
Note. Locations are classified depending on the properties of the flammable vapors,
liquids or gases or combustible dusts or fibers that may be present and the likelihood
that a flammable or combustible concentration or quantity is present.

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By the above statement we see that classifications are broken into three classes
(1)Flammable vapors, liquids or gases, (2)combustible dusts, and (3) fibers or flyings.
Each Class is broken into two divisions, Division 1 being the highest or most dangerous
and Division 2 being the lowest or not as dangerous level.
500-5 says that Class I locations are those in which flammable gases or vapors are or
may be present in the air in quantities sufficient to produce explosive or ignitable
mixtures.

Class I Division 1:

A Class I Division 1 location is one in which ignitable concentrations of flammable

gases or vapors can exist under normal operating conditions; or in which ignitible
concentrations of such gases or vapors may exist frequently because of repair or
maintenance operations or because of leakage, or in which breakdown or faulty
operation of equipment or processes might release ignitible concentrations of flammable
gases or vapors, and might also cause simultaneous failure of electric equipment.

Class I Division 2:

A Class I Division 2 location is a location in which volatile flammable liquids or

flammable gases are handled, processed, or used, but in which the liquids, vapors, or
gases will normally be confined within closed containers or closed systems from which
they can escape only in case of accidental rupture or breakdown of such container or
systems, or in case of abnormal operation of equipment; or in which ignitible
concentrations of gases or vapors are normally prevented by positive mechanical
ventilation, and which might become hazardous through failure or abnormal operation
of the ventilationg equipment; or that is adjacent to a Class I Division 1 location, and to
which ignitible concentrations of gases or vapors might occasionally be communicated
unless such communication is prevented by adequate positive-pressure ventilation from
a source of clean air, and effective safeguards against ventilation failure are provided.
500-6 covers class II locations; Class II locations are those that are hazardous because
of the presence of combustible dust.

Class II, Division 1:

A Class II, Division 1 location is a location in which combustible dust is in the air under
normal operating conditions in quantities sufficient to produce explosive or ignitible
mixtures; or where mechanical failure or abnormal operation of machinery or
equipment might cause such explosive or ignitible mixtures to be produced, and might
also provide a source of ignition through simultaneous failure of electric equipment,
operation of protection devices, or from other causes; or in which combustible dusts of
an electrically conductive nature may be present in hazardous quantities.

Class II, Division 2;

A Class II, Division 2 location is a location where combustible dust is not normally in
the air in quantities sufficient to produce explosive or ignitible mixtures, and dust
accumulations are normally insufficient to interfere with the normal operation of
electrical equipment or other apparatus, but combustible dust may be in suspension in

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 the air as a result of infrequent malfunctioning of handling or processing equipment and
where combustible dust accumulations on, in, or in the vicinity of the electrical
equipment may be sufficient to interfere with the safe dissipation of heat from electrical
equipment or may be ignitible by abnormal operation or failure of electrical equipment.
500-7 covers Class III locations; Class III locations are those that are hazardous because
of the presence of easily ignitible fibers or flyings, but in which such fibers or flyings
are not likely to be in suspension in the air in quantities sufficient to produce ignitible
mixtures.

Class III, Division 1:

A Class III, Division 1 location is a location in which easily ignitible fibers or materials
producing combustible flyings are handled, manufactured, or used.
A Class III, Division 2 location is a location in which easily ignitible fibers are stored or
handled.
Top of Page 0 covers boxes and fittings.

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