From: hsc@sybase.com (Howard Cohen)
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Subject: Re: Exposed wiring and the NEC.
Date: 20 Aug 92 21:48:04 GMT
Organization: Sybase, Inc.

After I wired my shop, I had an electrician come out to check it out to see
if it met code.  After he stopped laughing, he told me a few things:

	- It really doesn't matter how high the cable is.  If the cable is
	  at risk of mechanical damage, then it must be protected.  He
	  said that a metal conduit (flexible or not) is sufficient.

	- He said that the definition of being "at risk of mechanical damage"
	  is based on what could happen in an accident.  He looked at my
	  shop and said things like:

		+ a piece of wood could come flying off your table saw and 
		  hit that cable there.

		+ That box on that shelf could fall off and strike that
		  cable up there.

		+ You could be working with tools at this bench and
		  strike that cable on the wall just behind it.

	- He said that I should have wired my entire shop with the kind of
	  romex that comes in a flexible conduit. He said it wouldn't have
	  been tragicly expensive, but it would have meant that I wouldn't
	  need to rip out all the wiring before the house could be sold
	  (unless I get some kind release from the purchaser).

	- He said that in a typical garage, you can get away with running
	  exposed romex along the ceiling or along the top of the wall.  
	  People do this to install lights outside their garage, or for a 
	  garage door opener.  The point here is that in a "typical" garage, 
	  there really is practically no risk of something flying up and 
	  hitting the cable up there.  So thats why its OK.

	- He said that a shop like mine would be considered an industrial
	  area, and would be subject to more stringent code requirements.
	  That is, what's OK in a home isn't OK in an industrial area.
	  Thats part of why he was laughing at my situation, because I didn't
	  even follow code for a home.

	- When you do use bare romex, be sure to use cable clamps.  These
	  things are dirt cheap, and clamp onto a junction box, outlet box,
	  etc. and clamp the cable.  This keeps it from sliding around, and
	  also protects it from being cut by the metal of the box.

He looked in my shop, at my exposed romex, and as I said, he laughed for a 
while.  But it was in good humor, and he did help me understand a lot of
stuff.

He did like the idea that all my circuits were GFCI protected, and that
I had separate lights and tools circuits.  

He left and didn't charge me anything.  But before he left, he pointed at 
my face and stared me down saying:

	"You turn the main power off before you touch anything in that 
	 fusebox.  Those two screws where the main power comes in -- don't 
	 touch those, ever. And be sure to put a cable clamp on that piece 
	 of romex you have running into the main power box.  If you don't 
	 PG&E will think whoever did this work didn't have a clue, and
	 they may think its a hazard and require that you get it fixed."

So far, I haven't replaced all the wiring (what a job!), but with GFCI's
it isn't such a big issue (IMHO).

	Howard

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Howard "I wood if I could" Cohen
  hsc@sybase.com  {pacbell,pyramid,sun,{uunet,ucbvax}!mtxinu}!sybase!hsc
  Sybase, Inc.    6475 Christie Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608, 510-596-3406 
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking