As the chair of my town's volunteer zoning board of appeals, a matter close to my heart. We're the folks who get to look like pricks when, because of the very limited discretion we have in interpreting the codes, we have to deny someone's perfectly reasonable request for a variance or relief from a decision of the codes enforcement officer.
But your shop would probably pass muster here, even if it were a commercial enterprise.
Thanks everyone for your replies! I ended up using the split bolts and some 3M Super 33 tape. I didn't feel like making another trip to the home center for the splicing tape but will pick some up for next time. I saw some terminal blocks at McMaster Carr but didn't think they would fit in my junction boxes.
My shop is in an industrial building so I think I'll be ok with the NEC with regards to multiple outlets in a greater than 50A circuit. But I never knew this wasn't allowed in a home. Good to know.
I fully agree that my 208Y (120V relative to ground) isn't exactly high voltage. But I like to pretend it is, and I'm still scared of it.
I own a 2002 NEC handbook (ie. codebook plus lots of pictures and text for laymen like me). It is good but I have a hard time searching through it. That PDF is sure going to make keyword searches easy. Thank you very much for posting the link. Regardless of whether Phillips is right or not in putting that file on their web page, I still saved a copy for my own use.
Thanks again!
An electrician friend explained the wiring codes to me thus.....
"it doesn't matter if your a nuclear scientist who designs and builds power stations and is perfectly capable of wiring something up - YOU know how you've done it, what the circuit will bear, and if you splice extra outlets onto a run, YOU will know NOT to overload it. Thats fine as far as it goes.
BUT - eventually, someone else will live in that property, they will have no knowledge of what you have done, what loading precautions to take. So, inadvertently, you have provided a potentially dangerous installation....
This is why there are standards codes...."
Andrew VK3BFA.
One of the most important things is grounding. Without a good ground on the machines you could easily be killed by having the machine itself being electrified by leakage or a direct short to the frame of the machine. You should always double check the grounding or bonding of the machine to the incoming ground.
John
Actually, I find that one hard to understand... The protection on the circuit (fuse, MCB etc) should be rated to protect the components in the circuit. Therefore how can one create a dangerous situation by overloading it?
Mark Rand RTFM
You're assuming that the overcurrent device is going to operate flawlessly at some future point. Good design and practice minimizes the chances that the circuit will be loaded beyond its capacity. Multiple safety factors are built in, and much of the code is written due to actual incidents reported to the NFPA.
Oversize wire is OK, 50A receps on a 30A breaker are not.
When I first started learning about this sort of stuff we used "rubber tape" first and then covered that with black cloth adhesive "friction tape" to handle any abrasion.
Vinyl tape wasn't invented yet.
Jeff
Yes and Western Union splices soldered, "T" taps on runs for drops. All sort of things the current crop of electricians would't know of. :-) ...lew...
We used to pigtail the ceiling box connections pointed downward, flux, and then solder with a swiveling solder pot heated on a pump-up gasoline blowtorch. Let cool, rubber tape and friction tape. Installed lots of turn-key switch lampholders on green drop wire and a lot of pull-chains. No wall switches, only one or two receptacles, typically for refrigerator and electric iron. Radios, etc, powered from ceiling light by screw-in adapter. Worst was boring holes and cutting ceiling box holes in heart pine with a keyhole saw while standing on a rickety ladder. The "good old days" when REA was extending lines in rural areas (late '40s).
Don Young
Your quite correct. The fuses etc "should" be rated to disconnect in a fault situation. How many dodgy fuse holders have you found in your life, with wrong size wire, or copper wire, nails, bolts, etc etc.
You cant fully compensate for idiots - all you can hope to do is statistically reduce their influence. Hence, published lowest common denominator standards......
BTW - fuses have been banned here in OZ for new domestic installations for the above reasons, as well as the highly variable nature of fusing current in so called "fuse wire".....
And I don't really care if people kill themselves, or burn their house down playing at far beyond their competency (it even should be encouraged, if they haven't had a chance to breed yet...) - what I do care about is me being affected by their negligence.
And to cope with this, I got a vague recollection that houses here have to have their wiring inspected and certified by a qualified, registered electrician before they are sold (not sure about this, anyone in OZ know for sure?)
Andrew VK3BFA.
Yep - just bought a roll of 'rubber' tape and a roll of Fiberglass. Both 3-M and good products.
Waterproof a connection and the fiberglass is high temp stuff for oven/stove...
I was in the process of building a rod oven but got a nice kitchen oven that was just the ticket - bench top - and temp control. 'Very large toaster oven' that was discarded when someone overflowed cheese in it and left a messy oven. I cooked it outside for a while - still smells a bit.
The Kitchen stove electric Calrod elements will now likely be made into a powercoat oven. There I'll use the Fiberglass to put some protection over the insulation tape.
Martin
Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Life; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
Jeff Wisnia wrote:
There are a lot of places around still without power line power. REA did a great job that is for sure - have friends that got power in the 50's. There are ranches here that have to generate it as there isn't enough wind to have a water well much less an electric one.
Martin
Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Life; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
D>>> When I first started learning about this sort of stuff we used "rubber
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