Alphacowboy
03-31-2008, 08:21 AM
I'll start by saying, yes, I am NOT an electrician, but I will say, if it wasnt for rediculas requirements to be one in MN, I would be, but anyway.
My questions are on the new NEC 08 changes, primarily having to deal with the new Arch-fault requirements. My understanding is that all circuits must be protected by the new (highly expensive :() arch-fault protected breakers. No big deal, but he is my question. There is a house we are working on, that was a builders forclosure, it was framed, roofed, windows in, roughed in and insulated, and that is the point the builder went belly up. The customer is doing his own electrical, but had a few questions, and I said I would look into them.
1.) The Dishwasher and Disposal were both run on seperate curcuits, but was fed with a 14-3 romex run. I know you cant use an arch-fault on a curcuit sharing a neutral, so, what can he do in this case? Just use one lag only and put the Dishwasher and Disposal on the same curcuit and not use one of the hot leads? The same was done for the furnace and sump pump. Luckly, this was the only 2 curcuits in the entire house that were run this way, all of the rest of feed lines were done without sharing neutrals! :cool:
2.) Do GFCI curcuits also need the AFCI in the panel? What I mean is that the outlet will be a GFCI outlet, but do you have to put a AFCI breaker on the curcuit as well? To me this doesnt make sense, but I know that the AFCI is more of a precaution for drilling into a wire in the wall, to which the GFCI outlet is point less in this case. And in my understanding of the "need" for the AFCI was just that.
3.)Last questions has nothing to do with AFCI, but there is two leads that are run into the basement, one on one end, the other on the opposite side. All that is written on one of them is "WP", and the other says "Load WP". What the heck does "WP" mean? I am guessing "wall plug" as I have no idea what else it would mean. I was able to decifer the rest of the abbreviations for the home owner, but this one didnt make sense to me. I am guessing they are suppose to end up together, and are most likely ment to be the power for the basement lighting as well. (unfinished basement)
And contacting the original electrican probably wont happen, as they probably got stiffed by the previous home builder on the project, I am sure they could careless if they stepped in this house again.
With that said, I really hope that this housing slump continues to weed out incompetent morons like the idiots that started this house. It seriously is one of the worst framing jobs I have ever seen, I mean over the top terrible. No wonder this company went belly up in 06. This house has been sitting without siding and being finished for almost 2 years. Heck, its not even back filled yet!
Thanks for your help!
My questions are on the new NEC 08 changes, primarily having to deal with the new Arch-fault requirements. My understanding is that all circuits must be protected by the new (highly expensive :() arch-fault protected breakers. No big deal, but he is my question. There is a house we are working on, that was a builders forclosure, it was framed, roofed, windows in, roughed in and insulated, and that is the point the builder went belly up. The customer is doing his own electrical, but had a few questions, and I said I would look into them.
1.) The Dishwasher and Disposal were both run on seperate curcuits, but was fed with a 14-3 romex run. I know you cant use an arch-fault on a curcuit sharing a neutral, so, what can he do in this case? Just use one lag only and put the Dishwasher and Disposal on the same curcuit and not use one of the hot leads? The same was done for the furnace and sump pump. Luckly, this was the only 2 curcuits in the entire house that were run this way, all of the rest of feed lines were done without sharing neutrals! :cool:
2.) Do GFCI curcuits also need the AFCI in the panel? What I mean is that the outlet will be a GFCI outlet, but do you have to put a AFCI breaker on the curcuit as well? To me this doesnt make sense, but I know that the AFCI is more of a precaution for drilling into a wire in the wall, to which the GFCI outlet is point less in this case. And in my understanding of the "need" for the AFCI was just that.
3.)Last questions has nothing to do with AFCI, but there is two leads that are run into the basement, one on one end, the other on the opposite side. All that is written on one of them is "WP", and the other says "Load WP". What the heck does "WP" mean? I am guessing "wall plug" as I have no idea what else it would mean. I was able to decifer the rest of the abbreviations for the home owner, but this one didnt make sense to me. I am guessing they are suppose to end up together, and are most likely ment to be the power for the basement lighting as well. (unfinished basement)
And contacting the original electrican probably wont happen, as they probably got stiffed by the previous home builder on the project, I am sure they could careless if they stepped in this house again.
With that said, I really hope that this housing slump continues to weed out incompetent morons like the idiots that started this house. It seriously is one of the worst framing jobs I have ever seen, I mean over the top terrible. No wonder this company went belly up in 06. This house has been sitting without siding and being finished for almost 2 years. Heck, its not even back filled yet!
Thanks for your help!