ArtElectricHand

Residential Electrical Inspection Handout/Checklist

Generally, Alaska law requires all electrical work to be performed by licensed, bonded and insured electrical contractors or their employees.

Homeowners, within strict limitations, are exempt from electrical licensing.
An owner may perform electrical installation on residential property that is owned by the installer or a member of the installer's immediate family and not intended for sale at the time of making the installation.(AS 08.40.190)
All wiring shall be inspected before it is concealed and the installer shall notify the inspector when the wiring is complete, before the wiring is utilized and the associated space occupied.

A ROUGH-IN INSPECTION must be made before insulation, sheet-rock, paneling, or other materials cover any wiring. Underground wiring must be inspected before the trench is back-filled. Except for the final connection to switches, receptacles, and lighting fixtures, all ground wires and other wires in boxes must be spliced and pigtailed for the rough-in inspection!

PLAN YOUR WIRING PROJECT

This brochure is intended to be a general overview of residential electrical requirements. No claim is made that this information is complete or beyond question. Additional information and knowledge is needed to properly install electrical wiring that is essentially free from fire and electric shock hazard. For assistance, please reference authoritative publications based on the 2005 National Electrical Code(the NEC).

CALL OUR OFFICE AT 907-283-4732, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

General Circuitry

NEC 210.11 and 422.12 In addition to the branch circuits installed to supply general illumination and receptacle outlets in dwelling units, the following minimum requirements apply:

Two 20-amp circuits for the kitchen countertop receptacles
One 20-amp circuit for the laundry receptacles
One 20-amp circuit for the bathroom receptacles or entire single bathroom including lights, exhaust fan, etcetera, if in accordance with NEC 210.23(A)(1)and(A)(2).
One separate, individual branch circuit for central heating equipment

NEC 210.52 Receptacles installed in the kitchen to serve countertop surfaces shall be supplied by not less than two separate small appliance branch circuits.

NEC 300.3 All conductors of the same circuit, including grounding and bonding conductors, shall be contained in the same raceway, cable, or trench.

NEC 408.4 Every circuit and circuit modification shall be legibly identified as to its clear, evident and specific purpose or use in sufficient detail on a directory located on the face or inside of the electrical panel doors.

NEC 240.3 Generally, the rating of the fuse or circuit breaker determines the minimum size of the circuit conductor, per the following table:

Fuse or Circuit Breaker Size

Minimum Wire Size

Copper Conductor

Aluminum Conductor

15 amps

n/a

20 amps

n/a

30 amps

40 amps

50 amps

Note: Conductors that supply motors, air-conditioning units, and other special equipment may have over current protection that exceeds the general limitations in the above chart.

NEC 406.3 Receptacle outlets shall be of the grounding type, be effectively grounded, and have proper polarity.

NEC 210.52 Generally, receptacle outlets in habitable rooms shall be installed so that no point measured horizontally along the floor line in any wall space is more than 6 feet from a receptacle outlet. A receptacle shall be installed in each wall space 2 feet or more in width.

NEC 210.52 At kitchen countertops, receptacle outlets shall be installed so that no point along the wall line is more than 24 inches measured horizontally from a receptacle outlet in that space. Countertop & Island counter top spaces separated by range tops, sinks or refrigerators are separate spaces.

NEC 210.52 A receptacle outlet shall be installed at each counter space 12 inch or wider, and at each island counter or peninsular space 24 inch by 12 inch or greater. Receptacles shall be located not more than 20 inch above the countertop, or where mounted below a countertop less than 6 inches beyond the support base, not more than 12 inch below the countertop.

NEC 210.52 & 406.8 & 210.63 At least one receptacle, accessible at grade level and no more than 6.5' above grade, shall be installed at the front and back of a dwelling and shall have (in-use) covers that are weatherproof whether or not an attachment plug is inserted. Also if an outdoor air conditioner unit is installed and it is not within 25 feet of the required front or rear receptacles then it needs to have an additional GFCI protected receptacle installed within 25 feet of unit.

NEC 210.12 All branch circuits supplying 125-volt, 15 and 20 ampere outlets in dwelling unit bedrooms shall be protected by a listed arc-fault circuit interrupter.

Ground-Fault Protection

NEC 210.8 Ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection shall be provided for all 125-volt, 15 and 20 amp receptacle outlets installed outdoors, in boathouses, garages, unfinished accessory buildings, crawl spaces at or below grade level, unfinished basements, bathrooms, at kitchen countertops and within 6 feet of the outside edge of all laundry, utility, and wet-bars sinks.

NEC 680.71 & 110.3 A hydro-massage bathtub, (a bathtub with a re-circulating piping system, designed to discharge water upon each use) and its associated components shall have ground-fault circuit interrupter protection. Also needs to have a dedicated circuit based on the requirements listed in the manufactures specifications. Note:( If the tub has an in-line water heater installed it may require two dedicated circuits)

NEC 680.71 All 125-volt receptacles not exceeding 30 amperes installed within 5 feet of the inside walls of a hydro massage bathtub shall be GFCI protected.

NEC 680.73 Hydro massage bathtub equipment shall be accessible without damaging the building structure or finish.

NEC 682.33 All circuits rated not more than 60 amps at 120 through 250-volts installed outdoors for equipment in or adjacent to natural and artificial bodies of water shall have GFCI protection.

Wiring Methods

NEC 314.23 All electrical boxes shall be rigidly secured to the building structure.

NEC 314.27 Boxes used as the sole support for a ceiling-suspended paddle fan shall be listed and marked as ceiling fan rated, and not be used for fans weighing more than 70 lbs.

NEC 334.30 Type NM (nonmetallic) cables shall be secured at intervals not exceeding 4.5' and within 12 inch of each box.

NEC 314.17 The outer jacket of NM cable shall be secured to the box and extend into the box a minimum of 1/4 inch.

NEC 300.14 The minimum length of conductors, including grounding conductors, at all boxes shall be 6 inches with at least 3 inches extending outside the box.

NEC 300.4 Where cables are installed through bored holes in joists, rafters, or wood framing members, the holes shall be bored so that the edge of the hole is not less than 1 1/4 inch from the nearest edge of the wood member. If this distance cannot be maintained, or where screws or nails are likely to penetrate the cable, it shall be protected by a steel plate at least 1/16 inch thick and of appropriate length and width.

NEC 300.22 Type NM cable shall not be installed in spaces specifically fabricated for environmental air, but may pass perpendicular through joist or stud spaces.

NEC 110.14 Only one conductor shall be installed under a terminal screw. Boxes with more than one grounding wire, the grounding wires shall be spliced with a "wire tail" or "pigtail" which is then attached to the grounding terminal screw of the device.

NEC 110.14 Splices shall be made with an approved splice cap or "wire nut" and shall be made in approved electrical boxes or enclosures.

NEC 250.134 & 314.4 & 404.9 All electrical equipment, metal boxes, cover plates, and plaster rings shall be grounded. All switches, including dimmer switches, shall be grounded.

NEC 110.12 & 314.17 Unused openings in boxes shall be effectively closed. If openings in non-metallic boxes are broken out and not used, the entire box must be replaced.

NEC 408.41 Each grounded (neutral/white) conductor shall terminate within a panel board in an individual terminal that is not used for any other conductor.

NEC 200.7(C) Where permanently re-identified at each location where it is visible and accessible, the conductor in type NM cable with white colored insulation may be used as an ungrounded (hot/phase) conductor.

NEC 314.25 & 410.12 In completed installations, each box shall have a lamp-holder, canopy or device with an appropriate cover plate.

NEC 314.9 Junction boxes shall be installed so that the wiring contained in them can be rendered accessible without removing any part of the building.

NEC 314.16 The volume of electrical boxes shall be sufficient for the number of conductors, devices, and cable clamps contained within the box. Non metallic boxes are marked with their cubic inch capacity. Use the following table to calculate each box size:

Conductor Size	14 AWG	12 AWG
Each separate insulated wire	2 cubic in	2.25 cubic in
All ground wires ( combined )	2 cubic in	2.25 cubic in
For each device ( switch/receptacle )	4 cubic in	4.5 cubic in
All internal cable clamps ( combined )	2 cubic in	2.25 cubic in

Example:

8 insulated wires	18 cubic in
All ground wires	2.25 cubic in
1 switch	4.5 cubic in
1 receptacles	4.5 cubic in
All clamps ( combined )	2.25 cubic in
Total Box volume required	31.5 cubic in

NEC 410.8 luminaries (lighting fixtures) installed in clothes closets shall have the following minimum clearances from the defined storage area (see below):

12 inch for surface incandescent fixtures (these fixtures must be totally enclosed)!
6 inch for recessed incandescent fixtures (these fixtures must have a totally enclosed trim Example: shower trim).
6 inch for fluorescent fixtures.

NEC 410.8 Storage space, as applied to an electrical installation in a closet, is the volume bounded by the sides and back closet walls and planes extending from the closet floor vertically to a height of 6 feet of the highest clothes-hanging rod and parallel to the closet walls at a horizontal distance of 24 inches from the sides and back of the closet walls respectively, and continuing vertically to the closet ceiling parallel to the walls respectively, and continuing vertically to the closet ceiling parallel to the walls at a horizontal distance of 12 inches or the shelf width, whichever is greater.

NEC 410.8 Incandescent luminaries with open or partially enclosed lamps and pendant fixtures or lamp-holders are not permitted in clothes closets.

NEC 410.66 Recessed lighting fixtures installed in insulated ceilings or installed within 1/2 inch of combustible material shall be approved for insulation contact and labeled Type IC.

Electrical Services

NEC 310-15 CONDUCTOR SIZES FOR 120/240 VOLT 3-WIRE, SINGLE-PHASE, DWELLING SERVICES AND FEEDERS:

Copper	Aluminum	Service Rating
4 AWG	2 AWG	100 amps
1 AWG	2/0	150 amps
2/0	4/0	200 amps

NEC 110.14 Listed anti-oxidant compounds shall be used on all aluminum conductor terminations; unless information specifically states that it is not required.

NEC 300.7 Portions of raceways or sleeves subject to different temperatures (i.e. passing from the interior to the exterior of a building) shall be sealed with an approved material to prevent condensation from entering equipment.

NEC 230.54 Service entrance conductors shall be rain-tight and arranged to drain.

NEC 300.4 Where raceways containing ungrounded conductors No. 4 or larger enter a cabinet, box, or enclosure, the conductors shall be protected by a bushing providing a smoothly rounded insulating surface.

NEC 230.70 The service disconnecting means shall be installed at a readily accessible location either outside a building or structure or inside nearest the point of entrance of the service entrance conductors.

NEC 230.70 & 240.24 & 110.26 Electrical panels shall be readily accessible and shall not be located in bathrooms, or in the vicinity of easily ignitable materials such as clothes closets or in a basement or crawl space that has less than 6 feet 6 inches of headroom from floor to ceiling.

NEC 408.36 Plug-in type over current devices that are back-fed shall be secured by an additional approved device.

NEC 110.26 Sufficient working space shall be provided around electrical equipment. The depth of that space in the direction of access to live parts shall be a minimum of 3 feet. The minimum width of that space in front of electrical equipment shall be the width of the equipment or 30 inches whichever is greater. This workspace shall be clear and extend from the floor to a height of 6.5â€™. This space shall not be used for storage.

NEC 110.26 Illumination shall be provided for all working spaces about service equipment and panel boards

Grounding

NEC 250.50 All grounding electrodes that are present at each building or structure served shall be bonded together to form the grounding electrode system.

NEC 250.50 Permitted electrodes include:

Metal underground water pipe in direct contact with earth for 10 feet or more
Metal frame of the building or structure
Concrete encased electrodes
Ground ring
Rod or pipe electrode
Plate electrode
Other metal underground systems or structures.

NEC 250.53 A metal underground water pipe shall be supplemented by an additional electrode.

NEC 250.64 The grounding electrode conductor shall be continuous, securely fastened and protected from physical damage.

NEC 250.66 The size of the grounding electrode conductor shall be determined by the size of the service-entrance conductors, per the following chart:

Equivalent Size of Service Entrance Conductor		Size of the Grounding Electrode Conductor
Copper	Aluminum	Copper	Aluminum
4 AWG	2	8*	6
1 AWG	2/0	6	4
2/0 or 3/0	4/0 or 250	4	2

*The conductor that is the sole connection to a rod, pipe or plate electrode is not required to be larger than #8 AWG copper, however conductors smaller than #6 AWG require physical protection. *The conductor that is the sole connection to a concrete encased electrode shall not be required to be larger than #4 AWG and must be copper.

NEC 250.28 A main bonding jumper or the green bonding screw provided by the panel manufacturer shall be installed in the service panel.

NEC 250.104 The interior metal water piping and other metal piping that may become energized shall be bonded to the service equipment with a bonding jumper sized the same as the grounding electrode conductor.

Underground Wiring

NEC 300.5 Direct buried cable or conduit or other raceways shall meet the following minimum cover requirements:

Direct Burial Cable

Rigid or

Intermediate

Metal Conduit

Non Metallic

Raceway (PVC)

24"

18"

Residential branch circuits rated 20 amps or less at 120 volts or less and with GFCI

protection at their source are allowed a minimum cover of 12"

NEC 300.5 Underground service laterals shall have their location identified by a warning ribbon placed in the trench at least 12" above the underground installation.

NEC 300.5 Where subject to movement, direct buried cables or raceways shall be arranged to prevent damage to the enclosed conductors or connected equipment.

NEC 110.14 Wire splicing means for direct burial conductors shall be listed for such use.

NEC 300.5 Conductors emerging from underground shall be installed in rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, or Schedule 80 rigid nonmetallic conduit from 18â€ below grade or the minimum cover distance to the point of termination above ground.