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Mike Holt
Mon, 2001-01-01 12:00
At EC&M, we know NEC issues are very important to our readers. Thats why weve dedicated a monthly
department to answering your latest Code questions and concerns. When you find yourself stumped by the Code,
just e-mail your question to mike@mikeholt.com for future consideration in our Code Quandaries column.
Q1. We recently moved a large circuit breaker to make room for some heavy industrial equipment. Now, the load
conductors will not reach the bottom of the circuit breakers. Instead of running new wire, the customer wants us
to back-feed the circuit breakerthey want us to make the line conductors terminate to the bottom of the
breaker and the load conductors terminate to the top of the breaker. The manufacturer of the heavy industrial
equipment insists we can connect the line or load to either end of the circuit breaker. However, many of the
electrical people at our facility believe the NEC requires the supply to terminate to the top terminals and the load
to terminate to the bottom terminals. I havent been able to find this regulation in the NEC. Help!
Q2. I have a question regarding the proper connection to a circuit breaker, and I cant find anyone who can steer
me in the right direction. I understand it is common practice to connect the line side to the top of the breaker
and the load side to the bottom of the breaker. However, if you have an underground service entering a CT
cabinet where the main breaker is directly above, why must you still wire the line side to the top of the breaker?
In this situation, its obvious where the line side originates. Doesnt the breaker function the same way whether
you feed it from the top or the bottom? Does the NEC cover this?
A. Yes. Sec. 110-3(b) states that listed or labeled equipment shall be installed and used in accordance with any
instructions included in the listing or labeling. According to Underwriters Laboratories Inc.s General
Information Directory, you must wire breakers marked Line and Load so the supply (line) terminates to the
Line terminal and the feed (load) terminates to the Load terminal. You can wire circuit breakers with no
Line and Load markings in either direction (see Fig. 1).
Q. I installed a panel on the wall of a bathroom in a commercial building where the distance from the front of
the panel to the toilet is 5 ft. Is it legal to install a panel in a commercial bathroom?
A. Yes. Sec. 240-24(e) only prohibits overcurrent devices in bathrooms* of dwelling units and guest rooms of
hotels and motels. Since this is not a residential bathroom, the NEC permits installation of the panel in the
bathroom. But be careful: Sec. 230-70 prohibits the installation of the service disconnecting equipment in any
bathroom.
*A bathroom is an area including a basin with one or more of the following: a toilet, tub, or shower (Art. 100
definition).
Q. If you secure a wraparound-style fluorescent fixture to a T-bar ceiling, can you run a cord out of the top of the
fixture to a receptacle located in the ceiling area, provided that the ceiling space is not used as a plenum area
13-12-14 4:01 PM
Code Quandaries
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http://ecmweb.com/print/content/code-quandaries-21
13-12-14 4:01 PM