October 2007

Cover Story

Making Amendments

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Beck Ireland, Staff Writer

Although the three-year Code-making cycle for the 2008 edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC) recently closed, the dust has not yet settled on...

Other Features

Contractors Cast Wider Net for Estimating Help

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Tom Zind, Freelance Writer

In the construction world of logistics nightmares, impossible deadlines, and complex projects, the word has a benign ring to it. But as every good electrical...

Using State-of-the-Art Screw-Based Lamps

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By James R. Benya, P.E., FIES, FIALD, LC, Benya Lighting Design

The cost of high-technology lighting is widely acknowledged as a barrier to the greater use of advanced sources in retail and other commercial lighting...

Winning the Sales War

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Brad Dawson, LTV Dynamics

Be honest. How many bids are sitting on your desk at this very moment? Are you confident you'll win at least 80% of them? Besides a competitive price,...

National Electrical Code

Article 240: Overcurrent Protection

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant

Article 240 provides the requirements for selecting and installing overcurrent protection devices (OCPDs). Depending on your application, other Articles...

Illustrated Catastrophes

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist

As usual, never consider the following commentary associated with these photos as a formal interpretation of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Without...

What's Wrong Here?

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist

How well do you know the Code? Think you can spot violations the original installer either ignored or couldn't identify? Here's your chance to moonlight...

Code Quandaries

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant

All questions and answers are based on the 2005 NEC. Q. Where in the Code does it say that sharing a neutral is acceptable? A. Article 100 defines a multiwire...

Industry Viewpoint

The Art of Selection

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Michael Eby, Editor-in-Chief

On the surface, incorporating the concepts of selective coordination in the design of power distribution systems seems like a Why wouldn't you want to...

Market Watch

Experience + Knowledge Doesn't Always Equal Safety

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM

A journeyman electrician with more than 25 years of experience found out the hard way that decades spent on the job doesn't necessarily make you immune...

Industrial Ethernet Infrastructure Could Top $1 Billion by 2011

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Astudy from Dedham, Mass.-based ARC Advisory Group titled Industrial Ethernet Infrastructure Worldwide Outlook forecasts the market for hardened industrial...

Lone Star State Chosen for World's Largest Wind Farm

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Everything really is bigger in Texas including the new wind farm proposed by Shell WindEnergy, Houston, and Luminant, a subsidiary of Dallas-based TXU...

Product of the Month

Software Simplifies Residential Estimating

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Stefanie Kure, Senior Associate Editor

Bill Ruffner, president of Advanced Electrical Technologies, Plainfield, Ill., has discovered firsthand that necessity is indeed the mother of invention....

Forensic Casebook

The Case of the 120V Electrocution Mystery

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Michael S. Morse, Ph.D., University of San Diego

Although often dismissed by industry veterans and novices alike as trivial, working in proximity to live 120V circuits leads to the untimely and unexpected...

Lighting & Control

Exterior Egress Lighting Requirements

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Keith Lane, P.E., Lane Coburn & Associates, LLC

When it comes to egress lighting requirements, there is conflicting verbiage between the Life Safety Code (NFPA 101), the Uniform Building Code (UBC),...

Safety & Security

The ABCs of Fire Pump Installations

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Ken Granle, HDR/Jordan Architects

When it comes to fire pumps, there's more to designing and installing these units than meets the eye. As projects become larger and more complex, such...

Inside PQ

Observations on Supplemental Grounding and Bonding: Part 4

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By William Bush, Panduit

In Part 3 of this article (September 2007), we described how single-point grounding (SPG) is not nearly as straightforward as multipoint grounding systems....

Construction Watch

Southwest to See Steady Industrial Construction in Short Term

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Industrial Info Resources (IRR), Sugar Land, Texas, is tracking an estimated $45.7 billion in total capital and maintenance planned to begin construction...

Santee Cooper Unveils Innovative Net Billing Program

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Thanks to a new pilot net billing program from their local utility, some South Carolinians will not only have the opportunity to earn money for generating...

New Subcontractors Association Aims for Deeper Discounts From Manufacturers

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Live on the Internet for just a few months, Albany, N.Y.-based SubcontractorsCorner.com already boasts a full left-hand column of advertisers offering...

Market Insider

Hotel Outlook Has Five-Star Potential

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Stefanie Kure, Senior Associate Editor

A booming travel/tourism industry, the moderating cost of building materials, and a disproportionate supply versus demand equation are some of the factors...

Short Circuits

Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Homemade Flame Thrower Our forklift was having fuel problems due to sawdust in the gas tank. One day, my brother, who is also our lead electrician, along...