# learning the nec



## platypuselectrician (Apr 2, 2017)

Hi 
I am new to the trade and trying to find some answers for a homework assignment in nec, I have looked up key words, but I am still stuck. Any suggestions as to what my next step should be to finish my homework?
Thanks


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## telsa (May 22, 2015)

We don't get many monotremes in this forum.


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

platypuselectrician said:


> Hi
> I am new to the trade and trying to find some answers for a homework assignment in nec, I have looked up key words, but I am still stuck. Any suggestions as to what my next step should be to finish my homework?
> Thanks


1. Familiarize yourself with the appropriate sections.

2. If you post an actual question, you may get an answer :thumbsup:

3. There are many very talented sparkies here, but none of them have ESP:no:


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## 3DDesign (Oct 25, 2014)

It took a year to read it, starting on Page 1.


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## Bird dog (Oct 27, 2015)

3DDesign said:


> It took a year to read it, starting on Page 1.


You're a masochist. :laughing:


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## telsa (May 22, 2015)

Bird dog said:


> You're a masochist. :laughing:


Insomniac.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

platypuselectrician said:


> Hi
> I am new to the trade and trying to find some answers for a homework assignment in nec, I have looked up key words, but I am still stuck. Any suggestions as to what my next step should be to finish my homework?
> Thanks


Welcome aboard! 

Try posting an actual question and you may just get a good answer.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

I try to look at it as little as possible. It's a miracle I don't have more fires.


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Majewski said:


> I try to look at it as little as possible. It's a miracle I don't have more fires.


Would you see the fire from your place ?

:whistling2:


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## platypuselectrician (Apr 2, 2017)

So with having 8 unanswered questions I didn't want it to seem like I was asking ya'll to finish my homework. Thanks


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

emtnut said:


> Would you see the fire from your place ?
> 
> :whistling2:


Well no, I don't look out the windows.


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## Bird dog (Oct 27, 2015)

We aren't here to do that. Give us one question at a time & tell us what you did to try to find the answer.


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## ElectricMatt (Dec 29, 2016)

What program are you in, out of curiosity?


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## kg7879 (Feb 3, 2014)

Check out article 100, 210, and 314 for your top pic. The bottom pic is up to you.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

platypuselectrician said:


> Hi
> I am new to the trade and trying to find some answers for a homework assignment in nec, I have looked up key words, but I am still stuck. Any suggestions as to what my next step should be to finish my homework?
> Thanks


Do you have any Key Word Indexes like Tom Henry's?


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

kg7879 said:


> Check out article 100, 210, and 314 for your top pic. The bottom pic is up to you.


Agree these SHOULD be simple to locate, not just for us but for any aspiring electrician.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

getting to know the NEC is a daunting task, at first (for anyone).

It helps if you have a study guide, or practice exam guide for each section, so that as you read through it you can test yourself on your comprehension of the sections (regardless of computations). This, along with a personal notebook of your own indicating what the section contains, can help you to start familiarizing yourself with what items are contained in each section. After doing many, many tests, you will begin to remember where things are in the book.

An index guide can help, but if you don't do the reading and self study you will never be proficient at finding what you are looking for, nor will you have a grasp of the code.

It took me a year of studying at least 20 hours a month to feel like I had a fairly good handle on the book (I used Holt's exam prep - I wasn't lucky enough to do an apprenticeship). your results may vary.


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

13- current, voltage, and temp
Quick google search 

Before searching, I zoned in on environment and thought it would of been buried, wet locations....




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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

One needs to carry the NEC with them, with constant '_neck up_' application Platty>>>>


https://youtu.be/YgYEuJ5u1K0?t=18

:jester:

~CS~


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## platypuselectrician (Apr 2, 2017)

Sounds like a index guide would be useful for me to use. But either way do I just keep looking up key words until I find what I am looking for?


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

yes......in the NEC index.....~CS~


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## Semi-Ret Electrician (Nov 10, 2011)

Learning the first Codebook is a bear.
After a few cycles it gets easier
Better yet teach it, you will learn more than any student!


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## platypuselectrician (Apr 2, 2017)

so I am down to two questions number 7 and number 13. For number 7 314.27(A)1 has some phrases that fit, but it does not give the number of inches. 
For number 13 I have looked up all key words that I could in my code book, but I have not even got close. Since I don't have a key word index(it has shipped), can I have some more GUIDANCE as to how I can research these two questions?

7. A luminaire that weighs more than 6 pounds (3 kg) or exceeds in. in any Direction shall not be supported by the screw shell of a lamp holder. 

13. Lumineers that shall be wired with conductors having insulation suitable for the environmental conditions , and to which the conductor will be subject. 

thanks


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

Scroll back, i gave you 13

All it took was a simple google search

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## manchestersparky (Mar 25, 2007)

Slowly read those questions !! 
What are they asking you about ?
Hint : what is the main subject of each sentence .............


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

I found the answere too 7 as well
Took me back too this site and mentioned someone using 4 magnets as a means of securing. Lol

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## telsa (May 22, 2015)

platypuselectrician said:


> So with having 8 unanswered questions I didn't want it to seem like I was asking ya'll to finish my homework. Thanks


Those a pretty easy questions.

Hit the books...* or review the back threads here at ET.*


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## platypuselectrician (Apr 2, 2017)

trentonmakes said:


> Scroll back, i gave you 13
> 
> All it took was a simple google search
> 
> Sent from my LG-K550 using Tapatalk



So how did you know what to google search?


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## kg7879 (Feb 3, 2014)

platypuselectrician said:


> So how did you know what to google search?


Google is nice and all but if your state has license exam they will not let you go to Google to get an answer. So that should be the last resort. 

We need to clear some things up. What code year are you using and what year are you in your apprenticeship?


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## kg7879 (Feb 3, 2014)

platypuselectrician said:


> So how did you know what to google search?


I am sure he just googled the actual question and it probably came up. I didn't notice question 13 when I gave you hints to your other questions. 

To find stuff in the code book you need tabs and you need further organization. 
For my state test I wrote every part number at the top of the page and highlighted it a certain color. In the table of contents I highlighted the corresponding part number the same color. This allowed me to quickly move around to the right part of an article. It is basically breaking down the code book into easier chunks of info. 

Look at question 13 and think about what the clues are. There are basically two words in that question that really point you in the right direction and one of those words essentially gets repeated 3 or four times.


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## platypuselectrician (Apr 2, 2017)

So I am 6 months in to the first year of my apprenticeship and I am using NEC 2014. I also found the answer to both questions. Part of my problem was that I was not looking up the right key words in the index. Could someone clarify note 4 of table 220.55? Is it saying that one cooktop and one oven can be counted as one range? If so then, would one cooktop with two ovens be counted as two appliances?


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## manchestersparky (Mar 25, 2007)

2014 Table 220.55 Note 4 :

4. Branch-Circuit Load. It shall be permissible to calculate the branch-circuit load for one range in accordance with Table 220.55. The branch circuit load for one wall-mounted oven or one counter-mounted cooking unit shall be the nameplate rating of the appliance. The branch-circuit load for a counter-mounted cooking unit and not more than two wall-mounted ovens. all supplied from a single branch circuit and located in the same room, shall be calculated by adding the nameplate rating of the individual appliances and treating this total as equivalent to one range.


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## kg7879 (Feb 3, 2014)

platypuselectrician said:


> So I am 6 months in to the first year of my apprenticeship and I am using NEC 2014. I also found the answer to both questions. Part of my problem was that I was not looking up the right key words in the index. Could someone clarify note 4 of table 220.55? Is it saying that one cooktop and one oven can be counted as one range? If so then, would one cooktop with two ovens be counted as two appliances?


This is only my opnion but using the index does not help you understand how to use the codebook. If you have a state test you will waste too much time going to the index to find your answers.


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## telsa (May 22, 2015)

platypuselectrician said:


> *So I am 6 months in to the first year of my apprenticeship* and I am using NEC 2014. I also found the answer to both questions. Part of my problem was that I was not looking up the right key words in the index. Could someone clarify note 4 of table 220.55? Is it saying that one cooktop and one oven can be counted as one range? If so then, would one cooktop with two ovens be counted as two appliances?


Stop assuming that being a journeyman is a snap...

It's much tougher than most of today's college degrees.

Yup.

No surprise, 6 Months in, you're not ready for your PhD dissertation and thesis.

BTW, your test questions are embarrassingly easy.

Most have been beaten to death in ET back threads.

I would _strongly_ recommend the NEC Handbook -- which is not the NEC codebook.

Anyone owning the NEC Handbook never picks up the codebook again. 

( The Codebook is totally embedded within the Handbook. )

Yes, this is not a cheap book. It IS _extraordinarily_ time efficient, though.


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

telsa said:


> Stop assuming that being a journeyman is a snap...
> 
> It's much tougher than most of today's college degrees.
> 
> ...


I don't think most test locations will allow the handbook. But I agree it's more practical for everyday users.


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## Bird dog (Oct 27, 2015)

TGGT said:


> I don't think most test locations will allow the handbook. But I agree it's more practical for everyday users.


Better to find out ahead of time what the testers allow, so, you aren't scrambling.


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## ElectricMatt (Dec 29, 2016)

Bird dog said:


> Better to find out ahead of time what the testers allow, so, you aren't scrambling.




I just looked up Colorado's requirements and they allow and code book and/or a NEC handbook. That is where the OP is from. 


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## zoltan (Mar 15, 2010)

[/I]


ElectricMatt said:


> I just looked up Colorado's requirements and they allow and code book and/or a NEC handbook. That is where the OP is from.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 Yesterday I called the PSI test center, who administers the exam, and they said that they provide you with a bare bones 17 NEC. No outside material ie; Ugly's is allowed in the testing room.

Where did you see this?


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