Do you own a copy of the NEC?

STEVETERRY

Well-Known Member
Many questions come up here that can be answered from the text of the National Electrical Code. If you're a competent entertainment electrical technician you need to have a copy, and understand what the Code says.

Many of your colleagues in the entertainment industry have worked long and hard for many years to make the Code representative of best practice in our industry.

Please, make the NEC an essential part of your toolbox and your work ethic!

It's not hard to acquire, nor is it expensive!

ST
 
No. I would need to own the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and the cheapest version is $190 for the PDF. It gets superceded every few years so that adds up to a pretty big investment. For anything big I'm hiring a licensed electrician then teaching them why they need to pull independent neutrals that they otherwise won't pull base on their experience wiring office buildings.
 
I think for most people, and how often that the information in the NEC would come into use $70 is a big investment for educators and students. Hell most touring electricians I know don't have a need for the NEC. I can't honestly think of a time where the NEC would have helped in the situation that I was in due to being in a theater/arena environment where everything is per-wired/tyed in by an electrician (not entertainment but a licensed electrician) at the venue or back at the shop. I can't honestly say that $70 for a "code" book should be applicable. NEC is an organization funded on grants and other stipends from government and other private subisdaries. I feel it should be at cost not with a $50 additional fee (not to mention my views on e-books, cmon really it costs you $69.99 to store an e-book on a server farm, and it costs that much to send it to my device and copy?). I just have a problem with requirements that everyone is required to follow costing more than cost.
 
I think about $90 usually for non NFPA members - looks like on sale now around $67. And you can see it for free on line but slow - Real Read. I agree with Steve. Same for Life Safety Code.
 
I think for most people, and how often that the information in the NEC would come into use $70 is a big investment for educators and students. Hell most touring electricians I know don't have a need for the NEC. I can't honestly think of a time where the NEC would have helped in the situation that I was in due to being in a theater/arena environment where everything is per-wired/tyed in by an electrician (not entertainment but a licensed electrician) at the venue or back at the shop. I can't honestly say that $70 for a "code" book should be applicable. NEC is an organization funded on grants and other stipends from government and other private subisdaries. I feel it should be at cost not with a $50 additional fee (not to mention my views on e-books, cmon really it costs you $69.99 to store an e-book on a server farm, and it costs that much to send it to my device and copy?). I just have a problem with requirements that everyone is required to follow costing more than cost.

Actually, the NEC is a document produced by volunteer labor, at considerable cost, from a wide spectrum of balanced interests. I am one of those people who are part of the process. The cost of the Code document is trivial compared to the amount of labor and expertise needed to create it. And, the amount of good information it imparts.

Every educator, student, touring electrician, technician, or professional practicioner in our industry needs to be familiar with it. Need more proof? Just look at the ETCP candidate requirements.

If you are not familiar with the NEC you are subject to the capricious whims of those who claim to be Code experts. This is not a good place to be. I speak from experience--I have been there.

As for Canada, sorry-- we cannot help. Someone please explain the logic of two countries on a common electrical grid, but governed by two different electrical codes. And, the entertainment sections of the CEC are completely antediluvian, just as the NEC was prior to 1980. Yet, there is no clear mechanism to fix it like we have with the NEC process.

ST
 
I thought the opposite, that it was expensive and sold only to electrical companies or licensed electricians? Am I thinking of something else?

You must be thinking of something else.

Just to get on my soapbox for a minute:

Many people on this forum ask questions that demonstrate complete ignorance of Code issues. We try to help them here. Owning and understanding the NEC would be a great tool for them.

ST
 
I have an older copy (pre-2000) from when I was in school and actually going for my electrician's license. Have read some updates as refresher when needed but I don't do more than hang and focus lights now. Though I do a lot of low voltage LED based lighting now, I know the code mentions that some but it's not nearly as flashed out as the high voltage stuff. Though I haven't dug through the newest versions so they could have updated the low voltage sections quite a bit since I last really studied it.

I really would like to get a copy but I just can't justify $70 right now since I am not working much till end of summer, and I am doing more carpentry stuff now than electrics. Though if it is available online for free at least I can reference it and even dig through it in my spare time.
 
So steve would you suggest getting every new edition when it comes out or could you get by with one edition for several years?
 
The NEC is updated every three years. The most recent edition is 2011. The next edition will be 2014. I get the new edition when it comes out, but it's handy to have the old edition on hand, largely because my local municipality tends to be two code cycles behind on code enforcement. That said, my local AHJ will accept the most recent code book if I can cite the relevant section.
 
Sorry Duck, don't mean to pick on you.

I think for most people, and how often that the information in the NEC would come into use $70 is a big investment for educators and students. Hell most touring electricians I know don't have a need for the NEC. I can't honestly think of a time where the NEC would have helped in the situation that I was in due to being in a theater/arena environment where everything is per-wired/tyed in by an electrician (not entertainment but a licensed electrician) at the venue or back at the shop. I can't honestly say that $70 for a "code" book should be applicable. NEC is an organization funded on grants and other stipends from government and other private subisdaries. I feel it should be at cost not with a $50 additional fee (not to mention my views on e-books, cmon really it costs you $69.99 to store an e-book on a server farm, and it costs that much to send it to my device and copy?). I just have a problem with requirements that everyone is required to follow costing more than cost.

Is it a big cost? I think that depends. I think for a high school student it may be, but I'd also sadly say that it is likely outside the interests of most anyway (and if it were an interest but money was an issue, libraries have them, and there are request forms for most school libraries). For undergrad students, I think it is beyond reasonable for someone moving towards being a technician, stagehand, or looking towards being an electrician (and anyone who wants to get into a purchasing job). For grad students in a technical direction or production program I think it should be mandatory. As for lighting designers, I think it depends on your abilities, and how you plan to make money (if you're the house ME designing on the side, or the other way around you should probably pick up a copy).

I think the main thing to remember is that learning the code will help keep you safer, or at least CYA. In addition there are other NFPA documents that are important for your safety, like 70E Electrical Safety in the Workplace. It's a tool, and it always sucks to buy a tool at the last minute.

So steve would you suggest getting every new edition when it comes out or could you get by with one edition for several years?

In my opinion, I think it depends. Best practice says, yes. But, just becasue it's published doesn't mean the newest is enforced in your area, and local codes exist as well, so you need to be aware of those as well. Personally, while I have 2011, I haven't referenced any changes or additions not in already having been in the 2008 edition yet. There is also an online yearly subscription service, NECPlus, that currently gives you access to the NEC (2002, 2005, 2008, 2011) and 70E (2000, 2004, 2009, 2012) as well as some other handy resources.

Back to the original question, I have a copy of 70-2011 in the car and an active NECPlus subscription for on the go and older/newer edition access, as well as copies of 70-2008, 70-2011, 70E-2009, 1-2008, 30-2008, and 101-2009 sitting on my bookshelf. So far, I've used NECPlus enough that I'm going to renew it for another year (this was my first year with the service).
 
So which is more useful in daily life, the NEC 2011, or the NEC 2011 Handbook?
 
How many people have sat thru the entire book in reading and memorizing it even how it applies to you even once page by page? Tried once with a 99' Really read the 02 "Handbook" and other books on changes.. No more usefule than really reading "American Electricians Handbook" and other books by way of study of all. Stuff I need to understand, I read into more about to the level of my understanding. Mostly for a tech person a complete NEC even if handbook version as it goes into more detail is more than can be assumed to read or in budget to buy.


Every three years perhaps a Code what you need to know for our industry supplement should come out - otherwise in me also reading and understanding a copy of the Chicago Building Code... did the best I could in reading and understanding it I could but not jermain to stuff every day done and not all necessary for me to re-read the complete book every year.

A theater book on the NEC would be more useful.
 
I agree with Ship, if there was book that just had the part of the NEC as it applies to the theatre, I would buy that one in a heartbeat. Of course that would include andy parts that deal with the general wiring in the theatre that may not apply to stage lighting.
 

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