Electricians:

Here are resources to help you study the National Electrical Code.



The National Electrical Code  (NEC) states:
(The National Electrical Code is published by the National Fire Protection Association, NFPA)



90.1 (A) Practical Safeguarding.  The purpose of this Code is the practical safeguarding of persons and properrty from hazards arising from the use of electricity.

and in 90.1(B) Adequacy.  This Code contains provisions that are considered necessary for safety.  Compliance therewith and proper maintenance will result in an installation that is essentially free from hazard but not necessarily efficient, convenient, or adequate for good service or future expansion of electrical use.

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These references tell us that the code's primary concern is the development of a minimum safety standard. An installation that satisfies the code's minimum requirements should be safe, but not necessarily the best in regard to future expansion.  

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90.1(C) Intention.  This Code is not intended as a design specification or an instruction manual for untrained persons.

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This tells me that the Code is NOT USER FRIENDLY!

If you are new to the code, or are updating your knowledge of the Code, you will most likely need to have some additional reference material to help you understand the requirements and intentions of the National Electrical Code.

My goal for this site is to help provide some of those resources for the electrician who is interested in study of the National Electrical Code.

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One of the best chapter by chapter code study books that I have come across is the 2  volume set by Mike Holt called Understanding the National Electrical Code

Volume 1 covers the first 4 chapters of the Code and gives a good chapter by chapter coverage. The book includes fantastic graphics to help explain the code principles and is a high quality production including color graphics.  They always say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and with a complicated topic such as the electrical code, this is really true.