Charlie Trout's Code Question of the Day

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The Code Question of the Day (CQD) is NECA and ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine’s flagship National Electrical Code (NEC®) public forum for the industry, sponsored by EATON.

The daily distribution of Q&A generates a lively dialogue and shares relative Code-based practical responses.

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Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Question:
Greetings Charlie! Love this forum. You do an excellent job. My question is regarding 300.21. There seems to be some debate on whether all wall penetrations need to be fire stopped or just penetrations through fire rated walls. Could "Substantially increased" apply to any wall penetration? Local AHJ's seem to differ a bit here as well. What is your take? Thank you! Jason Rolf

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Monday, December 5, 2022

Question:
Dear Code Friends, I keep reading online how the expansion of AFCI protection, GFCI protection, and Tamper Resistant Receptacles has prevented 1000s of deaths each year. I feel like this may be misinformation. Is there reliable information on the efficacy of these implemented safety devices available to the public? Sincerely, Ron Turney

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Answer:

Hello Ron, thank you for your question and your concerns with safety. The NFPA has a research foundation that routinely researches and publishes reports on these topics. I would start there for reliable information on electrical fires and electrical shock/electrocution trends. You can find electrical related reports here.

ABOUT CQD: The Code Question of the Day (CQD) is NECA and ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine’s flagship National Electrical Code (NEC®) public forum for the industry, sponsored by EATON. The daily distribution of Q&A generates a lively dialogue and shares relative Code-based practical responses.

SUBMIT YOUR CODE QUESTION: Click here to submit a question to for inclusion in an upcoming edition of the Code Question of the Day, or email codequestion@necanet.org.

CHARLIE TROUT: Charles M. Trout, better known as Charlie, was a nationally known NEC® expert and author. He served on several NEC® technical committees and is past chairman of CMP-12. In 2006 Charlie was awarded the prestigious Coggeshall Award for outstanding contributions to the electrical contracting industry, codes and standards development, and technical training. Even though Charlie passed away in October of 2015, his work continues in spirit. NECA continues to maintain this question forum for its many subscribers in memory and recognition of all his significant contributions to making the NEC what it is today.

NECA STANDARDS: NECA publishes the National Electrical Installation Standards™ (NEIS™), a series of ANSI-approved performance and quality standards for electrical construction. NEIS can be purchased in the NECA Store in three formats: a printed or PDF download of a standard or, as an annual subscription service.

NECA SAFETY PRODUCTS & PUBLICATIONS: NECA produces electrical safety publications and products for the industry including jobsite safety guides, handbooks and resource kits. View a full listing of available resources and products »

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Unless the question requests a response based on a specific edition, all answers are based on the latest edition of NFPA 70® National Electrical Code®.

This correspondence is not a formal interpretation of the NEC® and any responses expressed to the questions are opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of NECA, NFPA, the NEC Correlating Committee any Code-making panel or other electrical technical committee. In addition, this correspondence is neither intended, nor should it be relied upon, to provide professional consultation or services.

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