attic electrical

[William Deans]

Greetings,

What are the requirements for protecting NM 12 AWG wire in an attic run along the ceiling? The attic has a walk-up stairwell, finished floor and walls, but exposed rafters. The rafters start at about 4 feet high.

What are the requirements for outlets? How high? GFCI?

I have looked in the NEC but I do not want to misinterpret anything so I am hoping to get some clarification in this case. I understand that in the end I must do whatever the local code office wants but first I wanted to understand what the NEC actually calls for.

Thank you for your time and energy,

William

[SQLit]

All wiring subject to physical damage has to be protected. If you have children up there then protect the wire. If the area is subject to only authorized (intelligent) people then no protection is needed. Sorry to be such a kill joy.

Outlets/lighting are required for equipment only. If you converting his into an game room or bedroom then you have to follow the those rules. Basically a outlet within 3 feet of a door and within 12 feet of each other for all other walls. Your home you get to pick the height. Some local jurisdictions require an switched light.

GFCI's are only required around water, and outside. Arc fault breakers are now required for bedrooms.

If this is an unfinished space there are no requirements that I am aware of for outlets other than for equipment.

[B]

For code compliance, the sloped ceiling can't get less than 5 feet from the floor. If you will finish the ceiling some day, put your new wires at the four-foot level and eventually put the knee wall in front of it. Then you won't have any wire or conduit on the ceiling at all.

[newsgroups01REMOVEME]

Please help me here, I'm still learning, so can you tell me where it states inside 3' of a door?

thanks,

tom @

[Colbyt]

The poster may have been referring to a switch box.

Also I think current code requires wall outlets every 6 foot of wall not the

12 as mentioned. Of course this only applies to living areas. This local code here and NEC is pretty closely followed here.

Colbyt

[Phisherman]

Since you have a finished floor and walls, treat it as you would living space. All wires shall be protected and all outlets and switches shall have cover plates.

[newsgroups01REMOVEME]

I think this is one of those great NEC badly writen codes. It says no point along the floor line further than 6 feet from a receptacle. So if you pick a point, and you measure 6 feet one way, receptacle so code met, and 6 feet other way, receptacle so code met again, but the receptacles are actuallly seperated by 12 feet.

Just a point, it's not 12 feet either, it's exactly as writen, thats why I wondered by 3" when the code says withing 6 of a typical door.

But thanks for your quick reply, I hope the orginal poster of 3" can help me understand why.

later,

tom @

[Duane Bozarth]

...

...

No, it's badly written, it's written precisely that way because that's what it means...if all runs were straight and all walls were multiples of 12 feet, it could be written as you propose, but in the actual world the way it is applies more generally.

As for the within 3' of a doorway for a switch, I don't have code book at hand to look it up, but I'd certainly have it much closer than that simply for convenience, particularly heading up into an attic where it may be quite dark trying to fumble around and find it...if, of course, there's a permanent stairwell, it could be on the wall going in...

[William Deans]

Greetings,

What is the proper way to protect the NM wires running perpendicular to the rafters if I cannot drill holes?

Thanks, William

[default]

The 6' (12') rule is designed so that normal appliances, (which generally have a 6' cord) can be placed anywhere along the wall without needing an extension cord.

The 3' rule sound like what I remember being required for a switchable light source being within arms reach of the entry, but I'm pretty sure that that only applies to spaces which are intended to be "occupiable".

I had interpreted the sloping-ceiling rule to be a description of what floor-space counts toward the minimum dimension requirements:

Thus, (from memory) there has to be a rectangle that's at least 7' in each horizontal direction, at least 70 square feet in area, over which the ceiling must be 7'2" or higher, except that a sloping ceiling that's no more than half the overhead can come down as low as 5', and/or beams, pipes, or ductwork no closer together than 4' can come down as low as 6'8"

I don't *THINK* that there's any requirement that the walls actually come down from that 5' line, it's just that any space under them beyond that doesn't count towards meeting the room's minimum dimensions. But I could easily be wrong.

--Goedjn

[Greg]

You run 1x boards next to them, the wire sits in the "valley".

[Phisherman]

[newsgroups01REMOVEME]

If you can't maintain 1-1/4" between the outside edge of the wood and the cable, nail guards(1/16" steel) must be installed, is what I recall.

later,

tom @

[William Deans]

Greetings,

If the wire is 12-2 should it be stapled to the 1x or should it be stapled to the rafter directly beside the 1x (I assume the rafter--but I don't want to assume incorrectly)? Is a 1x3 (*nominal) sufficient?

Thank you very much for your help, William

[Duane Bozarth]

To the rafter beside the 1x...so the Romex is protected...then tack it to the edge of the 1x between if it wants to sag. 1x3 would be fine...

[newsgroups01REMOVEME]

Sorry about my reply about 'nail guards' mis-read the question, and since I didn't see anyone post an answer, I'll try this again.

If you goto 2002NEC34.23 (NM in attic spaces) it referrers you to

320.23(AC in attic spaces). Sure you can read it, but for those that don't have the code book open, it 320.23 says install per 320.23(A) and 320.23(B). To paraphrase:

320.23(A)- (seems to be your case), Where cable is run accross the face of rafter withing 7 feet of the floor, or floor joists, in attics, the cable shall be protected by guard strips. Where in a space not accessible by permenant stairs, protection shall only be required 6 feet of the enterances outside edge.

Now, ofcourse this was for information only, get the code book and apply it to your situation, but it does appear it is ok to do what you are doing in the attic if you just take a few more steps to it per code.

Alway have a qualified person do/inspect your work.

hth,

tom @

[Dan Bolt]

You aren't wrong, the space under less than 5' ceiling simply doesn't count toward room square footage or minimum dimension.

Dan