NEC receptacle spacing – 12 ft & 2 ft
1. I’m not an electrician but I’m wiring my new home construction.
2. I have a 3 wiring method books and a copy of the 2007 NEC but I’m still a bit confused about where to apply the 12 foot receptacle spacing rule and the rule that every wall > 24″ must have a receptacle on it.
I’ve got receptacles on every wall > 24″ spaced using the 12 foot rule in the living areas (living room, bedrooms, hallways, utility room) but I have questions about large walk-in closets and bathrooms.
Questions:
A) Where do these rules not apply? I know there a special rules for kitchen countertops and GFI requirements in the “kitchen” and “bath” areas. But in a 4 x 6 toilet room, do I have to have a receptacle on each of the four walls? To meet NEC requirements, is a receptacle required at all?
B) With a large walk-in closet (7 feet wide x 14 feet long), are receptacles required on each wall > 24″ and at the 12 foot spacing? I have 2 receptacles currently roughed in for a rechargeable vacuum and a flashlight but are additional receptacles a NEC requirement.
For the record, the 2007 NEC is the sole electrical requirement/standard where I’m building (no additional local codes to meet).
Many thanks, Stan
Edited 11/26/2007 3:55 pm ET by Stan in TN
Replies
Well, from my decidedly architectural point of view, I assume that each wall gets a centered duplex outlet. Being old fashioned, I hold to a 10' spacing; so, if a wall is longer than 10', you "slide" the layout of outlets along that wall to get two outlets are either end. Then, take the fractional portion of the 10' spacing and "wrap" that around the adjacent walls to suit. Which takes some juggling, but, generally, works over all.
Now, of course, it's a good idea to take the use of the room into consideration, too. There's not much point in plotting a DPCV that falls behind an open door, for one thing. Some rooms, like bedrooms have middling obvious "bed walls" that generally benefit from an 8-9' spacing on either side of a likely headboard.
Been a while since I've had to get a closet electrical layout through plan review (from a loack of both closets, and closets of that sort of dimension). I'd likely call for any such outlets to go in at 48" AFF to get them above any potential or future 42" rod+shelf combos.
But, I'm just a dumb old archy, you need an NEC pro.
You don't need any outlets in a closet. Bathrooms you need one GFCI at the vanity top.
You don't need any outlets in a closet.
Dunno, you get one of those closet wall dimensions out past 10', it's probably a good idea. Case of "need" trumping "required." OP was wanting a 'call' on, IIRC, a 7 x 8 "closet" (which would compare to some BOQ rooms in my experience<sigh>).
Bathrooms you need one GFCI at the vanity top
Yeah, but one on either side is better (and if teenaged females are envisioned, four-plexes would be even better).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
DPCV ??????Duplex something or other?????
Duplex something or other
Back in the dark ages when I was taught these things, the fixtures supplied for explicit use, were for the convenience of the users. Along the way, "we" have grown accustomed to having a duplex ConVenience fixture (dunno what you call a single without digging up some ancient reference tome).
But, they're all noted as CV's (or once were). Duplex is a DPCV, triple is s TPCV, quad is a FPCV. Mind you that goes back to fuses and "clock" receptacles, too. Heady days of yore when we used graphite or india ink on vellum sheets (not missed at all, honest).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Simplex..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Singlex
Local elec contractor's lead man calls 'em "onesies" <g> . . .Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Cute.
I had an employee for quite a while who couldn't be bothered to keep track of my various customers' names, so we got into the habit of giving them nicknames. It worked great: "Where are we going today?... horse-man's house. "
Many of them were benign (like that) but some of them got into more humorous and potentially insulting stuff, like "slit-man", "bat-lady", and one that cracked me up (not my creation) for a guy who's story shall not be revealed here,"child-molestor".
Too bad he's gone now, my more recent employees don't see the humor in it.
Ed
Edited 12/2/2007 9:21 pm ET by edlee
"...couldn't be bothered to keep track of my various customers' names, so we got into the habit of giving them nicknames."You're doin' a heck of a job Brownie! :)
BruceT
Not that it is a code requirement, but I wish I had double duplexes in my bedrooms. We use receptacles quickly near the bed with alarm clocks, reading lamps, electric blankets. And I hear some people put phones and TVs in their bedrooms.
receptacles can be useful in closets, if as you say it's a large walk-in (I am SO jealous!)
It's nice to be able to be able to press or steam if clothes need a quick touch-up in the morning. If the lady of the house can be drying her hair while in the closet picking out clothes, that's a real time-saver. some women like the make-up mirror in the closet where they can check options for colors together.
Stan,
I hope you mean the 2008 NEC or the 2005 version.
The NEC book is only updated every three years. The last iteration was in 05, and the 08 if adopted in your local or state mostlikely won't go into effect until Jan. 08 at the earliest.
Article 210.52(A)(1) through (A)(3) is where you need to be looking.
(1) Spacing. Receptacles shall be installed such that no point measured horizontally along the floor in any wall space is more than 1.8 m (6 ft) from a receptacle outlet.
(2) as used in this section, a wall space shall include the following:
(1) any space 600 mm (2 ft) or more in width (including space measured around corners) and unbroken along the floor line by doors, firplaces, and similar openings.
(2) The space occupied by fixed panels in exterior walls, excluding sliding panels
(3) The space afforded by fixed room dividers such as free standing bar-type counters or railings.
(3) Floor Receptacles. receptacle outlets in floors shall not be counted as part of the required number of receptacles outlets unless located within 450 mm (18 in ) of the wall.
There is no 12 foot rule !
Dave
Just the 6-foot rule twice.The way I like to view it is that you can set a lamp with a 6-foot cord down anywhere around the perimeter of the room and be able to reach an outlet.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
I just use a six foot folding rule and a magic marker on the stud face. Just fold it for inside and outside corners, but always keep it fully open. Makes a few less than six foot, but none over.
Then ask the HO where they want more for specific furniture arrangements they have in mind. Satisfy the inspector first, even if a particular receptacle will never be used because it behind some massive piece of furniture.
Dave
So, Dave, do you space the receptacles every 6 feet? Or, do you space them so that there is no point that is more than 6 feet away from a receptacle when measured horizontally? (AKA the 12' rule)
Bryan"Objects in mirror appear closer than they are."
Klakamp Construction, Findlay, Ohio - just south of the Glass City
Start at a door opening and set your first one 3' from the dor and then every 6' thereafter. Then stand in the middle of the room and think about possible furniture arrangements. add more were you think they will be convenient.
The important thing to remember is you need to meet minimum code requirements to start with. After that they are convience outlets, and as others have pointed out,....additional outlets mean more convenience.
I'm a master electrician, and I go to at least seven classes a year just to try to keep up with changes in the NEC and understand the various articles of the code. The 2008 NEC is a continuation of changes started in the 05 version. Article 100 covers definitions and is paramont to understanding the 08 code.
My suggestion would be for you to hire an electrician as a consultant. I understand your desire to do the work yourself. It is how I got started in construction, so I will never fault someone for wanting to do the same thing I did. However, in the long run you will save yourself time and money by having a qualified electrician giving you some guidance. (Ask me how I know :-)
Dave
Start at a door opening and set your first one 3' from the dor and then every 6' thereafter. Then stand in the middle of the room and think about possible furniture arrangements. add more were you think they will be convenient.
That's way overkill, unless it's all a typo.
Even if my customers were made of money I wouldn't put that many receptacle outlets in simple living spaces like bedrooms, living rooms, family rooms. Have you ever heard of conservation of resources?
Ed
I have also noticed the rockers luv ya when you have a million extra boxes.
Dave,
I am really not trying to pick a fight with you, but the way I read the NEC article that you cited is different from what you are saying.
From your previous post:
"Article 210.52(A)(1) through (A)(3) is where you need to be looking.
(1) Spacing. Receptacles shall be installed such that no point measured horizontally along the floor in any wall space is more than 1.8 m (6 ft) from a receptacle outlet.
(2) as used in this section, a wall space shall include the following:
(1) any space 600 mm (2 ft) or more in width (including space measured around corners) and unbroken along the floor line by doors, firplaces, and similar openings."
For example, if I am standing in a 10' wide room with a light switch on each side of the room, and I am right in the middle, each light switch would be 5' away from me, if you were to measure horizontally. That doesn't mean that they are 5' apart. They would be 10' apart.
So, at a given point on a wall, there should be a receptacle no more than 6' from that point either way, if that point was exactly centered between those two receptacles.
That doesn't mean that I don't space them closer than that. Again, that is the minimum spacing. And I also put them where they are going to be the most convenient, not behind the headboard on a bed.
No, I am not a licensed electrician, but I do have a friend who is a retired electrician who keeps up with the latest NEC codes and can either recite the most used sections or can find the applicable code, and I use him for reference when I have a question.
At your next class I request that you clarify that particular section and get back to us with the results in this thread.
Thanks, Bryan
"Objects in mirror appear closer than they are."
Klakamp Construction, Findlay, Ohio - just south of the Glass City
Edited 11/27/2007 9:05 pm ET by BryanKlakamp
Edited 11/27/2007 9:06 pm ET by BryanKlakamp
<<Start at a door opening and set your first one 3' from the dor and then every 6' thereafter>>
Methinks you have an oops in your typing.
Did you mean to say start at 3' and then every 12' thereafter?
That would be the figure that gets you no further than 6' from any position on the wall section
You be right.
Other than my own place I don't do any residential wiring.
The op is talking about wiring his own house, so to me, the important thing is meet the code requirements and then his own convenience needs. That may mean adding more outlets in some areas than the minimum.
In commercial work, I would hazard to say that I have added more addtional oulets to circuits than I have installed new over the years. EEs seem to design these building to the minimum requirements, but with plenty of room to grow. Course then the office designers ignore what is there and want new installed to meet thier configuration. It is a never ending circle.
Dave
meet the code requirements and then his own convenience needs.I maintain that has the priorities exactly reversed.Many a 'code compliant' project turns out to be inadequate, uncomfortable, and simply a disgrace to the building trades. Good design, on the other hand, almost cannot help but meet / exceed code. Hmm ... seems even I fell into the trap ... you cannot 'exceed' code. Either you meet it, or not. Inspections are a 'pass/fail' sort of thing - not a report card!
The rule is referred to by every electrician and inspector I know as the "6-foot" rule, because that is what it is about. There are closets, entries, fireplaces, built-in bookshelves, woodstoves, etc all over a new house so the twelve-foot aspect is a sub-set of the basic rule, i.e. 6 feet!
Ed
I meant the 2005 NEC. I'm used to putting 2007 on everything.
Regarding the "12 foot", that was in reference to the no point greater than 6 ft horizontally along the floor from a receptacle outlet. Two receptacles at their max spacing is 12 feet. Many authors of wiring books and NEC help books use the 6 ft/12 ft spacing interchangeably.
When I wired my daughters rooms I spaced the outlets at six feet. When the room was all done it looked a little over kill. Then they moved in. Half of them got covered with furniture and the rest were filled up with I pods, cell phones, and stereos. They all have power strips plugged in now. All ways add more.
Quality, not quantity. Don't waste half of them behind furniture. Put them in a thoughtful place and you wont need so many. I'm a big fan of putting them in the base board, but that is A LOT of forethought!
We just finished a major remodel to our 2nd floor. Some of the outlets remained, some were removed/replaced due to wall removal. This house was built in 1952 when less electrical items were used (who would think that you would have more than one TV in your home? TV in a bedroom was unheard of!). Anyway, I did the electrical work and had a GC handle the framing.
I planned and my architect placed receptacles on the drawing so that it would pass permit review. I covered receptacle spacing code and then added a few more for typical appliance usage. There was an 8 foot wall where I knew a dresser would be against- one that my wife would want table lamps on each end. Rather than burying the receptacle behind the dresser, I placed two receptacles on end acessable without moving the dresser. Same for the bed; previously we had one receptacle on one side of the headboard. With each having a clock radio and reading lamp, there used to be extension cords running back and forth under the bed- now there are his and hers recepts.
The bathroom has a 6 foot double sink vanity with two mirrors centered above the sinks. With hair dryers, shavers, curling irons and electric toothbrushes, I opted to install 3 GFCI recepts at left, center, and right of the vanity wall. One of the GFCI kills the lights and exhaust fan the others work independently- may seem like overkill on the GFCI recepts but what the heck.
I agree with DAC747 on what is required; but as others noted, sometimes it's nice to have more than the minimum. I'd put at least one outlet in the closet, somewhere where you might not put clothes - I put a couple in my father-in-law's closet and he used them for a powered shoe polisher and a copying machine (!). Ditto on the double duplexes at the bed. Always try to think of how the furniture, lamps, electronics, etc. might be placed in a room for power, phone, and TV cable placement.
I think others have addressed your code question but I would like to add a comment.
If you're building your own house there's no way i'd out in the code minimum of receptacles. if you're wiring yourself your gonna pay about $2/ outlet.
Hell, put four in your walk-in-closet (gotta charge all those gadgets somewhere).
I'm notorious for adding alot of outlets. I put them where I think they will be used (while still adhering to nominal code). I've done rooms that were about 100 sqft and had five outlets, just thought they'd be used where I put them.
Baths require one GFI but once again, if I have a larger vanity, why not one on each end?
Just to add to your comment about GFCIs at vanitys. Somewhere in the NEC is a requirement for additional recepts. if there is more than 1 sink. So to speak you don't want to be forced into draping cords over sinks.
In many ways, the most important section of the NEC is article 90 .... the part that says 'this is NOT an instruction manual!' Nor is it a design manual. Article 90 also states that it assumes you are ALREADY professionally competent. You simply cannot intelligently apply the NEC without first knowing the trade.
Get rid of the code book. MAYBE use "Code Check Electrical" as a reference. More importantly .... design according to your realistic needs, and it's hard to go wrong.
Kitchens: Look at a toaster. Every place along the back of the counter, where you can set the toaster, needs to have a receptacle close enough that the cord will reach.
Other rooms: Look at one of those 'torch' floor lamps. Every place you might conceivably put one -again, along the wall- needs a receptacle that the cord can reach.
The first post -made by an architect, no less- is a great example of what happens when someone uses the code as a design manual. Place a receptacle in the middle of a wall, and every plug will be foundering behind a bed or a sofa. How about putting the receptacles off to the side, where you can get at them easily? This 'common sense' approach usually means each room needs only one more receptacle than "code minimum." Not extravagant. at all, IMO.
The same logic applies to circuits. Since you need to label the panel anyway, why not arrange your circuits so that the labels make sense? Sure, you'll wind up with a few more circuits, but a much more 'user friendly' arrangement .... AGAIN, Article 90 plainly states that simple code compliance could very well result in an inadequate installation, with no allowance for future needs.
There are a lot more issues in wiring a house. What circuits are needed, where to use GFCI's or AFCI's, the decision to have a 'sub-panel' or two .... I strongly suggest you pay a pro to use his education and judgment.
Nice post reno-man. An interesting approach that gives a feel for what the rules are about.
Ed
As others have mentioned, I would consider the furniture placement very carefully. Outlets in the middle of walls rarely work in bedrooms, as the beds and/or dressers may cover them up--bookcases can be another hindrance. Where will your teenagers plug in their boom boxes, lava lamps and guitar amps?
A convenient location for a "charging center" for cell phones, cameras, and other electronics can be useful. 20 amp dedicated outlets for computers/printers are also on my list of preferences. And, don't forget the exterior switched outlets for Christmas lights.
These are some of my preferences. Have fun.
Lotta good advice here. One small thought outside the box...
I've started putting an outdoor quad outlet on the roof. My clients are starting to hire pros for their seasonal decorations, so I just tuck a 20A GFCI behind the chimney or wherever.
I know a few things about outlets: they are always in the wrong place and theres never enough.I just looked under my desk and counted. I have seven things plugged into the duplex. I've got two more slots open, if the plug is a regular plug. Most of the stuff I have nowadays has some form of a big box attached and it blocks off one or more outlet possibilities. By the way....I'm on a laptop. I'd need more if I was using desktop.So, my wish list is at least ten openings, spaced out higher than my desk. I don't want to climb under my desk to wrestle some clusterbuck. The space behind a television needs more. The kids plug their games into it. There are cd, dvd players. Cable boxes, etc. I think about 12 spaced out openings would be about right. Someone already mentioned that it's not smart to put them dead center where the couch and beds are. I used to run extension cords through the walkway to my laptop, rather than wrestle the couch and plug in behind it. I'd need at least four, but maybe more near my wifes bedstand. And don't make us bend so low....were old and feeble. FKA Blue (eyeddevil)
Jim,
WireMold makes a plug strip that is wall mountable. I have one with 8 outlets spaced about 3-4" apart. It is cord connected to a wall outlet (20 amp duplex recept.).
Right now it is on a work table in DW studio, but could be easily mounted behind a desk top on the wall. It is a butt ugly, baby poo brown, but they make them in a gray and white also. May be just what you need for wire management.
I'll see if I can get a model no. off it for you.
Dave
Dave, I have a variety of plug strips. I don't want to use them anymore.In my next house, I will hardwire everything I just mentioned including plugs at a convenient height above the nightstand and desk. I'm done crawling under the desk to plug in my cellphone! We wire things like we did back in the 50's. We've changed milleniums but you wouldn't know it if you looked at where they locate plugs. FKA Blue (eyeddevil)
Recently I saw a hardwired "plugmold" that was jet black. Look real sharpp.I think that it was was on Hometime, but sure. It was on a kitchen backsplash, i think.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Thats a great idea. I'll have to use that one.