Drilled or notched studs raise two questions: Does the framing meet code as it stands, and if it doesn’t, what correction is acceptable? Not every drilled or notched stud needs reinforcement. Some holes require doubled studs. Cuts outside the prescriptive limits need a correction supported by the applicable code or an approved design. Installing a … Read more
When drilling holes in 2×4 studs, can you use a 2-inch bit? In an interior nonbearing wall, that hole is within the IRC’s diameter limit. In an exterior wall or interior bearing wall, a hole that size requires the stud to be doubled, with no more than two successive doubled studs so bored. In either … Read more
Yes. Garage refrigerator GFCI protection is required under the current NEC when the receptacle falls within the scope of NEC 210.8(A). The same applies to a freezer in a dwelling-unit garage. There is no general exception just because the receptacle serves a refrigerator or freezer, is dedicated to that appliance, or is located behind it. … Read more
If you have been in the electrical trade long enough, you may remember a time when the receptacle for a garage door opener did not require GFCI protection. You are remembering correctly. Garage door opener GFCI requirements were different under the 2005 NEC. A garage receptacle that was not readily accessible could be exempt from … Read more
Garage receptacle requirements can be easy to misread. It is easy to see the NEC requirement for a 120-volt, 20-amp branch circuit in a dwelling-unit garage and conclude that every receptacle in the garage has to be on a 20-amp circuit. That is not what the NEC requires. The key is understanding the difference between … Read more
HVAC GFCI protection for an outdoor air-conditioning condenser or heat pump isn’t always a simple yes-or-no question. Under NEC 210.8(F), GFCI protection can be required, but the applicable NEC edition and locally adopted requirements matter. Under NEC 210.8(F), it can. But before installing a GFCI breaker you need to know which NEC edition actually applies … Read more
Two pipes or openings on the side of a house can look almost identical, but that doesn’t mean the same furnace vent clearance from air intake applies to every installation. That’s where people get tripped up. A furnace vent may terminate near an outdoor-air inlet serving the building, the combustion-air intake for another furnace or … Read more
Furnace intake and exhaust pipe separation is one of those things that looks like it should have a simple code dimension. You have two PVC pipes coming through the side of the house—one is the furnace exhaust and the other is the combustion-air intake. So how far apart do they have to be? There is … Read more
Furnace vent clearance from window openings can vary depending on how the furnace is installed. A high-efficiency furnace is often vented through the side of the house with PVC pipe. Sometimes you’ll see two pipes—an exhaust and a combustion-air intake. Other installations may have only the exhaust terminating outside. So how close can that furnace … Read more
Most people see a high-efficiency furnace with PVC pipe running outside and immediately call it a direct-vent furnace. But what is a direct vent furnace under the IRC? The answer depends on where the furnace gets its combustion air and where the flue gases are discharged. The exhaust pipe tells you where the combustion gases … Read more
