Notable changes to the Seattle Electrical code (SEC)
Electric Vehicle Charging Systems: The SEC has established provisions for the future installation of electric vehicle charging equipment. Article 625.27 has been added to establish requirements for physical space in the service equipment to install a future disconnect for electric vehicle charging. The article also requires pre-planning where the panels and charging outlets would be installed. Consideration should also be given to routing raceways to the required parking areas. Article 220.57 identifies the additional electric vehicle load calculations to be added to the service demand loads. It is anticipated at this time that electric vehicles will be available in the Seattle area as early as the fall of 2010.
Selective coordination as required by Articles 620.62, 700.27, 701.18, and 708.54 has been amended by the SEC. Fault current calculations provided by a licensed electrical engineer may be selectively coordinated for faults with a duration of 0.1 seconds or longer. The calculations will be required to be wet stamped by a licensed Washington State electrical engineer. All other calculations will be required to be calculated to infinity and will not be permitted to utilize adjustable trip breakers to achieve selective coordination.
Afci breakers need testing monthly
Arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) are fairly new in the electrical industry. Similar to ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), they are designed to shut off the electricity to a circuit when a specific type of problem is detected. AFCIs are specifically designed to detect certain arcing conditions, which is a common cause of electrical fires in our homes. They are placed in the electric panel.
As with the GFCI outlets in our kitchens and bathrooms, the AFCI breakers in the electric panel also should be tested monthly to ensure that they are working properly. Each AFCI breaker is labeled and has a test button on it. AFCI circuit breakers typically protect all the electrical outlets and switches in the bedrooms.
If AFCI breakers trip regularly, consult a qualified electrician immediately to determine why the tripping is occurring.
Today’s Safety Tip
Water and electricity are a deadly combination. Never use an electric appliance in or around your bathtub, shower or any other wet surface.
• Never touch an electric cord or appliance with wet hands.
• Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) are required for outdoor outlets and those in crawl spaces, bathrooms, garages and near your kitchen sink.
• Don’t overload your electric outlets with too many plugs.
• Only use extension cords at their recommended rating, and never string two together or place an extension cord underneath a rug.
• Cover your outlets with plastic safety caps if you have small children around.
• Never insert a metal object into an appliance. (That goes for your toaster, too!)
• Worn cords can cause shorts, shocks and fires. Don’t use them.
• Don’t carry an appliance by the cord.
• When you unplug an appliance, pull the plug head, not the cord.
• If an appliance smokes, sparks or shocks you, unplug it and have it repaired before you use it again.
• If an appliance catches fire, unplug it, remove the fuse or switch the breaker to “off.” If you can’t control the fire, evacuate the premises and call 911.
• Use a licensed electrician for your home improvement projects
Early bird special
Here is an early bird tip for you. The cold weather is starting to approach us, with beautiful days followed by crisp mornings and nights your almost sure to turn that heat up and when you do please don’t forget to check your batteries in your smoke detectors and your carbon dioxide detectors.
These are simple measures that can keep you safe. Whether you have electric heaters or you have gas heaters or a fire place always perform maintenance on these units before we get into a cold snap and let’s not forget the fire extinguisher you should have one readily available in case of a fire. Just having a fire extinguisher doesn’t mean that your safe. Your fire extinguisher requires monthly checks to make sure it has adequate pressure to release the chemicals. A little dusting and battery checking is all I ask. Have an escape plan as well if things really go wrong. You will thank me and so will your home.
Is Seattle electrical infrastructure safe
Just today yet another electrical fire at the Fischer broadcast building upsets the KOMO broadcasts and other internet sites. It just shows how important it is to maintain the electrical systems in our homes and businesses.
Have a qualified electrician look it over and give you that peace of mind. A few dollars now can save you hundreds of thousands later and perhaps you could prevent an accident as well. The use of surge protection just may save your expensive electronic equipment. There are a small investment that packs some real savings in an event such as the one at Fischer broadcast. Always make sure you use only UL listed electrical components.
Play it safe!
According to the NFPA “National Fire Protection Association” ignoring your home’s electrical system can be a costly mistake.
Our lives literally depend on the safe use of electricity in our homes, and often safety hazards can go unnoticed or unseen. Even what homeowners might think of as a “minor” problem can lead to a devastating fire. In fact, electricity is a leading cause of home fires in the U.S.
Each year fires that start in electrical systems or lighting equipment
• damage more than 24, 000 homes
• kill 320 people
• injure 830 more
With today’s modern electrical systems you can insure that you home is safer than it ever was. However some older homes still have dangerous electrical systems such as knob and tube wiring and may have electrical panels like Federal pacific that have a tendency not to trip under a specified load and cause a potential fire. It is important for you to have your electrical system checked out by your local electrician to insure that your home is safe and operating under the parameters set in the National electrical code. Play it safe and have your home inspected it just may save your life.
Seattle Energy Code
Pick energy efficient appliances. The third largest energy use in dwelling units is for appliances. Refrigerators consume the most energy because they run 24 hours/day, every day of the year, maintaining a 30 degree temperature difference (65° – 35°) between the air in the kitchen and the air inside the refrigerator, and perhaps twice that between the air in the kitchen and that in the freezer (65° – 0°). The best refrigerators can be 25-30% more energy efficient than the worst in any particular size category.
Hello world!
SEATTLE – Seattle is plugged into part of $100 million in federal stimulus money to promote electric cars and hundreds of city residents will soon get their own charging stations.
I think we are moving in the right direction getting ourselves off of crude will be a tough battle but a battle which I will fight for. One of the problems is that 70% of Americas electricity comes from coal while the balance is made up of hydro and nuclear energy. In closing it may seem like a catch 22 at first but with a little more time electric cars will be the future.
