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HomeMy WebLinkAbout78-040REL: nr 6-1-76 RESOLUTION NO. 7840 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA FINDING THE NECESSITY OF CHANGES AND MODIFICATIONS IN THE RE- QUIREMENTS OF THE NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE, 1975 EDITION, AS ADOPTED BY THE COMMISSION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WHEREAS, under Sections 17958, 17958.5 and 19758.7 of the Health and Safety Code of the State of California the governing bodies of cities are authorized to adopt ordinances and regulations changing or modifying the requirements of the regulations of the Commission of Housing and Community Develop- ment, upon an express finding that such changes or modifications are needed; and WHEREAS, the Contmission of Housing and Community Development has, within one year previous hereto, adopted the National Electrical Code, 1975 Edition, as part of its regula- tion of buildings used for human habitation, and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Santa Ana desires to adopt Ordinance No. NS-1416, which adopts and amends the said National Electrical Code, 1975 Edition, so as to make changes or modifications in the requirements of said regulations of the Commission of Housing and Community Development, and desires hereby to expressly find and declare the need for such changes and modifications, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Santa Aha does hereby find and declare that amend- ments to the following sections of the National Electrical Code, 1975 Edition, as specified in Ordinance No. NS-1416, are neces- sary because of local conditions for the reasons hereinafter set forth: 1. The amendments to Section 90-1(a) and 90-2(a) are necessary for purposes of clarity. 2. Amendments to Section 110-5: Since 1965, re- ported and documented failures of aluminum conductors (_sizes 12 AWG, 10 AWG and 8 AWG) at the devices, have necessitated their discontinued use until further determination by Federal Consumer Safety Commission that they are now safe with the new material and devices recently introduced by the manufacturers. 3. Amendment to Section 210-1: It is felt neces- sary to require conductors to be placed underground due to the incidence of accidental contact by metal ladders~ pipe, kites, swimming pool scoops and brushes, cranes and other sit, ilar items, Overhead conductors are also subject to being disconnected as a result of wind storms. If raceways are not provided when spare circuits are provided for, a hazard is usually created when owners or tenants add additional wiring. In any case, slipshod wiring, usually surface, is done creating an additional hazard. There is no requirement for spare circuits but if they are provided it is felt to be important that a raceway be installed to utilize the circuits without damaging parts of the permanent structure. RESOLUTION NO. 75.-40 PAGE TWO 4. A~endment to Section 210-19(c): Many appliances now take a full 1650 watts in use - with larger ones coming out more and more frequently. A 20 amp receptacle circuit to- day barely provides adequate, reliable service and safety to the user. This has been a standard here and elsewhere for over 30 years. A 15 amp circuit could not handle electric plug-in fireplaces, large televisions, window air conditioners, ironers and numerous other cord-connected appliances. 5. Amendment to Section 210-25(b): The word "attached" has been deleted and the word "carports" has been added in order to provide the same degree of convenience and safety to detached garages and carports as the Code requires for attached garages. 6. Amendment to Section 210-26(a): The word "carports" has been added in order to provide lighting for safe use in that location also. 7. Amendment to Article 215: Since the greatest fault current will occur either in the service conduit, service section, feeder conduit and sub-panels, it is felt that these major parts should be enclosed to prevent fire being immediately transferred to the structure. At present, only the feeder run is allowed to be installed out of a raceway or unprotected. 8. Amendment to Section 220-3: This important amend- ment provides reliability and safety in electrical systems. It also assures that at least two circuits will be in every habitable room. Nuisance blinking and dimming of lights due to use of appliances is prevented. This amendment provides reasonable assurance that new portable appliances will operate properly and safely when connected, and that a fault in an appliance will not interrupt another circuit, possibly causing a hazard. 9. Amendment to Section 230-43: Utility company con- ductors can deliver tremendous amounts of current when faulted due to mechanical injury, etc. This current is immediately trans- ferred to the structure, causing fire or explosion. This amend- ment would provide for reasonable protection of the structure and would contain most such faults within the raceway. 10. Amendment to Section 230-71: In the absence of this amendment the Code would allow up to six main disconnects for any one occupancy or service, thus allowing connect±on of additional circuits to a service without any protection to panel buses from overloading, with the inevitable fire. A single main disconnect, as required by this amendment, provides the necessary safety to the electrical system~ and in addition allows fast disconnection in time of emergency. 11. Amendment to Section 250~831 The reason for this amendment is that alternate electrodes to tko~e 5asically provided for in the National Electric Code do not provide ade~ quate grounding means in the soil condition~ that ~e e~perienee in Orange County. The ufer ground or the concrete cased eiec~ trode has gained wide acceptance by the industry and it is felt that this is a more preferable way to provide grounding electrode than any others provided for in the Code, especially with the advent of plastic water services. 12. Amendment to Section 250~1151 The connection of the electrical service to the grounding electrode of the struc- ture, is one of the most i~portant safety terminations in the ' RESOLUTION NO. 78-40 PAGE THREE electrical system. It must be determined that this has been completed at final inspection and periodically throughout the life of the system to check for mechanical damage or corrosion from electrolysis, etc. 13. Amendment to Section 300-13(b~: The Code allows 15 ampere receptacles, etc., on 20 ampere circuits. The recep- tacles have, in the past, been used to splice the circuits to- gether at each location. This is in violation of their "list- ing.'' Some burn-out has been traced to this practice. Now, the only current going through each receptacle will be what is plugged into that individual receptacle and not from others on that same circuit. 14. Amendment to Section 300-15~): Exception 1 is deleted because use of exposed cable is deleted by the amend- ment to Section 336-3. Exception 5 is deleted for the following reasons: This wiring method was developed for mobile homes and other controlled modular structure systems, does not lend self to on-site construction methods. Numerous special tools, boxes, splicing kits, etc. must be used to install, repair or alter this system. Home owners would, and now cannot, obtain these items. An untrained person oould not work on this system, and thousands of unsafe electrical jobs would be completed by owners and other untrained persons. Until this system has had nationwide publicity and the average person has ready access to all its special requirements for a safe installation, it must not be "thrown" on the market. 15. Amendment to Article 334: Metal Clad Cable, commonly known as BX, has not been used, except by an occasional homeowner, for years in this area. It never gained any popu- larity as a wiring method due to the difficulty of properly in- stalling it free from shorts and grounds. The proper connectors, boxes and short insulating inserts are not readily obtainable any longer even to electrical contractors. This wiring material should have been deleted as an "approved" wiring method years ago. 16. Amendment to Section 336-3: Due to the occupant load and lesser degree of safety that is provided by use of non~metallic sheathed cable, this amendment limits its use to residential structures of three floors or less above grade. A few of the dangers justifying this restriction are as follows: La) penetration of cables unknowingly by nails after completion of the structure; (b) mechanical damage to cables by workmen during construction; (c) safety hazards created by persons attempting to add new wiring; ~d) transference of a fault in the cable immediately to the structure; and (e) liklihood of mechanical damage during fire or earthquake, with consequent lack of protection for emergency power to elevators and exit lights. 17. Amendment to Section 336~6. Non-metallic sheathed cable is very easily damaged mechanically, and, when damaged, it becomes an immediate fire or life hazard. The exposed installa- tion of such cable, which this amendment prohibits, increases the chances of mechanical damage tremendously. RESOLUTION NO. 78-40 PAGE FOUR 18. Amendment to Section 336-11: This amendment is a corollary to the amendments of Sections 300-15(b) and 336t6, pre- cluding the use of "boxless systems" and devices for exposed cable installations. 19. Amendment to Section 348-1: The purpose of pro- hibiting the use of electrical metal tubing in concrete or under- ground is due to the following items: (1) corrosive soil preva- lent to the Orange County area; ~2) vibration by mechanical devices used during the pouring of concrete; ~3) sodium chloride additives and their corrosive effect; and (4) mechanical damage by workmen and equipment during the construction process. In the past elec- trical metallic tubing has been restricted to protected interior location because of corrosion of the tubing. Recently, due to practical experience of Code enforcement authorities, it has been determined that such tubing will perform safely where it is not directly exposed to the weather. (Cities closer to the ocean still accept such tubing only on the interior of a structure.) 20. Amendment to Section 350~2: The reason that flexible metal conduit should be prohibited in concrete or exposed to water is obvious. The flexible conduit is not impervious to moisture and would allow moisture to enter the raceway system creating a hazard. In addition, if it is poured in concrete, aggregate could work its way into the conduit and would knick and cut insulation during the pulling process. In the past few years aluminum flexible conduit has gained wide popularity due to its light weight. But it also is easily damaged and subject to a greater degree of corro- sion than the galvanized steel type. This amendment would allow only that length of flexible conduit which is necessary for main- tenance of equipment, movement, or vibration, and would not allow it to be used as an exposed, unlimited surface raceway system. 21. Amendment to Section 410-8: This amendment prohi- bits pull-chain lighting in clothes closets because the repair of pull-chain fixtures is difficult and impractical. When the switch- ing mechanism fails, either the fixture is abandoned or the lamp is screwed on and off by hand, creating a hazard. Furthermore, a person would frequently be required to enter the closet and locate the pull switch in the dark, subjecting himself to possible injury. 22. Amendment to Section 422-5: The purpose of this amendment is to provide adequate circuit capacity for the larger fixed appliances. The minimum 20 ampere circuit assures reliable and safe operation of the appliance without affecting other cir- cuits. In addition, it would allow replacement of one appliance with another requiring more current without costly rewiring of the circuit. The food waste grinder has become a necessary appliance for sanitary reasons, and if a circuit is not provided for it at the sink location initially, unsafe wiring is likely to be installed at a later date. 23. Amendment to Section 600-1: If future access to an electrical panel is not provided for in the installation of the sign circuit, unsafe wiring is usually found due to building design or sign location. In tke past unsafe wiring has been kept to a minimum by an empty conduit run to the roof or by other means provided for the sign circuit. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon adoption of this reso- lution and Ordinance No. NS~416, the Clerk of the Council shall forward a copy of this resolution, together with a copy of the said ordinance to the Department of Housing and Community Develop- ment of the State of California for filing therewith. RESOLUTION NO. ?8-40 PAGE FIVE PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana at its Regular meeting held on the 27~th day of 3uno , 197~. ATTEST: MAYOR FLORENCE I. J~AALONE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF ORANGE ) sS CITY OF SANTA ANA ) I, FLORENCE I. MALONE, do hereby certify that I am the Clerk of the Council of the City of Santa Ana; that the fore- going Resolution was introduced to said Council at its Re§ular meeting held on the 27th day of June ~ , 1976, and was at said meeting passed and adopted by the following vote, to wit: AYES, COUNCILMEN: Garthe, Brandt, 0rtiz, Yamamoto, Ward NOES, COUNCILMEN: Bricken ABSENTr COUNCILMEN: Evans FLORENCE I. MALONE CLERK OF-','~l.~ coUNCIL APPROVED AS TO FORM: CITY ATTORNEY