Thread: Receptacle every 12 feet...

Yesterdays inspection has a first floor bedroom with a closet and a door to a bathroom along one wall. The largest expanse of wall is 33 inches. No outlet on that wall. 11 month warranty inspection.

They could have put an outlet on the short wall or between the closet and bathroom door.

Does NEC require an outlet on this wall since it is not much of a wall?

That is the homeowner in the pic.

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"The largest expanse of wall is 33 inches.
Does NEC require an outlet on this wall since it is not much of a wall?"

Yes
>= 24" wall needs an outlet.
Correction, make that a receptacle

After looking at the pix and reading your post again.
An outlet on that wall is not required.
What is required is an outlet within 6' of the door.
The outlet could be under the window or even on this side of the window.

There is a recepacle under the window or just past the window.

Bruce,

Start at one door and go around the room:
a) within 6 feet of the door (on any wall 24" wide or greater
b) so that no place along the wall at the floor line is more than 6 feet from a receptacle outlet
c) start measuring all over again on the other side of the door

You said "The largest expanse of wall is 33 inches. No outlet on that wall.", but that wall to the right of the closet and around the corner under the window is more than 33 inches, and you said there was a receptacle outlet there ... so I am confused???

If you were to start measuring at the right edge of the closet door, around the corner to under the window, and continue to (not shown in the photo), what distance would that be? Greater than 6 feet? If so, it would need at least 2 receptacle outlets - 1 within 6 feet of each door making the wall space into a separate wall space.

How many linear feet of wall in the closet? Receptacle in there? Floor receptacles anywhere w/in 18 in. of the wall line? Where is the next receptacle to the left of the closet? Is it within 12 linear feet following the wall line from the receptacle under the window to the right?

If looking at the pic, to the right of the right door, the distance to the corner is 32 inches. From edge of the right door to the corner and continuing on under the window, the first receptacle is not more than 6 feet from the edge of the door.

If looking at the pic, to the left of the left closet door, there is a corner and then the entrance door into the bedroom from the hallway (hidden by the person in the pic). The nearest receptacle on that wall is approximately 3-4 feet from the door.

There are no floor receptacles or receptacles in the closet. I did not measure the closet but guess the closet doors to be approximately 30 inches wide each. All other receptacles in the room were not more than 12 feet from the next.

Originally Posted by Bruce Ramsey

If looking at the pic, to the right of the right door, the distance to the corner is 32 inches.

That part is not critical in and of itself, only that, from the corner, there is only another 40 inches allowed before there is required to be a receptacle outlet (6' = 72" - 32" = 40").

From edge of the right door to the corner and continuing on under the window, the first receptacle is not more than 6 feet from the edge of the door.

Which is okay as you measure around corners of unbroken (at the floor line) wall areas to get "wall space".

That wall area between the two doors is a separate "wall space" and, if it was 24 inches or more, then a receptacle outlet would be needed for that wall space, being as that wall space is only about 6 inches, no receptacle outlet is needed.

If looking at the pic, to the left of the left closet door, there is a corner and then the entrance door into the bedroom from the hallway (hidden by the person in the pic). The nearest receptacle on that wall is approximately 3-4 feet from the door.

There are no floor receptacles or receptacles in the closet. I did not measure the closet but guess the closet doors to be approximately 30 inches wide each. All other receptacles in the room were not more than 12 feet from the next.

From that description above it sounds like all meets code - this is the way I am reading the above: Starting at the right of the right door in the photo there is a receptacle outlet within 6 feet and no receptacle in the room is more than 12 feet from the next receptacle.

Is that what you are saying? If so, good, that meets code.

Bruce

Just to add to what has already been discussed, I looked through my copied photo files and found this drawing from mike holts free graphics site that is very close to what you are showing in your attached picture. This along with the other posts should clear up the requirements for the receptacle spacing.

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like there are at least the minimum number of receptacles for the room.

Where is the light switch?

Originally Posted by Michael Garrity

Where is the light switch?

Where is the EERO window?

Where is the natural light and ventilation?

Where is the ...

Where's the door?

I'm leaving, before it starts up...again.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Where's the door?

I'm leaving, before it starts up...again.

Rick,

There are TWO doors, does that therefore mean it REQUIRES TWO switches as it would be "customary" to have a switch at each DOOR?

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

Rick,

There are TWO doors, does that therefore mean it REQUIRES TWO switches as it would be "customary" to have a switch at each DOOR?

Maybe if you worked more, you wouldn't have time to stir things up. I love this message board, but get tired of trying to pick out the important info from the trash.

Light Switch? This room had three switches to the right of the entrance door from the hallway. (Behind the person in the photo). When the entrance door was opened, it made the closet doors inaccessible but the light switches were in a customary accessible location.

There was a cover plate on the ceiling in the center of the room presumably covering a ceiling box with wiring for a ceiling fan and overhead light that the owner paid extra for. The third switch presumably operated the switched receptacle hidden behind an immovable desk.

Buyer claims he paid extra for separate switches for ceiling fan and light fixture for the rooms but did not have enough money to pay for the light fixtures! The only rooms with overhead fixtures had recessed can lights. In the baths and kitchen, he had removed all but one bulb from all the fixtures and replaced it with a compact fluorescent. In one of the bedrooms, he had a shop light plugged into a switched wall receptacle. The shop light was leaning up against the wall.

Originally Posted by Jim Ellison

Maybe if you worked more, you wouldn't have time to stir things up.

*I* am not the one stirring things up. A select few others are insisting that the code requires a light switch to be in the room, and by that logic (which is not code, and code was being asked about) ... and by that logic there SHOULD be a switch AT THE DOOR to save having to walk across a dark room to find the switch, and, thus, with TWO DOORS there should b (using their same logic) TWO SWITCHES - one at each door.

I love this message board, but get tired of trying to pick out the important info from the trash.

You will need to get used to separating what you think if the wheat from the chaff as it is almost all wheat, some just cannot recognize it as being useful.

Originally Posted by Jim Ellison

Maybe if you worked more, you wouldn't have time to stir things up. I love this message board, but get tired of trying to pick out the important info from the trash.

Some people putting out the trash continued to maintain a postion that the code simply doesn't require. The intent was to give out correct information so that people would be better informed and not look foolish.

Would it be better if people were allowed to use incorrect code interpretations while performing their inspections? Don't the customers deserve a knowledgeable inspector?

In dealing with the followup from some inpections where there was no basis code-wise, after an inspector had told the customer otherwise, the customer questioned why they had paid when someone apparently would have had trouble finding their butt with both hand, let alone know the requirements.

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

Rick,

There are TWO doors, does that therefore mean it REQUIRES TWO switches as it would be "customary" to have a switch at each DOOR?

jp,
i have to disagree with you here! I see SIX doors in the drawing. if there were lights in the closet where would you install the switches? inside the closet or outside the closet,it is a room! would a jamp switch be o.k?

Originally Posted by brian schmitt

jp,
i have to disagree with you here! I see SIX doors in the drawing. if there were lights in the closet where would you install the switches? inside the closet or outside the closet,it is a room! would a jamp switch be o.k?

Brian,



Okay, so I needed to specify ... TWO ENTRANCE DOORS into the room ... with each door thereby requiring a switch by the ENTRANCE/EXIT to/from the room.

Originally Posted by H.G. Watson, Sr.

How many linear feet of wall in the closet? Receptacle in there?

Why would any of this matter? Closets are not habitable rooms and are exempt from the 6-12 receptacle spacing requirements.