Photography And Half-Thoughts By Mitchell Hegman

...because some of it is pretty and some of it is not.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

If the Rules for Snow and Snowstorms Were Governed by the National Electrical Code


As I watched a somewhat incompetent snowstorm sputter and fumble around my house (and then finally give up and crawl away) yesterday afternoon, the thought occurred to me that snow and snowstorms suffer from a lack of oversight and standardization.  Having worked with the National Electrical Code (NEC) for some thirty years, I am of a mind that snow and snowstorms might do well if adopted and administered by the NEC.
The NEC works well for governing electrical systems—why not snow?   I think that an Article between Motors and Transformers in Chapter 4 would suffice.  Here are a few provisions of Code I would like to see for Article 444: Snow and Snowstorms.
·         All forms of snow (from sleet to fluff) shall be tested and listed by an independent testing agency such as Underwriter’s Laboratories
·         Snowflakes shall be standardized in size and shape, dependent on the type of snow
·         Snowstorms shall operate on firm schedules governed by astronomical timing devices and the timing devices shall be provided with holiday setbacks
·         A lockable disconnecting means for snowstorms shall be located in a readily accessible location
·         Snow shall not be allowed in Classified (Hazardous) locations as defined by the local authority having jurisdiction
·         Snow shall not suck unless expressly permitted in other Sections of this Code

--Mitchell Hegman

1 comment:

  1. You've become snow-crazed! Well, either that or electrical systems obsessed which wouldn't be surprising!

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