8.2 Luminaires, Appliances, Space Heating & Other Equipment (Articles 410-427, 455-480)

Luminaires (Article 410)

Wet and damp locations, bathtubs, and showers

• Luminaires in wet or damp locations must be marked suitable for that location (410.10(A)).
• The bathtub and shower zone (410.10(D)): no part of a cord-connected luminaire; a chain-, cable-, or cord-suspended luminaire; lighting track; a pendant; or a paddle fan may be located within 3 ft horizontally and 8 ft vertically of the top of the bathtub rim or shower stall threshold. That zone includes the space directly over the tub or shower.
• Luminaires located within the actual outside dimensions of the tub or shower up to 8 ft must be marked suitable for damp locations, or wet locations where subject to shower spray.

Washington adds a rule: any luminaire in an enclosed shower or within 5 ft of a tub waterline must be enclosed unless listed for the use, and GFCI protected if it has exposed grounded metal (WAC 296-46B-410).

Clothes closets (410.16)

Recessed luminaires and suspended ceilings

• Non-Type IC recessed luminaires: at least 1/2 in. from combustible material (except at the support points) and at least 3 in. from thermal insulation. Type IC luminaires may contact insulation (410.116).
• Tap conductors from an outlet box to a recessed luminaire in a raceway or cable must be at least 18 in. and not more than 6 ft long, with insulation suited to the temperatures encountered (410.117(C)).
• Luminaires supported by suspended ceiling framing must be fastened to the framing by bolts, screws, rivets, or listed clips, and the framing must be secured to the building structure (410.36(B)).

Fluorescent ballast disconnects (410.130(G))

In indoor locations other than dwellings, fluorescent luminaires with double-ended lamps and ballasts need a disconnecting means so the ballast can be serviced safely. It may be internal or external to the luminaire. On multiwire circuits it must open all ungrounded conductors simultaneously.

Appliances (Article 422)

Worked example (422.11(E)): an unmarked 4,800 W, 240 V appliance draws 20 A. That is over 13.3 A, so protection may not exceed 150% x 20 A = 30 A. A 30 A device is a standard size.

Fixed electric space heating (Article 424)

• Continuous load: fixed electric space heating is considered a continuous load, so branch-circuit conductors and overcurrent devices are sized at 125 percent of the total heater and motor load (Article 424 branch-circuit sizing rule).
• Baseboard heaters with factory receptacle outlets (or a separately listed receptacle assembly) may count toward required receptacle outlets, but the receptacles may not be connected to the heater circuit (424.9). Receptacles should not be installed above baseboard heaters, since cords could drape over them.
• The disconnecting means must open all ungrounded conductors to the heater, controllers, and supplementary overcurrent devices, and be within sight or lockable (424.19).
• Heating cables in floors of bathrooms, kitchens, and hydromassage tub, spa, and hot tub locations need GFCI protection (424.44).

Deicing, snow melting, and pipeline heating (Articles 426, 427)

• Ground-fault protection of equipment is required for fixed outdoor deicing and snow-melting equipment, except MI cable embedded in a noncombustible medium (426.28).
• Branch circuits for pipeline heat tracing also need ground-fault protection of equipment, with limited exceptions (427.22).
• These are equipment-protection devices, commonly set around 30 mA. They are not personnel-protection GFCIs.

Phase converters (Article 455)

A phase converter makes three-phase power from a single-phase supply. The generated leg is the manufactured phase, and it must be identified and never connected to single-phase loads (455.9).

• Single-phase supply conductors: at least 125 percent of the converter's nameplate single-phase input full-load current when loads are variable (455.6(A)(1)).
• Overcurrent protection: not over 125 percent of that input current (455.7).
• A disconnect is required (455.8).

Capacitors (Article 460)

• Discharge: capacitors must drain residual voltage to 50 V or less within 1 minute after disconnection (460.6).
• Conductors: ampacity at least 135 percent of the capacitor's rated current. Disconnect switches are also rated at least 135 percent (460.8).
• A capacitor installed on the load side of a motor overload device reduces the current the overload sees, so the overload setting must be based on the improved power factor (460.9).

Resistors and reactors (Article 470)

These must be installed where not exposed to physical damage. A thermal barrier is required if they are less than 12 in. from combustible material (470.3).

Storage batteries (Article 480)

• Provide ventilation appropriate to the battery technology so gases cannot accumulate to an explosive mixture.
• Keep 110.26 working space, measured from the edge of the battery rack.
• For top-terminal batteries on tiered racks, follow the manufacturer's required space above the cells.

Washington requires a system design review on site whenever stationary batteries are part of an interconnected or stand-alone power system (WAC 296-46B-705, -710).