Electricity codes are put in place to enhance your safety. Although we need power for all our daily activities, if not handled properly, electricity can pose major risks to us and our property. Every homeowner is required to meet several codes and standards when it comes to electricity. Most codes are often local but there are those that cut across states. As a rule thumb, it’s always advisable to check in with your local electrician Scottsdale inspector just to be sure you are doing the right thing.

Here are some codes to keep in mind:

The NEC

The National Electrical Code was created as a national framework to guide homeowners in safe electrical installations. There are specific bathroom codes under the NEC framework. You may have noticed that a lot of electricians and electrical inspectors pay additional attention to the bathroom connections compared to any other room. This is because the bathroom poses the biggest risk to Scottsdale electrician faults. If the wiring and the installations in the bathroom are not up to code, then there can be many dangers.

Here are some of the common bathroom electricity codes:

– The bathroom needs to have a lighting circuit installed. Sometimes this could include a blower-heater-light combination.

– The bathroom must have a 20 amp circuit that’s totally aside from the lighting circuit. The circuit is designed to power an outlet that will be used for appliances such as the curling irons, dryers, and other bathroom appliances.

– All bathroom switches should be grounded. This is because the bathroom is a wet surface and any stray voltage should have a way out. The grounding guarantees this.

– Installation of a GFCI is also considered an important protection measure for the user.

Kitchen

The kitchen will need to have a separate circuit for every appliance that has a motor. We are talking about the refrigerator, the garbage disposal, the microwave, etc. There needs to be at least two receptacle circuits in the kitchen too.

Living Room

A wall switch will be required in the living room right next to the entry door. This allows you to light up the room before you enter. The fixture in the ceiling must also be controlled by a wall switch. A pull chain, in this case, isn’t allowed. The receptacles on the walls need to be at most 12 inches apart. Although not necessary, if you are planning to have a microwave in the dining room you will need an additional 20 amp circuit installed. These regulations apply to bedrooms too.

Making sure your home is up to code when it comes to electrician Scottsdale AZ safety has to be a priority for any homeowner. The simple codes above can help guarantee safe usage of electricity at home. But these are not the only codes.  It’s important to engage with local electricians and see whether there are new codes to comply with in your local area. Try to also have an inspector look at the electricity at home just to be on the safe side.