15th May, 2008
The Burning Question - Are your jobs up to code?
Brent Butterworth
We’ve all seen incredible A/V installations. And we’ve all seen incredibly bad A/V installations. It’s no secret in this industry (or any industry) that some practitioners are a lot better than others. The issues go beyond getting the best possible picture and sound, though, and beyond designing a system that works easily and reliably. There’s one more issue that few people ever discuss: safety.
Integrators come in all types: from quarter-century-old firms that specialize in quarter-million-dollar jobs, to the “man in a van” with scant experience who hung out his shingle last month. It’s a fairly solid bet that the former’s practices are sound, otherwise they probably wouldn’t have lasted this long. But what does the upstart know about national electrical codes? About local regulations? About fire safety? Perhaps everything he needs to know. Or perhaps nothing at all.
Obviously, customers paying good money for an A/V installation deserve to have their work done to code; they certainly assume it will be. However, there are greater dangers than flunking the home inspection when it comes time to sell. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, between 2002 and 2005 an annual average of 20,800 household fires—resulting in 330 deaths and $524 million in damage—were caused by electrical distribution or lighting equipment, i.e., the work done by electricians and low-voltage installers. It’s the third leading cause of household fire.
“I would venture to tell you that there are a lot of unlicensed, uninformed installers out there,” said Eric Bodley, a pioneering custom installer, former CEDIA member, and currently bearing the title Custom Installation Monster at Monster Cable. “Most legitimate integrators and low-voltage contractors have learned how to do the right thing, whether or not they know the electrical codes. I think most violations come in with the low-cost provider who doesn’t have the right insurance or licensing. It’s hard to say how often these violations occur, but they do.”
According to Bodley, one of the most common code violations is stuffing low-voltage wires such as Cat-5 and speaker cables through the same holes the electrician has drilled for 120-volt AC lines. “The low-voltage wires have to be spaced from the high-voltage lines,” he explains. “Typically the requirement is 24 inches but it can vary depending on municipal codes.”
Another common violation Bodley cites (and one we’ve witnessed a few times ourselves) is that the jacket of cables run inside a wall needs to be fire-rated. The fire rating must be stamped on the jacket, usually in the form of the letters CL followed by a number—for example, in-wall speaker cables must have a CL-3 rating. “If a fire does occur and wires installed in a wall aren’t fire retardant, the wire could theoretically act as a fuse and carry the fire to other places in the home,” Bodley explains. “Also, if the jacket isn’t fire-retardant and you run too small a wire for the power it’s carrying, the heat from the wire can ignite the jacket.”
For integrators who want to be sure they’re doing the right thing when it comes to electrical codes, an obvious first step is to buy a copy of the National Electrical Code. (It’s $67.50 on Amazon.com, but if the editor of The Integrator can afford a copy, so can you.) Most municipalities simply adopt the NEC rather than concocting their own regulations, but some write their own rules; your local buildings department can fill you in. Bodley also recommends sending your installers to CEDIA Boot Camp. “Much of what was developed for that course has to do with codes,” he says.
Given the damage that improper installation can do to your reputation and your customers’ homes, there’s no excuse for not knowing the national and local codes that apply to your work, or for failing to educate your staff on this topic—even if you just went into business last month.
Posted at 4:16 pm |
On May 16, 2008 at 5:27 pm Bill Whitlock said:
May 16, 2008 at 5:27 pm
In my experience (and that’s pretty extensive on the topic of power-line safety), the most common violation is the use of grounding “cheaters” installed to eliminate those “pesky ground loops”. Some are even more unscrupulous and hide their illegal practice by neatly clipping off the grounding prong on 3-prong power plugs. This unconscionable practice is so widespread it’s truly scary - and makes other Code violations pale by comparison. Yes, the NEC specifically prohibits this practice (removal of equipment ground) in Article 250-21d, added to Code in 1990. It is a subject I’m very vocal about in my seminars and workshops on ground loops!
On May 16, 2008 at 5:45 pm Alan Poltrack said:
May 16, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I have been in business since 1984 and agree with Brent Butterworth’s article. Anyone who is in the business will tell you the hardest challenge we have is getting qualified techs. Our techs are Cedia certified and we constantly involved in training to keep up with the technology and codes.
This experience and commitment comes at a cost and the Buyer should be aware of this.
Alan Poltrack
Video Installations Plus, Inc.
On May 19, 2008 at 6:49 am Christian Widera said:
May 19, 2008 at 6:49 am
Mr. Bodley, your comment saying most violations happen when the provider doesn’t have the proper insurance or licensing, is not accurate.
After being in the electric industry for the passed 25 years and being a master electrical contractor I can say this, Having a License or insurance doesn’t quailify a person to do the right thing. Here in Florida, we see bad installs all the time, some of which are very dangerous. And the bottem line is the customer needs to be aware of the contractors lack of skill, and often we only find out about these installs after a fire has occured.
Know the electrical codes shoud be on everyones mind.
Thank you for your time,
Christian Widera