CUSTOMER  INFO
Exterior outlets   The National Electric Code (NEC) requires that two outside outlets be located on your home. One on the front and one on the rear. They must be located within 6'6" of grade level , be readily accessible, and be GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER protected(GFCI). Outlets on decks and porches may not be considered as accessible by electrical inspectors. As of 2002 a weatherproof outlet must be within 25' of the HVAC exterior equipment. The front or rear required outlet may cover this requirement. We now must also use "always covered" weather protection covers. They are not very attractive but they keep moisture from entering the outlet when a cord is plugged in.

Consider having the front outlet switched from the front door for seasonal decorating.
Flood locations Floods are not required by the NEC. Check with your builder to confirm if any have been included in your contract. Consider putting floods in locations where you can reach them safely from a window for bulb replacement.

A flood located high above a rear deck may be good lighting for the deck as it will draw bugs away from you and the door.
Exterior lighting All entrances to a garage (excluding vehicle doors) or home must have a method of illuminating the exterior side of the entrance. The switch controlling the light is not required to be at the door. Properly located floods can be the illuminating source. On front porches consider recessed cans as a cost effective alternative to wall mounted lighting of reasonable quality.
Post lighting Post lighting is not required by the NEC. It would be a good idea to have a switch installed near the front door and a wire stubbed to the crawl space so that a future installation would be less costly and destructive.
Crawl space and Attic lighting and outlets Lighting in crawl spaces and attics is required if the space is to be used for storage or there is equipment that may require servicing. This lighting must be controlled at the entrance of the space. Additional lights may be controlled where the lighting is installed. Heating equipment requires a service outlet within 25' of the equipment. All outlets in crawl spaces will be GFCI protected outlets unless they are dedicated to equipment such as a humidifier attached to a heating system.
Garage lighting and outlets The NEC requires that garages have at least one light other than the lighting provided by most garage door openers. This light must be wall switched. The NEC also requires only 1 outlet in garages and that outlet must be GFCI protected. If there six or more steps up from the garage grade to the house grade then there must be a switch at both levels to control the light(s).
Service equipment Service equipment must be installed in areas where it is easily accessible. The area must be a minimum of 30" wide and 3' deep if the wall behind has no grounded areas. 3'6" if the area behind has grounded areas. Copper pipe, equipment, brick, and concrete would be considered grounded areas. Panels can not go in bathrooms or closets.

Service equipment is sized to the calculated load of the home. If you specify the size of the service keep in mind a larger than specified service may be installed. Please let your builder or us know about any future plans you might have for expanding your home.
Switch Locations Every effort is taken to locate switches in areas that make the most sense. Sometimes structural requirements or other subcontractor needs force us to locate switches in less than the perfect location. The NEC requires that all habitable rooms have a least 1 wall switch controlled lighting outlet. This lighting outlet can be a switched wall outlet or a ceiling light.

Keep this in mind if you anticipate installing paddle fans in rooms but do not want light kits. You will need to have at least 1 switched wall outlet also installed.

Unless otherwise specified we will typically install switching at two or more entrances to rooms we consider passageways from one location of the home to another. For instance a family room you would pass thru on the way to the kitchen.

Stairways of 6 steps or greater always require switches at both levels. Hallways are typically switched so any entry to the hallway has a switch reasonably close.

PLEASE confirm that the door swings as shown on the plans are correct before we begin the project. If there are any changes not shown on the plan then please mark the framed openings.
Required outlets The NEC is very specific about where outlets must be installed so if you find one behind a door, in a floor, or somewhere that does not make sense to you please ask. Also if you have areas where you know you are going to want 1 or more outlets please point it out to us. Keep in mind that if you add or change walls in ANY WAY after we have roughed your project in you may be looking at considerable expense at trim out time if your changes created a requirement for additional outlets.

All outlets servicing kitchen counter space are required to be GFCI protected. The NEC requires that at least 2 20 amp circuits service the kitchen outlets. The first outlet on each circuit will typically be the GFCI protector and will provide GFCI protection to the rest or the outlets on the circuit. These circuits can also service the breakfast and dining room areas.

All sink basins in bathrooms must have an outlet located within 36" of the sink lip. These outlets are serviced by at least 1 20 amp circuit. The first outlet on the circuit will typically be the GFCI protector and it will provide GFCI protection to the rest or the outlets on the circuit.
General room lighting Unless otherwise specified light boxes installed for general lighting are not designed to support the weight and vibration of a paddle fan. If you ever anticipate installing a paddle fan you should have us install an outlet box designed for paddle fans when we are roughing in the project.
Freezer If you anticipate a freezer consider installing a dedicated circuit. Remember that general purpose outlets in garages are GFCI protected and if the freezer is plugged into that circuit you could lose it's contents if the GFCI cuts off the circuit. A GFCI is very sensitive and they have been known to cut off during very damp conditions or lighting storms.
Vacuum or Iron cause dimming lights It is common practice to put both the lighting and wall outlets in rooms other than the kitchen, dining room, breakfast area, and bathrooms on the same circuit. Some heavy duty appliances such as vacuums or irons can cause lights to dim while they are being used. In most cases this does not mean that the circuit is overloaded or undersized.
One or more outlets stop working Kitchen, Bathroom, Garage, and Exterior outlets are GFCI protected! If one or more of them do not work check to see if the reset button on the GFCI outlet that services them needs to be reset. Typically the GFCI outlets for kitchens are in the counter areas or on a wall in the kitchen. The bathroom closest to the service panel is a good place to start for the bath outlets, and the garage is a favorite spot for the GFCI protecting the weatherproof outlets.
Circuit Breakers   Circuit breakers have 3 positions. ON, TRIPPED, OFF. The tripped position may not be apparent when just looking at the breaker. If you press the breaker toward the on position and there is no movement the the breaker is most likely ON. If there is movement then move the breaker all the way to the off position and then return it to the on position. If a breaker trips for no apparent reason you should first unplug everything that is plugged in to outlets in the area described on the circuit panel board label and retry the breaker. If the breaker stays on then there is a very strong possibility that you have a faulty appliance or lamp. If the breaker continues to trip call us as soon as possible. Do not just keep resetting it.
Switches that seem to do nothing In bedrooms, bonus rooms, and family rooms these switches might be for a light kit that was not put on a paddle fan, the light outlet may have been paddle fan prepped but just a light was installed, or 1 or more outlets in the room may be switched controlled

If you find that outlets under forward facing windows do not work check for a switch near the front door that might seem to do nothing. Your builder may have had us install seasonal lighting.

A switch at the front door that does nothing may very well be there to facilitate a post light later on. We install the switch and junction off the wire in the crawl space to save damaging the wall should you want a post light someday.

Finally a switch near the kitchen sink might be for a future garbage disposal. If you look under the sink you might see an outlet where the disposal would plug in. A switch above the counter space or at a built in desk may have been for under cabinet lighting that was not installed. These switches should be disconnected in the box.
Generator Safety Procedures Please pay close attention when using a generator to provide temporary power to your home during a power outage. Simple mistakes can cause serious injury or death to you or a utility company person attempting to restore power.

You MUST always be sure that the MAIN SERVICE DISCONNECT is in the OFF position before plugging in a generator.

ALWAYS make sure your generator is properly grounded. This means that the frame of the generator must be connected to either it's own ground rod or the service equipment ground rod. Make sure the grounding wire is tight at the generator and the ground source.

When first starting your generator give it time to settle down and find it's normal running RPM before bringing it ONLINE.

ALWAYS turn off all circuit breakers before bring the generator ONLINE.

Unless you have a HUGE generator, 10 KW or better,  you should not attempt to run electric heat or AC. Inadequate voltage and amperage can damage motors rather quickly.

In almost every case you will need to manage the load you apply to your generator. If you are attempting to bring a HOT WATER HEATER, WELL, or COOKING APPLIANCE online you should turn everything else off and listen to your generator when you apply the load. If your generator has an IDLE SWITCH on it turn the idle feature off before adding a significant load.

WELLS are often the biggest problem people have with generators. A well motor can require SIX times the amount of current it normally needs to run at the instant it starts. If the generator is boarder line it may not be able to handle this load. LISTEN to your generator when you apply the load. If it boggs way down and does not sound as if it is recovering you should leave it off.
Bedrooms and Bonus rooms with closets All houses that were built after dec 31, 2002 have arc-fault circuit breakers protecting all lights and outlets in bedrooms and other rooms that have clothing closets. These breakers are designed to continuously check the circuit for possible arcing situations. Arcing is usually due to a poor electrical path to something plugged into a wall outlet. If you have an arc-fault breaker that trips please unplug all items plugged in for the room(s) specified on the electrical panel label. If the breaker continues to trip after everything is unplugged then call us as soon as possible.