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National Electrical Code Articles and Information

National Electrical Code Explanations

Based on the 2020 NEC

by Mark Lamendola

National Electrical Code Tips: Article 800, Communications Circuits, Part 4

 

  1. Article 800, Part V is titled, " Installation Methods Within Buildings." This title is misleading to people unfamiliar with NEC jargon. Chapter 3 is all about wiring "methods" but it is focusing on the materials used rather than the procedures and practices of installing something. Similar thing, here. Notice the idea of "focus" rather than "exclusive coverage."
  2. Article 800, Part V, consists of mostly of Section 800.113. Some other, smaller sections round it out. But it begins with 800.110.
  3. 800.110(A) provides the requirements for raceways and cable routing assemblies. Please note that "raceway" and "conduit" are not synonyms. There are many kinds of raceway other than conduit. For communications cables within buildings, you can use any Chapter 3 raceway (not just conduit) [800.110(A)(1)] but you must install those raceways per Chapter 3 requirements.
  4. The requirements for cable routing assemblies [800.110(C)] were added with the 2014 NEC. Mostly, these precribe horizontal and vertical support requirements.
  5. The title of 800.113 seems to repeat the title of 800.110. The content, however, is very different. Back to point 1 above. 800.110 deals mostly with the procedures and practices, while 800.113 deals mostly with the materials (cables and raceways).



  6. Which cables and raceways you can use depends on the application. To find your application, glance through the headings for 800.113(A) through 800.113(L). Note that four different types of riser applications are identified.
  7. Note also that 800.113(A) through 800.113(I) is a series that each is for a particular location (e.g., vertical runs in D and metal raceways in E). What if you don't find your location listed? Then apply the requirements of 800.113(J).
  8. Multifamily dwellings have different requirements than to one- and two- family dwellings. For example, the latter can use hybrid power and communication cable while the former cannot [800.113(K) and (L).

     

  9. You can use only listed communications wires and cables that are indicated in Table 800.154(a) [800.154]. The same rule applies to communications raceways, except you use Table 800.154(b). And the same rule applies to cable routing assemblies, except you use Table 800.154(c).
  10. You'll find listing requirements in Part V. These are actually important for the field installer. For example, grounding devices must be either listed or part of listed equipment [500.180].