Bad Information

Lotta bad information on the Internet, finding fertile ground in so many young trusting minds. Here is one that I hear often from customers: “Oh, I’m sure I need an outlet every 6 feet along the walls in every room.” Wrong. The NEC states that “no point on the wall should be farther than 6 feet away from an electrical receptacle.” That means they should be spaced no further than 12 feet apart.

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How about, “Bedrooms have to have a closet.”

'Course that leaves out every home built 100 yrs ago. Don’t think the word ‘closet’ was even used then. People had wardrobes.

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What??!!! we cannot believe what we read on the internet! What about youtube? Those videos have to be right! :rofl: :rofl:

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Damn, I’m in trouble now. I relied on those for years. LOL

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Says the man who active promotes Internet conspiracy theories on public health matters on this very board. Reap what you sow.

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I agree about bad information but the code does seem to be written to confuse people. The situation cited is a perfect example. It’s VERY easy for a laymen reading it to takeaway that outlets should be spaced every six feet.

I suppose this is the reason “laymen” shouldn’t be reading the code and wiring their houses in the first place. But, even as an experienced inspector, reading the code book can make my head spin at times. I’ll read something and think that must have been an easier way to put something.

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R.S. Andrews from his image above is this site https://www.rsandrews.com. You be the judge.

RSAndrews provided the bad information. he changed the wording and hence the meaning of the code. The exact wording is;

(1) Spacing. Receptacles shall be installed such that no point
measured horizontally along the floor line of any wall space is
more than 1.8 m (6 ft) from a receptacle outlet.

That reads entirely differently than what he provided. Outlets can be no more than 12 feet apart. That is a direct copy from the 2020 NEC.

The great irony of that mistake is that it is the same mistake that occurs in antique manuscripts that were hand copied over the centuries before the printing press. No two copies are the same. With today’s technology that is an unforgiveable mistake, it should never occur.

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Here’s what a Google search came up with:

The US National Electrical Code, Section 210.52, states that there should be an electrical outlet in every kitchen, bedroom, living room, family room, and any other room that has dedicated living space. They must be positioned at least every twelve feet measured along the floor line .

How Far Apart Should Home Electrical Outlets Be? - RS …

https://www.rsandrews.com › how-far-apart-should-home…
(https://www.rsandrews.com/how-far-apart-should-home-electrical-outlets-be/)

Oh, look- they corrected their misinformation. Not really surprised. That was 18 months ago, in August of 2020. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who caught it.