Preface
The second edition of Part I of the Canadian Electrical Code was issued in January 1930. Since that date it has been officially adopted by the Provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Alberta, so that it is now recognized throughout the Dominion* and a C.E.S.A. Provincial Code Committee is operating in each of the nine Provinces. The Publication of this third edition has been delayed on account of prevailing industrial conditions but it is hoped to issue future editions at more frequent intervals.
During 1930, meetings of the Western and Eastern Provincial Code Committees were held at Calgary in September and at Saint John, N.B., in November respectively, to discuss, primarily, the experience gained in the operation of the Code in the various Provinces. Revisions to the second edition were first considered at the sixth meeting of the C.E.S.A. Committee on Canadian Electrical Code at Toronto in September 1931. At this meeting many revisions were tentatively approved and a special memorandum of revisions was published in the C.E.S.A. Bulletin for December 31st, 1931. It was decided also to organize a Special Committee on Code Revisions through whose agency drafts of proposed revisions might be circulated to the Provincial Code Committees. In accordance with procedure agreed upon, the Eastern Group of the Committee, consisting of representatives from Ontario and Quebec, during 1932 and 1933, prepared preliminary drafts on which comments were obtained and on February 28th and March 8th, 1934, complete drafts were sent to the Provincial Committees. On March 26th the first meeting of the Special Committee was held in Toronto, practically all the Provinces being represented. Proposed revisions, and comments thereon from Provincial Committees and other sources were fully discussed, also future procedure for Code revisions. On May 16th and July 10th, drafts or proposed revisions were sent to the Committee on Canadian Electrical Code for letter ballot.
In this third edition of Part I of the Canadian Electrical Code there has been considerable re-arrangement, and addition of new material. Attention is called to the following items:
Definitions - Many additions and revisions have been made.
Section 4, Servies-Old Rules 401 and 404 have been transposed, Rule 401 having been rearranged and revised. Rule 402 recognizes service-entrance cable and the use of bare neutral, and Rule 404, the omission of service boxes if circuit breakers be used in branch circuits; also a new meter sequence.
Section 5, Wiring Methods-Low Potential - In old Rule 502, Clauses (j) and (k) and Tables II and III have been deleted. Rule 513 sets a new limit to the number of circuits on panelboards. Three new Rules, 514, 515 and 516 has been added and old Rules 504 and 515 have been renumbered as 517 and 518.
Section 6, Conductors-Tables VIII, IX, X and XIV have been deleted. In old Table XV (now Table XI) the demand factors have been reduced and now apply only to ranges.
Section 7, Outlet Boxes and Cabinets has been deleted as revision to Rule 513 now covers installation details. Construction details will be covered in Part II of the Code.
Section 8, Protective and Control Equipment-Several tables have been revised and brought up to date. In Rule 802, title has been changed to Over-current Devices. In clause (b) the use of plug fuses has been extended to 250 volt circuits supplied from 125-250 volt systems. Old Clause (1), which permitted paralleling of fuses in capacities of over 600 amperes, has been deleted. Old Rule 805 is now Rule 804, and old Rule 804 and Tables XIX and XX have been deleted. Old Tables XXII and XXIX have been combined in new Table XXII. Old Rule 807 is now Rule 806 and Clause (j) establishes a limit of 5 h.p. instead of 2 h.p.
Section 9, Grounding-Several revisions have been made. (see also Definitions).
Section 20, Installation of Electrical Equipment-Old Rule 2004, Transformers has been transferred to Section 50 as Rule 5003.
Section 37, Radio Installations-Rule 3702(h) has been revised and Rule 3703 has been expanded.
Section 39, Theatre Installations-Old Rule 3903, Emergency Lights has been made a new Section 41.
Section 51, X-Ray and High Frequency Apparatus, is a new Section.
Section 60, Electrical Communication Systems-This has been almost completely revised.
Appendices A, C and D have been deleted.
A Cross-reference List and detailed Index have been omitted, but special care has been taken to insert cross-references in the Rules wherever this seemed to be desirable. No difficulty should now be experienced in locating any desired information.
Special acknowledgement is made for use of material contained in the latest edition of the National Electrical Code.
A list of specifications issued to date under Part II of the Code will be found on page 172. These are approval specifications and cover essential requirements and minimum standards for electrical equipment. Work on Part III of the code covering Outside Wiring Rules is underway but no reports are as yet available.
Letter-ballot approval of this revised edition was received from the Committee on Canadian Electrical Code in October, 1934, and from the Sectional Committee on Electrical Work and the Main Committee of the Association in December, 1934.
Scope and General Arrangement of Rules and Regulations
These Rules and Regulations are designated as the Canadian Electrical Code-Part I.
These Rules and Regulations govern all electrical work and equipment (operating, or intended to operate, at potentials up to 5,000 volts, inclusive) in electrical installations for buildings, structures and premises-with the exception of car-wiring, work in mines and air-craft and marine work.
The Code is divided into numbered Sections, each one covering some main division of the work. The Sections are divided into numbered Rules, and each Rule is further divided into Clauses covering the individual features relating to the Rule and designated, for easy reference, by letters of the alphabet.
*See List of Provincial Representatives, p. 171.
