Older National Electric Codes 1

[EEJaime]

Hello,
I've posted this on the Code issues forum, but thought that with the wealth of knowledge the members of this forum regularly demonstrate, this might provide quicker results as this is a much busier forum.

I've Googled this and traipsed through the results with no luck. Does anyone know of a website where one might get to reference previous versions of the NEC? Specifically the 1984 NEC?

I have a client asking about the code compliance of a 1985 project which is now to be updated. Certain issues have come to light that require us to verify that the installation was code compliant at the time of the construction.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thank you,
EEJaime

 

[davidbeach]

Ask your specific question. At some point I can look in my 1984 NEC, but no promises as to when I'll have the time.

 

[alehman]

Also you can purchase old code books from NFPA.

 

[resqcapt19]

You can often find the older code books on e-bay, but you can't just go by the year of construction to pick the code that applied to the job. You have to look at what code was legally adopted in that area at the time the permit for the job was issued. There are a number of jurisdictions where the NEC is not adopted in the same year as on the code book. There area areas that are still using the 2005 code now and some that are using codes even older than that.

 

[EEJaime]

resqcapt,
Thank you, at this particular project site, we know what codes were in place at the time of construction as they are refernced on the construction documents. I always kept all versions of the codes for just this reason, since I left the company for a few years, my "old fashioned" habits, have been replaced by the "you don't need it, everything's on the web" mentality. So here we sit.

Gentlemen,
All I am looking for is to check to see if there is any differences between the Article 300, table 300.5,(in the current code), for 'minimum cover requirements, 0-600 Volts,nominal, burial in inches.Columns, 1, 2 and 3, from the 1984 version.
Again, thank you in advance.
EEJaime

 

[resqcapt19]

Jamie,
I don't have an 84 code, but have an 81 and an 87. There are only a couple of spots where there are margin lines in this section of the 87 code to indicate a change from the 84 code, however the margin line indicators have not always been 100% accurate. That being said there are no differences in the rules from the 87 code and the 2008 code with the following exceptions. One the format of the rule has changed. In the 87 code every thing in the rows below the first row in the current code was covered by exceptions, but the burial depths remained the same between the two codes, with a couple of exceptions. One change is that the information in row #3 (under exterior slabs) was not in the 87 code, so that reduction in depth was not permitted under the old code. Also changed was the information in row #5 ( under streets...). This is an areas with a margin line. The information I have in the 1986 Technical Committee Report (now known as the Report on Proposals) indicates that in the 1984 code this part of the rule only applied to "areas subject to heavy vehicular traffic such as thoroughfares". The change in the 87 code made the rule for under streets, ect, match what is in the current code.
Maybe someone who has a copy of the 1984 code can verify this.

 

[DonPhillips]

Even if the drawings have the code edition information on it, that may not have been the code in effect at the time of application for a permit.

Don Phillips

http://worthingtonengineering.com