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My city requires electrical work to be done in accordance to the 2014 NEC. Therefore, I am purchasing the 2014 NEC. I see there are several other NEC-related books available. My question is: What is the benefit of the handbook over the regular NEC (how do they differ)? More to the point, who is the target audience of the NEC? Is this type of resource intended for the average DIY'er who has no interest in NEC certification (am I in the NEC's target audience), etc.?

tnknepp
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    Black & Decker makes a fantastic series of books for DIYers / homeowners, including one specific to electrical, and a Codes for Homeowners book that covers a lot of other topics. You can find these at many libraries and check them out instead of buying one, too! While the NEC or other code books are important tools, a broad introduction to the topics most relevant to a particular type of homeowner project is very helpful; and that's what Black & Decker's books do well. These books are sold at many home improvement stores, too. – Jeff Wheeler Oct 15 '20 at 15:12
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    Most inspectors use the handbook it is the entire code book plus the reason why there are changes and the reason behind things like garage receptacles shall be GFCI protected then the handbook states there are no exceptions. This is one example that has come up several times on this site. It may not make sense but the explanations are written by those that wrote the code. – Ed Beal Oct 15 '20 at 15:34
  • @EdBeal Well shoot, I just bought the code book and the handbook...sounds like I double-dipped. – tnknepp Oct 15 '20 at 15:42
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    You don't need to buy NEC. Online access is free to consumers. It's also NOT a how-to book nor a design guide, and is not structured to educate at all. You will not find it valuable. Send it back. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Oct 15 '20 at 17:57
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica I don't want it as a how-to book. I just want to know what the code demands so I can have everything up to code when the inspector arrives. That's all. Though it sounds like the handbook will be more helpful. Regarding the digital version, I was born in the wrong century and much prefer hard copies when I can get them. – tnknepp Oct 15 '20 at 18:00
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    Yeah, I came up in that century, so I get the concept. The problem is, paper lends itself to browsing and accidental, serendipitous exploration. NEC is unbrowsable! It is absolutely hostile to that kind of wandering. However, it Rather Exceedingly Useful to be able to do word searches of the text. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Oct 15 '20 at 18:10

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The code book alone is pretty hard to understand, it's 900 pages and all written in legalese. The handbook is useful, it adds some non-legalese clarification to the NEC itself. Mike Holt's materials are great, they are made to make sense of the legalese, and they're popular for a reason.

However none of the above are in any way a design guide or an installation guide. In my opinion a DIYer is better served with the many DIY / residential wiring books available, and for anything beyond the bare basics, get your work inspected.

Note that most of these books are revised for each code cycle, so your best bet is to buy the revision that was written for the code revision in effect in your locale - the 2014 NEC in your case - even if it's no longer available new, it's easy enough to find prior revisions of these books used online.

batsplatsterson
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  • Thanks for the feedback. I am getting my work inspected so I want to ensure I understand the code the first time around, which is why I need something to dumb the NEC down a bit. I was teetering between Mike Holt's illustrated guides and the handbook. If you have a recommendation (a personal favorite) between the two I'd be glad to hear it, otherwise I'll probably go with Holt. – tnknepp Oct 15 '20 at 14:04
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    Well my real answer would be buy both but if you're buying one or the other I'd go with Mike Holt. And I must reiterate, you'll get much more bang for the buck from something from say Taunton or etc., you aren't prepping for a license test, you're doing a residential project. – batsplatsterson Oct 15 '20 at 14:08
  • Keep in mind that the NFPA Handbooks include the full text of the corresponding Code, so you don't need both the NEC and the NEC Handbook, just the Handbook, AFAICT (I've never seen the NEC's Handbook for any edition, but I have looked at a copy of the Handbook for NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code) – ThreePhaseEel Oct 16 '20 at 00:00
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Browsable = No.

I prefer paper books when there's a likelihood of being able to stumble across interesting things by luck or accident. Open it to a page, read what's there, wow, that might be useful, or didn't know that.

NEC is utterly opaque in that manner. If you open to a random page you will find a bunch of gobbledygook. Even if you understand it, it'll be misleading because it doesn't apply to your situation, it applies to solar panels... or gantry cranes... or 1200V installations in factories... or whatever. You'll have to backtrack through the section to see what the find was even applicable to. And then you'll find it's nothing you'll ever do.

Searchable = Yes, please!

However, being able to do text or phrase searches on NEC is indispensable. If you know the phrase you need, type it in and see what references that phrase. For instance one of my favorite queries is 15 or 20 which exists exactly one place in NEC - a table I use a lot.

You can see what other points in Code reference a Code section.

It's super usable that way.

So paper = no thanks

As you know, paper lends itself to bathroom browsing, and very much opposes searching. So I wouldn't find it all that useful.

Recommendation

Start with a DIY book that "speaks your language", which you find by gearing up with PPE and browsing the library at home stores (which still have one) or actual municipal libraries (being wary of obscenely out-of-date or foreign books; ours has a British one for Pete's sake). Find one you like, mail-order it. Nothing electrical should ever be bought from Amazon, with the exception of books.

Obviously, you would choose a book that is calibrated to the type of work you are doing (e.g. home improvement not oil-rig wiring). Such books are, as a rule, quite browsable.

Then, rely on Internet pages and platforms like StackExchange for gory-detail questions that go beyond the book.

Then, a competent electrical supply house for consultation on necessary parts and the like (e.g. what kind of cable clamp can bring 4 Romex into a 1" knockout).

Then, some searchable version of Code for Code refs. I use a PDF, but we can't talk about how to obtain one of those.

Harper - Reinstate Monica
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  • I assume you would say the same for the handbook as well? Also, since we're going down this path, do you have a recommendation? – tnknepp Oct 15 '20 at 18:22
  • Edited for recos. Honestly, I have not seen the handbook. Mike Holt's stuff falls into the "book" category and I'm sure he'll book-on-demand a paper copy if you like his style, but his stuff is awfully industrial (by virtue of his approach: start at Code and explain it). – Harper - Reinstate Monica Oct 15 '20 at 18:42
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    Sadly the 2020 version is not available as a PDF as far as I can tell. Only digitally available as a 'searchable resource on the NEC website. (Luckily the Q here is about the 2014 version). – TylerH Oct 15 '20 at 22:21
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Extremely beneficial. A great fly-swatter, emergency toilet paper and, oh yeah, it lets you ponder what's actually written instead of what's practiced. Especially, to whip it out and rub the inspector's nose in THE FACT(S).

Mike Holt, while very helpful in many regards, had extension cords and flexible cords COMPLETELY WRONG...along with many an Electrician...for not just years, but for decades. And, he's still not fully correct, according to my last run-in.

Though not quite as useful, you can still get a free copy here https://archive.org/details/gov.law.nfpa.nec.2014/nfpa.nec.2014/page/n1/mode/2up if you'd like to peruse what you're considering to buy.

Iggy
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  • I detect some bad experiences with inspectors in your past. Well, I definitely don't want to get on the bad side of these folks...but I also don't want them to demand things that are not required. Thanks for the tip on Holt's books. – tnknepp Oct 15 '20 at 14:32
  • Yep, they're just mostly "that's what I see everywhere else" type people. They know some stuff, but still they're largely just a 2nd look. Mostly helpful, but they can be dicks when it comes to everyone being wrong and the garbage just keeps getting passed around like it's always been right. – Iggy Oct 15 '20 at 14:56
  • @Iggy -- I'm curious, what's the misconception re: extension cords vs. flexible cords that you're referring to? – ThreePhaseEel Oct 15 '20 at 23:58
  • It had and still has to do with 400.8. Holt always said, and still mostly says (amazingly), that neither types are allowed to be concealed within a wall or ceiling. Though, 400.8 HAS ALWAYS SAID ------ Unless specifically allowed in 400.7 ------ And what's allowed in 400.7? PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING used in ALL typical residential and light commercial operations. But, "Unless specifically allowed in 400.7" doesn't matter to inspectors, electricians and Mike Holt. – Iggy Oct 16 '20 at 03:57