Electrical Code & Installations
Read and apply the National Electrical Code: navigation, definitions, adoption, conductor sizing, voltage drop, load calculations, box fill, grounding, GFCI/AFCI, motors and exam prep.
Leads to: Electrician
Before you start
This course builds on Electrical Circuits, Workplace Safety & Tools and Technical Drawing & CAD Basics. Take them first if you are new to the topic.
About this course
A mid-level course for future electricians. You will learn how the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) is organised and how to find any rule with the index; apply key Article 100 definitions and Article 110 general rules; find which edition and local amendments your jurisdiction enforces and who the authority having jurisdiction is; size conductors for continuous loads with temperature correction and bundling adjustment; calculate voltage drop; run a basic dwelling service load calculation; check box and conduit fill; explain grounding versus bonding; know where GFCI and AFCI protection is generally required; size motor overloads and read a start/stop ladder diagram; and plan for inspections and the journeyman exam. Code activities are small fill-in-the-blank trade calculators with one formula to write, and table values in them are illustrative: always use the code book for the edition your jurisdiction has adopted. This course is awareness and calculation practice only. It does not replace a registered apprenticeship, supervised field hours, employer training or a state licence, and every hands-on task is done on paper, in a browser or with a simulator, never on live circuits or mains wiring.
Course content
Module 1
Navigating the NEC
3 lessons · 2h 21mHow the National Electrical Code is organised, the definitions and general rules every job uses, and how adoption, local amendments and the AHJ decide which code applies.
- 1h 14mHow the NEC is organisedReading
Learn the NEC's chapter, article and section layout and find any rule fast with the index.
- 18mDefinitions and general rulesReading
Apply key Article 100 definitions and the general Article 110 rules that every installation must meet.
- 49mAdoption and local amendmentsReading
Find which NEC edition and local amendments apply where you work, and who enforces them.
Module 2
Calculations
4 lessons · 2h 32mThe everyday code calculations: conductor ampacity with derating, voltage drop, dwelling service load calculations, and box and conduit fill.
- 40mConductor sizing and ampacityReading
Size a conductor for a continuous load with temperature correction and bundling adjustment.
- 34mVoltage dropReading
Compute the voltage drop on a branch-circuit run and choose a conductor that keeps it within 3%.
- 39mDwelling load calculationsReading
Run a basic standard-method service load calculation for a single-family dwelling.
- 39mBox and conduit fillReading
Count box-fill allowances, check a box's volume and work out conduit fill percentage.
Module 3
Wiring Methods and Equipment
4 lessons · 2h 20mGrounding and bonding, GFCI and AFCI protection, motor circuits and control ladder diagrams, inspections and journeyman exam preparation.
- 35mGrounding and bondingReading
Explain the difference between grounding and bonding and why the fault path, not the earth, trips the breaker.
- 24mGFCI and AFCIReading
Know how GFCIs and AFCIs work and where the NEC generally requires each in a dwelling.
- 32mMotor circuits and controlsReading
Size motor overload protection from the nameplate and read a three-wire start/stop ladder diagram.
- 49mInspections and the licensing examReading
Know what inspectors check at each stage and plan your journeyman exam study.