.... And maybe even misleading.

Let's just say I' had an 'epiphany' today. The technical term for this is "oops."

The setting: someone wants to place a mobile home in a park operated by my customer. I needed to supply the service to this trailer.

So, I do all the usual load calcs, and my numbers came out at 103 amps. I instal a 125 amp service. Both the city and the PoCo are happy with this.

Then I got to discover a new bureaucracy: the Stat's "Gepartment of Business and Industry - Manufactured Housing Division." More little surprises followed.

For example, I learned that my state-issued electrical contractors' license did not cover any work I might do on, or within, a mobile home. THAT is another license, more money. I'm not even allowed to hook them up.

The next surprise was one suggested in the NEC, had I but looked closer at it. That is, the mobile home has -somewhere- a little tag on it, stating the service requirements. I have to meet these requirements. If the trailer has a 200 amp breaker, it needs a 200 amp service .... load calcs notwithstanding. In effect, the NEC treats these things not as homes, but as really big toasters.

The end result? I get to re-do my service. At least I ran big pipe!

I was also referred to, or discovered, two additional codes I am expected to meet. One is the Federal Government's "Code of Federal Regulations" (specifically, 20CFR3280), and the other is the State's own 'installation standards' (specifically, the "Nevada manufactured Home, Mobile Home, and Commercial Coach Installation Standards").

These documents are slightly different in detail than the NEC, or PoCo requirements.

Perhaps the most annoying aspect of this experience has been the reluctance of several parties to answer questions.

For example, the trailer-set guy said 'it's the code,' but was silent when I asked either what code, or what agency enforced it. The best he could say was 'the State." Well, in the entire permitting process, there had not been the slightest involvement of any state agency. How this guy was unable -or is it unwilling?- to identify the office that he regularly visited for his business is beyong my understanding.

As for the functionaries at that State office, I had to ask the same questions many times, and even then got only partial answers. For example, "Who are you? What agency? Where's your office?" The guy was specific, though, in saying my license did not allow me to work in or on mobile homes.