No, John ... no offense taken! I've just had my fill of 'safety experts' and their office-born one-size-fits-all directives.
I also weary at those who look at the code and debate the meaning of the word "is" in their quest to do as shakey a job as possible.
I mean ... I'm not that smart, but ... doesn't it seem obvious that you really, really want to be able to turn the power "off?" Why must the code spell things like this out in down-to-the-last-screw detail? Do these guys need a law to remind them to tie their shoe laces?
With services like this as the 'norm' around here, I really want to watch the inspector's reaction when I get the new service installed. Hell, he just might parade the local trades past for a guided tour ... once he revives!
Likewise, I am surpprised at the resistance I get from my fellow sparkies when I mention I'm putting the kitchen on its' own sub-panel. "But you can get a big panel," they say.
Sure you can ... but even that big panel is sized to fit between the same two studs, which means there is room for only about 16 KO's. Allow for the panel feed and the large circuits (range, water heater, air conditioner, dryer), and that's 11 KO's or 22 cables (doubling up). That makes for a lot of holes in the top plate, a crowded panel, and a real spaghetti fest in the attic.
Sure, the house was built with six circuits - but there is no way it can be rewired that way! 1 bath, 2 kitchen, 1 furnace ... that's four required dedicated circuits right there.
