ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area California codes

I searched a while for it, e57 had a typo with California darnit!! :P

leespark
Why don't you send your sister all Mfg & Part # info? Any lighting supplier worth a darn can cross referance all to "Equal" fixture.

Rob

I see what you mean Dave,
Califoria sounds like a new party drug.

Yaeh, Shelin' Tieping Nut suo goad.

Half the time I'm hopped up on coffee, the other half I'm winding down with a bottle of Chimay, or glass of scotch before the wife rings the dinner bell, so my posts can be a mixed bag.

Anyway, one should check with the local AHJ for how and when they will enforce, but the state will start in October I believe, but your permits may be in some "crossing the line" limbo.

In short form the design criteria is this:

Dimmers on everything!

Flouresant (MS?) in the kit 100% unless you want trouble.

Flouresant (MS?) in baths, except if you want some control work in your future,
(I have the standard plan for compliance on this!)

And Flouresant (MS?) lights outside. Or 15,000 watts of "landscape lighting", thats OK?!

Air-tight IC cans shipped down from Washington State, anywhere cans are used.
(It will be cheaper to ship them from there for a while)

Bottom line, is avoid using cans in Baths, Kitchens, or Outside, unless you really like Flouresant (MS?)Light! And Stock up on cheap surface mount Flouresant (MS?)fixtures!

Here's another link to check out:
http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/earlycompliance/2004-06-03_LIGHTING_STNDS.PDF

I told a few designers and arch's, and they didn't like it the "old" way, they are "doomed" the new world order way, that is soon to come. And, I am sure that it will catch a few EC's off guard in the begining too.

Anyway, Leespark, anything you can get there, we can get here. Whether or not you can use it, and if it might cost more here, is a different story.

You want to save your sis some money... Don't spec' the lights from there. Without knowing more about local standards / enforcement, and cost differance of fixtures, could cost her more!

(I hear, Lightolier is cheaper there due to shipping and legal costs... No something about our special ballast and state certification costs.)


[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 05-29-2005).]

A little off the topic, but the ways California finds to be different are many and profound.
Here in Reno, we have miles of warehouses, each of which are divided into "California legal" and "everywhere else" sections. Trucks have to be re-tasked, as California has vastly different highway rules than every other state west of the Mississippi (2000+ miles).

Likewise, California electricians have certain practices, and assumptions, as to what the code requires, that are somewhat different than what the NEC actually calls out. Not that they're bad guys, mind you, but California seems intent on differentiating themselves from the rest of the US.

There are significant differences in the way things are built "out west" as compared to "back east." For example, in California windowsills are non-existant, and screens seem to be a unique affectation of recent arrivals!

So, sure, help your sister. It will help a lot if you have a friendly relationship with the electrician- the GC you're sister is dealing with seems a bit confrontational. It is almost certain that what you specify will be a little different and a little more costly than the contractors' "usual," but she'll get a much better system in the deal.

One final detail: The newer t-5 and t-8 fixtures come with "bluer" bulbs than folks are accustomed to....so designers often specify the yuckiest yellow paint- which looks 'normal' under these lights.