Special Occupancies, Special Locations and Special Equipment
What the exam targets
Chapters 5, 6, and 7: classified locations, health care facilities, agricultural buildings, mobile homes, pools, solar PV, emergency and standby systems, and temporary installations.
Concepts to own
- Hazardous locations, Articles 500-506: Class I gases and vapors, Class II dusts, Class III fibers; Division 1 versus Division 2, plus the Zone systems. Equipment must be listed for the class, division or zone, and group.
- Article 517 health care: essential electrical system, critical branch, hospital-grade receptacles.
- Article 680 pools: receptacles at least 6 ft from the inside wall, with at least one between 6 and 20 ft for dwellings; equipotential bonding per 680.26; GFCI protection throughout.
- Article 690 PV: 125% sizing factors, rapid shutdown, labeling, and disconnect requirements.
- Article 700 emergency systems, 701 legally required standby, and 702 optional standby are different animals with different requirements.
- Article 590 temporary wiring and Article 525 carnivals, fairs, and similar events.
Traps
Confusing Class with Division; assuming a Division 2 location needs no special equipment; bonding pool metal with an equipment grounding conductor instead of the equipotential grid; applying dwelling-unit rules to a mobile home; calling an optional standby generator an emergency system.
Rule of thumb
Pool receptacles: remember "6 and 20" - nothing within 6 ft of the pool wall, and at least one outlet between 6 and 20 ft for a dwelling.
Worked example
An outdoor dwelling pool: a receptacle 4 ft from the inside wall is not permitted. One at 10 ft is permitted and must be GFCI-protected. All metal parts within 5 ft of the pool, plus the perimeter surfaces, must be bonded to the equipotential grid.