SGKent
Banned
Northern California.
Everyone seems to be really busy now with new construction so finding someone who can come out for this is probably going to be hard. I hope the city will let me use inter connected battery smoke detectors but I suspect that they will have to be hard wired because of the way that the 2011, and 2014 California smoke detector laws are written. The cause is I am going to reroof and that is over the $1000 of work that requires a permit which triggers the need to redo the smoke detectors in the house to get the permit signed off. So I think I see 4 hard wired smoke detectors and a combo CO/Smoke in my life soon, which means adding 4 boxes and the wiring, requiring a permit for the wiring.
I'd like to tie into the existing box for the hard wired CO - smoke detector box put in when the house was built in 1979, which is about 10' away from the bedrooms. That alarm has been replaced but the box and a dedicated circuit is already there. From there I would run NM-B depending on the breaker size that currently handles that circuit. Then I would run between the new boxes cut into the ceiling. So here are the questions. I am not an electrician but I have had other electrical jobs on this property signed off with no issues, so if I understand what the requirements are it won't be a problem. I want to be 100% sure that the current codes are met. I hope the city says I can just use 4 new wireless battery operated alarms held on by screws but................ if not,
1) can I use plastic old-work boxes to make them easier to install or do they need to be metal?
2) will the red fire sealant around the boxes be adequate to seal them?
3) When the romex is run, can I run it over the top of each truss like they used to allow, or do I need to put down a board between the trusses and staple it to that instead. Before they just let the romex run between the tops of the trusses, with staples, starting within 12" of a box and every 2nd truss which would be 4' intervals.
4) depending on matching the breaker size can I use a NM-B 12/3 or NM-B 14/3, tying the grounds together in the box, the neutral and black to neutral and black, and the red for the signal wire?
Last - if I have to go hard coded, will the city want to see the alarms hanging to see the wire nuts etc, behind them, insulation in the attic pulled back, or will they just ask me how I did the stapling to make sure I stapled correctly, press the button to see they work and that's it? When I did the whole house fan the guy checked each nail for the correct placement and size compared them to the blueprint, made me take off all the cover plates on the switches and motor etc.. went to the service panel and had me take that apart, then waited until I put everything back together. Then he asked me if I did this for a living, I told him no and he said he was surprised, that he flunks almost all DIY but this was the cleanest installation he had seen of a whole house fan. I just need to understand what the requirements are now.
Everyone seems to be really busy now with new construction so finding someone who can come out for this is probably going to be hard. I hope the city will let me use inter connected battery smoke detectors but I suspect that they will have to be hard wired because of the way that the 2011, and 2014 California smoke detector laws are written. The cause is I am going to reroof and that is over the $1000 of work that requires a permit which triggers the need to redo the smoke detectors in the house to get the permit signed off. So I think I see 4 hard wired smoke detectors and a combo CO/Smoke in my life soon, which means adding 4 boxes and the wiring, requiring a permit for the wiring.
I'd like to tie into the existing box for the hard wired CO - smoke detector box put in when the house was built in 1979, which is about 10' away from the bedrooms. That alarm has been replaced but the box and a dedicated circuit is already there. From there I would run NM-B depending on the breaker size that currently handles that circuit. Then I would run between the new boxes cut into the ceiling. So here are the questions. I am not an electrician but I have had other electrical jobs on this property signed off with no issues, so if I understand what the requirements are it won't be a problem. I want to be 100% sure that the current codes are met. I hope the city says I can just use 4 new wireless battery operated alarms held on by screws but................ if not,
1) can I use plastic old-work boxes to make them easier to install or do they need to be metal?
2) will the red fire sealant around the boxes be adequate to seal them?
3) When the romex is run, can I run it over the top of each truss like they used to allow, or do I need to put down a board between the trusses and staple it to that instead. Before they just let the romex run between the tops of the trusses, with staples, starting within 12" of a box and every 2nd truss which would be 4' intervals.
4) depending on matching the breaker size can I use a NM-B 12/3 or NM-B 14/3, tying the grounds together in the box, the neutral and black to neutral and black, and the red for the signal wire?
Last - if I have to go hard coded, will the city want to see the alarms hanging to see the wire nuts etc, behind them, insulation in the attic pulled back, or will they just ask me how I did the stapling to make sure I stapled correctly, press the button to see they work and that's it? When I did the whole house fan the guy checked each nail for the correct placement and size compared them to the blueprint, made me take off all the cover plates on the switches and motor etc.. went to the service panel and had me take that apart, then waited until I put everything back together. Then he asked me if I did this for a living, I told him no and he said he was surprised, that he flunks almost all DIY but this was the cleanest installation he had seen of a whole house fan. I just need to understand what the requirements are now.
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