Steel Trusses and Conductors

[tdietrich1]

Originally Posted by mhawley

Here is a intresting video/story

http://www.local6.com/money/7302637/detail.html

The root cause seems the violation of routing wires < 1.25" from all nailing/fastening surfaces. The screw was only 1 inch long.

Very sad. I think situations like this reinforces the idea of AFCI's for all branch circuits. The internal lowered (50ma I believe) ground fault might have even tripped one fore arcing occurred. Might have saved a life.

tom

[Greg Fretwell]

Barry, we don't see much of that here. They just use the thin guage studs for partition walls. I have seen them use what you are showing in commercial.
I saw one house with steel roof framing but it was a "one shot" spec house.
Exterior walls are virtually always concrete block and stucco. It is easier to get to the wind code that way.
Does Oklahoma specifically require bonding of the framing?

[Barry Adair]

Originally Posted by Greg Fretwell

Barry, we don't see much of that here. They just use the thin guage studs for partition walls. I have seen them use what you are showing in commercial.
I saw one house with steel roof framing but it was a "one shot" spec house.
Exterior walls are virtually always concrete block and stucco. It is easier to get to the wind code that way.
Does Oklahoma specifically require bonding of the framing?

Greg,

I don't have a clue what they do in Oklahoma. I sure hope they would.
The house in my photos and I both reside in Texas and yes they are bonded on all the one's I've looked at.
In case you were mislead Texas ceded Oklahoma many years ago.

[Greg Fretwell]

Sorry my fault. One of those Red River errors.
All of my "Adair" relatives live in Oklahoma. My fingers started before my brain was in gear.

[Barry Adair]

Originally Posted by Greg Fretwell

Sorry my fault. One of those Red River errors.
All of my "Adair" relatives live in Oklahoma. My fingers started before my brain was in gear.

Stuff happens but an error like that in these parts is punishable by hangin' as you well know. evil grin

Greg,

I may have to stand corrected. Upon further investigation and you getting me to question this I may have my interpretation wrong but I would still call them on it. Maybe this will be addressed in '08 NEC. Good work my friend!

Here's a news letter with diagram. scroll down http://www.mikeholt.com/newsletters....y&letterID=191

NEC DOES NOT require structural studs or sheet metal framing members bonding but it is a "good idea" I guess the sparkies around here have common sense and know this and I look for the bond attachment anyway.

It has yet become a point of contention and most would cave once logic and the code section was produced, not having the rest of the commentary.

Another example of the CODE being the least you can get away with.

I'll get a photo of the bond connector next time I'm out there, but all the phase houses I had contracted are finished now. I should be setting up 1 year warranty appointments this summer.

[Mathew Hawley]

Thanks again to all who replied, your input was very helpful.

Barry I would love to see a photo of a bonding connector when you get one.

[Greg Fretwell]

Florida has ruled that a metal box, bonded to the EGC and screwed to the metal stud is sufficient bonding, based on the "...circuit likely to energize" philosophy. Basically one bonded box per isoplated wall segment will meet the requirement.
This came about because we killed someone in a bathroom when the medicine cabinet became energized from an unbonded steel stud. The "rocker" hit a piece of Romex with a drywall screw.