ExamFinch.com My Study

Study guide

12.1 Signs, Cranes, Elevators, Electric Vehicle Charging and Welders

Practice this exam

Alaska Journeyman Electrician Study Guide Exam

Track your progress as you read

Finished sections get a check mark.

1 Chapter 1: Alaska Certificates of Fitness, Law & Exam Logistics

1.1 The Alaska Certificate of Fitness System 1.2 Journeyman Eligibility: 8,000 Hours and How Alaska Counts Them 1.3 Trainee, Residential Wireman, Lineman, Provisional & Reciprocal Certificates 1.4 The Journeyman Examination: Format, Scheduling, Open-Book Rules & Retakes 1.5 Adopted Codes, Fees, Renewal, Inspection & Enforcement

2 Chapter 2: Using the 2020 NEC

2.1 Article 90: Purpose, Scope, Arrangement & Enforcement 2.2 Navigating the Code Book: Structure, Index & Tabbing Strategy 2.3 Article 100 Definitions You Must Know Cold 2.4 Electrical Theory for the Exam: Ohm's Law, Power & Three-Phase

3 Chapter 3: General Requirements — Article 110

3.1 Approval, Listing, Interrupting Rating & Terminations 3.2 Temperature Limitations of Terminations — 110.14(C) 3.3 Working Space, Access, Egress & Illumination — 110.26(A) through (D) 3.4 Dedicated Equipment Space, Guarding & Over-1000-Volt Installations

4 Chapter 4: Conductors and Ampacity — Article 310

4.1 Conductor Types, Insulation Markings & Table 310.16 4.2 Ambient Temperature Correction and Alaska's Cold 4.3 Adjustment for More Than Three Current-Carrying Conductors 4.4 Putting It Together: Full Conductor-Sizing Problems 4.5 Parallel Conductors, Dwelling Service Sizing & Conditions of Use

5 Chapter 5: Wiring Methods and Materials — NEC Chapter 3

5.1 Article 300 General Requirements and Underground Cover 5.2 Thermal Movement: Expansion Fittings and Table 352.44 5.3 Boxes and Enclosures: Box Fill and Pull Box Sizing 5.4 Cable Assemblies: NM, MC, AC, SE, UF and TC 5.5 Raceways: RMC, IMC, EMT, FMC, LFMC, PVC and ENT 5.6 Conduit Fill: Chapter 9 Tables and Annex C 5.7 Cable Trays, Wireways, Busways, Gutters and Surface Raceways

6 Chapter 6: Branch Circuits and Feeders

6.1 Branch-Circuit Ratings, Conductor Sizing & Multiwire Circuits 6.2 Required Outlets and Receptacle Spacing in Dwellings 6.3 GFCI Protection — Article 210.8 6.4 AFCI Protection and Receptacle Requirements 6.5 Feeders and Outside Branch Circuits — Articles 215 and 225 6.6 Grounded Conductor Identification, Switches & Panelboards

7 Chapter 7: Overcurrent Protection — Articles 240 and 242

7.1 Article 240 Fundamentals: Ratings, Locations & Conductor Protection 7.2 Feeder Tap Rules — 240.21(B) 7.3 Transformer Secondary Conductors — 240.21(C) 7.4 Fuses, Circuit Breakers, Series Ratings & Article 242 Surge Protection

8 Chapter 8: Services and Load Calculations

8.1 Service Conductors, Clearances and Service Equipment 8.2 Service Disconnects, the 2020 Rule Change, SPDs and Service GFPE 8.3 Article 220 Part II: General Lighting, Receptacles and Demand Factors 8.4 The Standard Dwelling Calculation — Article 220 Part III 8.5 Optional Dwelling and Multifamily Calculations 8.6 Commercial and Industrial Load Calculations 8.7 Neutral Load Calculations and Harmonics — 220.61

9 Chapter 9: Grounding and Bonding — Article 250

9.1 System Grounding, 250.24 and the Main Bonding Jumper 9.2 The Grounding Electrode System — 250.50 through 250.53 9.3 Grounding Electrode Conductor Sizing and Installation 9.4 Bonding: Services, Metal Piping, Structural Metal and Other Systems 9.5 Equipment Grounding Conductors: Types, Sizing and Continuity 9.6 Separately Derived Systems and Separate Buildings 9.7 Ground-Fault Protection of Equipment and Grounding of Specific Equipment

10 Chapter 10: Equipment for General Use — NEC Chapter 4

10.1 Flexible Cords, Cables and Fixture Wires 10.2 Switches, Receptacles and Industrial Control Panels 10.3 Luminaires, Lampholders and Recessed Installations 10.4 Appliances and Fixed Electric Space Heating 10.5 Deicing, Snow Melting, Pipeline and Vessel Heating 10.6 Motors Part I: Full-Load Current, Conductors and Overload Protection 10.7 Motors Part II: Short-Circuit Protection, Controllers, Disconnects and HVAC

11 Chapter 11: Transformers, Generators and Special Occupancies

11.1 Transformers — Article 450 11.2 Generators, Storage Batteries and Energy Storage Systems 11.3 Hazardous (Classified) Locations — Articles 500 through 506 11.4 Garages, Hangars, Fuel Dispensing, Bulk Storage and Spray Application 11.5 Health Care Facilities — Article 517 11.6 Agricultural Buildings, Manufactured Homes, RV Parks and Marinas 11.7 Assembly, Theaters, Carnivals, Temporary Installations and Pools

12 Chapter 12: Special Equipment, Special Conditions and Exam Strategy

12.1 Signs, Cranes, Elevators, Electric Vehicle Charging and Welders 12.2 Solar Photovoltaic, Interconnection and Stand-Alone Systems 12.3 Wind Electric Systems and Fire Pumps 12.4 Emergency, Legally Required Standby, Optional Standby and COPS 12.5 Class 1, 2 and 3 Circuits, Fire Alarm, Optical Fiber and Communications 12.6 Cold-Climate Practice in Alaska: Code Basis and Engineering Judgment 12.7 Exam-Day Strategy: Navigation, Calculation Workflow and Time Management

12.1 Signs, Cranes, Elevators, Electric Vehicle Charging and Welders

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

NEC 600.5(A) requires at least one outlet at each entrance to a commercial building or occupancy accessible to pedestrians for sign or outline lighting, supplied by a branch circuit rated at least 20 amperes that supplies no other load.

NEC 220.14(F) requires a minimum of 1200 volt-amperes to be included in the load calculation for each required sign or outline lighting branch circuit.

NEC 620.62 requires selective coordination where more than one driving machine disconnecting means is supplied by a single feeder in an elevator installation.

NEC 625.40 requires electric vehicle supply equipment to be supplied by an individual branch circuit that supplies no other loads, and 625.41 treats the EV load as continuous, requiring 125 percent sizing.

NEC 630.11(A) sizes supply conductors for an individual arc welder at not less than the product of the rated primary current and the duty-cycle multiplier from Table 630.11(A).

Last updated: August 2026

Article 600 — Electric Signs and Outline Lighting

600.5(A) Required Branch Circuit. Each commercial building and each commercial occupancy accessible to pedestrians shall be provided with at least one outlet in an accessible location at each entrance to each tenant space for sign or outline lighting system use. The outlet(s) shall be supplied by a branch circuit rated at least 20 amperes that supplies no other load . Service hallways or corridors shall not be considered accessible to pedestrians.

600.5(B)(1) Rating. Branch circuits that supply signs shall be rated not to exceed 20 amperes for circuits supplying ballasts, transformers, LED drivers, or electronic power supplies; and not to exceed 30 amperes for circuits supplying incandescent or LED lamps and lampholders.

220.14(F) requires the load for the required sign or outline lighting outlet to be computed at a minimum of 1200 volt-amperes for each required branch circuit.

600.5(C)(3) Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection. All 15- and 20-ampere, 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles installed in accordance with 600.5(A) shall have GFCI protection for personnel integral to the receptacle or the branch circuit.

600.6 Disconnects. Each sign and outline lighting system, feeder circuit, or branch circuit supplying a sign, outline lighting system, or skeleton tubing shall be controlled by an externally operable switch or circuit breaker that will open all ungrounded conductors and controls no other load. The disconnect shall be capable of being locked in the open position in accordance with 110.25.

600.6(A)(1) At Point of Entry to a Sign Enclosure. The disconnect shall be within sight of the sign or outline lighting system it controls. Where the disconnect is out of the line of sight from any section that is able to be energized, the disconnecting means shall be capable of being locked in the open position.

600.7 Grounding and Bonding. Signs and metal equipment of outline lighting systems shall be grounded and bonded as specified in the section. 600.7(B)(1) requires bonding of metal parts and equipment of signs and outline lighting systems. 600.7(B)(5) requires the bonding conductor to be copper, not smaller than 14 AWG .

600.10 Portable or Mobile Signs. Portable or mobile signs shall meet the requirements of the section, including GFCI protection where in a wet or damp location, with the GFCI to be an integral part of the attachment plug or located in the power-supply cord within 300 mm (12 in.) of the attachment plug .

Article 610 — Cranes and Hoists

610.11 Wiring Method. Conductors shall be enclosed in raceways or be Type AC cable with insulated equipment grounding conductor, Type MC cable, or Type MI cable, unless otherwise permitted or required.

610.14(A) Ampacity of Conductors. The allowable ampacities of conductors shall be as shown in Table 610.14(A) , which gives values for conductors used with short-time-rated motors on 30-, 60-, and continuous-duty cycles.

610.14(E) Multiple Motors. Conductors supplying more than one motor shall have an ampacity at least equal to the sum of the nameplate current ratings of all motors on the panel, plus a percentage of the nameplate current rating of the largest motor.

610.32 Disconnecting Means for Runway Conductors. A readily accessible disconnecting means shall be provided between the runway contact conductors and the power supply. Such disconnecting means shall consist of a motor-circuit switch, circuit breaker, or molded case switch, shall be lockable open in accordance with 110.25, and shall open all ungrounded conductors simultaneously .

610.33 Rating of Disconnecting Means. The continuous ampere rating of the switch or circuit breaker required by 610.32 shall not be less than 50 percent of the combined short-time ampere rating of the motors or less than 75 percent of the sum of the short-time ampere rating of the motors required for any single motion.

Article 620 — Elevators, Dumbwaiters, Escalators, Moving Walks, Platform Lifts, and Stairway Chairlifts

620.21 Wiring Methods. Conductors and optical fibers located in hoistways, in escalator and moving walk wellways, in platform lifts, stairway chairlift runways, machinery spaces, control spaces, in or on cars, in machine rooms and control rooms, not including the traveling cables connecting the car or counterweight and hoistway wiring, shall be installed in rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, rigid nonmetallic conduit, electrical metallic tubing, or wireways , or shall be Type MC, MI, or AC cable, unless otherwise permitted in 620.21(A) through (C).

620.22(A) Car Light Source. A separate branch circuit shall supply the car lights, receptacle(s), auxiliary lighting power source, and ventilation on each elevator car. The overcurrent device protecting each branch circuit shall be located in the elevator machine room or control room.

620.23 requires a separate branch circuit for the machine room or control room lighting and receptacles, and 620.24 for the hoistway pit lighting and receptacles. The lighting switch shall be readily accessible from the point of entry, and the required lighting shall not be connected to the load side of a ground-fault circuit interrupter .

620.51 Disconnecting Means. A single means for disconnecting all ungrounded main power supply conductors for each unit shall be provided and be designed so that no pole can be operated independently. Where multiple driving machines are connected to a single elevator, escalator, moving walk, or pumping unit, there shall be one disconnecting means to disconnect the motor(s) and control valve operating magnets .

(A) Type. The disconnecting means shall be an enclosed externally operable fused motor-circuit switch or circuit breaker, lockable open in accordance with 110.25.

(C) Location. The disconnecting means shall be located where it is readily accessible to qualified persons , in the specified locations for each type of equipment.

(D) Identification and Signs. Where there is more than one driving machine in a machine room, the disconnecting means shall be numbered to correspond to the identifying number of the driving machine that they control.

620.62 Selective Coordination. Where more than one driving machine disconnecting means is supplied by a single feeder , the overcurrent protective devices in each disconnecting means shall be selectively coordinated with any other supply-side overcurrent protective devices. Selective coordination shall be selected by a licensed professional engineer or other qualified person engaged primarily in the design, installation, or maintenance of electrical systems , and the selection shall be documented and made available to those authorized to design, install, inspect, maintain, and operate the system.

Article 625 — Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System

625.40 Electric Vehicle Branch Circuit. Each outlet installed for the purpose of charging electric vehicles shall be supplied by an individual branch circuit . Each circuit shall have no other outlets .

625.41 Overcurrent Protection. Overcurrent protection for feeders and branch circuits supplying electric vehicle supply equipment or wireless power transfer equipment shall be sized for continuous duty and shall have a rating of not less than 125 percent of the maximum load of the equipment. Where noncontinuous loads are supplied from the same feeder or branch circuit, the overcurrent device shall have a rating of not less than the sum of the noncontinuous loads plus 125 percent of the continuous loads.

625.42 Rating. Electric vehicle supply equipment and wireless power transfer equipment shall have sufficient rating to supply the load served. Electric vehicle charging loads shall be considered continuous loads . Where an automatic load management system is used, the maximum equipment load on a service or feeder shall be the maximum load permitted by the automatic load management system.

625.43 Disconnecting Means. For equipment rated more than 60 amperes or more than 150 volts to ground , the disconnecting means shall be provided and installed in a readily accessible location . The disconnecting means shall be capable of being locked in the open position .

625.44 Equipment Connection. (A) Portable equipment shall be permitted to be cord-and-plug connected to a receptacle outlet. (B) Fastened-in-place equipment rated 250 volts or less shall be permitted to be cord-and-plug connected where the cord does not exceed 1.8 m (6 ft) and the receptacle is located to avoid physical damage. (C) Fixed equipment shall be permanently connected and fastened in place.

625.54 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. All receptacles installed for the connection of electric vehicle charging that are rated 125 volts, single phase, 15, 20, or 30 amperes shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel .

625.48 Interactive Systems. Electric vehicle supply equipment and other parts of a system, either on-board or off-board the vehicle, that are identified for and intended to be interconnected to a vehicle and also serve as an optional standby system or an electric power production source or provide for bidirectional power feed, shall be listed as suitable for that purpose and shall comply with Article 705.

Article 630 — Electric Welders

630.11(A) Individual Welders (AC Transformer and DC Rectifier Arc Welders). The ampacity of the supply conductors shall be not less than the current values determined by multiplying the rated primary current by the factor from Table 630.11(A) based on the duty cycle of the welder:

  • Duty cycle Multiplier for nonmotor-generator welder
  • 100 1.00
  • 90 0.95
  • 80 0.89
  • 70 0.84
  • 60 0.78
  • 50 0.71
  • 40 0.63
  • 30 0.55
  • 20 or less 0.45

The logic is duty-cycle diversity: a welder that operates only 30 percent of the time heats its supply conductors far less than its rated primary current would suggest.

630.11(B) Group of Welders. The ampacity of conductors that supply a group of welders shall be permitted to be less than the sum of the currents, based on 100 percent of the two largest welders, plus 85 percent of the third largest, plus 70 percent of the fourth largest, plus 60 percent of all remaining welders .

630.12 Overcurrent Protection. (A) For Welders. Each welder shall have overcurrent protection rated or set at not more than 200 percent of the rated primary current, with the next higher standard rating permitted where the value does not correspond to a standard size. Overcurrent protection is not required where the welder is provided with integral protection. (B) For Conductors. Conductors that supply one or more welders shall be protected by an overcurrent device rated or set at not more than 200 percent of the conductor ampacity.

630.13 Disconnecting Means. A disconnecting means shall be provided in the supply circuit for each arc welder that is not equipped with a disconnect mounted as an integral part of the welder. The disconnecting means shall be a switch or circuit breaker, and its rating shall be not less than that necessary to accommodate overcurrent protection as specified under 630.12.

630.31 and 630.32 contain the parallel rules for resistance welders , using a different set of multipliers based on the duty cycle in Table 630.31(A)(2).

630.15 Grounding of Welder Secondary Circuit. The secondary circuit conductors of an arc welder, consisting of the electrode conductor and the work conductor, shall not be considered as premises wiring for the purpose of applying Article 250.