Electrician's Licensing Practice Exam

What does NEC 422.11 specify regarding protective devices?

1. Minimum wire size

2. Type of insulation

3. Size of the breaker to use

4. Grounding requirements

The correct answer is: Size of the breaker to use

The section NEC 422.11 specifies the requirements for protection against overcurrent in appliances and similar equipment. Specifically, it addresses the sizing of the overcurrent protective devices, which are typically circuit breakers or fuses. This is crucial to ensure that the protective device will operate correctly to prevent damage to the equipment and to mitigate fire hazards. By establishing guidelines for the size of the breaker, NEC 422.11 helps electricians determine the appropriate capacity of the circuit's protective device based on the load and the characteristics of the appliance being installed. In contrast, minimum wire size, type of insulation, and grounding requirements, while also important aspects in electrical installations, fall under different portions of the NEC. Minimum wire size pertains to current-carrying capacity and safety. The type of insulation is more about environmental protection and resistance to electrical stress. Grounding requirements are related to safety and preventing shock hazards, ensuring that the installation is safe under fault conditions. Thus, while those aspects are indeed critical to electrical work, they do not directly relate to the specification found in NEC 422.11 regarding protective devices.