EZSMART Corporation, ESA/ECRA #7012690 , North York , Ontario
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What Is the National Electrical Code (NEC)? The National Electrical Code (NEC) is the United States standard for safe electrical installation, published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and updated every three years. In Canada, the equivalent document is the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC), published by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Ontario electricians follow […]
What Is the Difference Between Solid and Stranded Wire? Solid wire consists of a single metal conductor of uniform diameter. Stranded wire consists of multiple thinner wires twisted together to form a conductor of equivalent cross-sectional area. Both types are available in the same AWG gauge sizes, and at the same gauge, both carry the […]
What Is the Difference Between a 120V and 240V Breaker? In Ontario, residential electrical service is single-phase 240V. The panel’s two hot buses each carry 120V to neutral — devices that operate at 120V connect to one hot bus, while 240V devices connect to both hot buses simultaneously. The type of breaker determines which voltage […]
What Is Armor-Clad (BX) Cable? Armor-clad cable, commonly called BX cable, is a type of electrical cable where the conductors are enclosed in a flexible metal armour rather than a plastic sheath. The armour is formed from interlocked steel or aluminum strips that spiral around the conductors, providing mechanical protection against physical damage. In Canada, […]
What Is a Split-Bus Panel? A split-bus panel (also called a split-bus service entrance panel) is an older type of electrical panel that has two separate bus sections instead of one main breaker controlling all circuits. The upper section, called the “main” section, contains large 240V breakers for major appliances — typically six or fewer […]
What Is a Rough-In Electrical Inspection? A rough-in electrical inspection is the inspection that takes place after all wiring has been installed in a building but before the walls are closed with drywall. At this stage, all cables are run, boxes are installed, and conductors are pulled but devices, fixtures, and panel connections may not […]
What Is a Pigtail in Electrical Wiring? A pigtail is a short wire added to a connection to allow multiple conductors to share a single terminal or to reduce the number of conductors spliced directly onto a device. The pigtail itself connects to the device’s terminal while the other end of the pigtail joins the […]
What Is a Junction Box and Where Can It Be Hidden? A junction box is an electrical enclosure that houses wire splices and connections. Junction boxes protect the connections from physical damage and contain any arc or fire that might occur at a faulty connection. Every wire splice or connection in an electrical system must […]
What Is a GFCI Breaker vs. a GFCI Outlet? Both GFCI breakers and GFCI outlets provide ground fault circuit interrupter protection, which shuts off power when a current imbalance of as little as 5 milliamps is detected — protecting against electric shock. The difference is where the protection device is located and how many outlets […]
What Does “14/2 With Ground” Mean? The designation “14/2 with ground” refers to a non-metallic sheathed cable (NMD-90 in Canada) with specific conductor characteristics. The first number is the wire gauge in AWG (American Wire Gauge) — 14 AWG in this case. The second number is the count of insulated conductors inside the sheath — […]
