Safety Codes Updates - Fall 2025

Conductor terminations

Improper or loose conductor terminations continue to be a common issue identified during electrical inspections. Ensuring proper torque on all electrical connections is critical for maintaining safety, reliability, and efficiency. A correctly torqued connection creates a secure electrical path, helping to prevent overheating, arcing, and potential fire hazards.

Both under-torquing—leading to loose connections—and over-torquing—which can damage equipment—pose significant risks. To ensure code compliance and system integrity, all terminations must be torqued to the manufacturer’s specified values using a properly calibrated torque wrench. Adhering to these requirements is not only a best practice, but a necessary measure for safe and code-compliant electrical installations.

Risks of Improper Torque

• Under-torquing (connections are too loose):
  • Increased resistance: Creates a poor electrical path, leading to energy losses and voltage drops.
  • Overheating and arcing: Increased resistance generates heat, which can degrade the connection, cause a runaway temperature rise, and potentially lead to electrical fires.
  • Mechanical failure: Loose connections are prone to loosening further due to vibration and thermal expansion/contraction, compromising overall system integrity.
• Over-torquing (connections are too tight):
  • Component damage: Can strip screw threads, crush or distort the conductor, or crack device housings, damaging the integrity of the electrical system.
  • Material creep: Can accelerate material creep, where the conductor deforms over time, reducing the long-term pressure of the connection.

Benefits of Proper Torque

• Safety: Ensures secure connections, preventing overheating and fires, and protecting lives and property.
• Reliability: Creates a stable connection, minimizing the risk of voltage drops, system failures, and unnecessary electrical outages.
• Efficiency: Minimizes energy losses and ensures that equipment functions as intended.
• Compliance: Meets electrical codes and standards, such as the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC), which mandate adherence to manufacturer-specified torque values.

Troubleshooting

Properly torqued connections are less likely to be the cause of circuit problems, simplifying the troubleshooting process. Loose connections are a common problem for electrical fires, install electrical devices as per the manufacture’s specifications. 

When aluminum is used always apply an anti-ox paste as per the Canadian Electrical Code 12-118 (special care needs to be used when working with these conductors as they are very soft and can be easily scored.

For proper termination of conductors, it is very important that field connections be properly tightened. In the absence of manufacturer’s instructions on the equipment, Tables D6 and D7 of the CE Code provide recommended tightening torques for conductor terminations.

When terminating fine stranded conductors, such as SOOW, DLO, and SO etc. type of flexible cables, there is a new CE Code rule in effect that requires the use of connectors that are approved for use with fine strand conductors, or the use of ferrules:

12-116 Termination of conductors

 5) Fine-strand conductors shall terminate in
             a) connectors identified for use with fine-strand conductors; or
             b) standard connectors with the use of ferrules.
 
6) Ferrules shall not be used on solid conductors.

In the beginning of the Plumbing Code, there is a paragraph on certifications that reads:

“Certification is the confirmation by an independent organization that a product, process, service or system meets a requirement. Certification may entail physical examination, testing as specified in appropriate standards, an initial plant inspection, and/or follow-up unannounced plant inspections. This procedure leads to the issuing of a formal assurance or declaration, by means of a certification mark or certificate, that the product, process, service or system is in full conformity with specified provisions.”
 
Materials, fittings, piping and fixtures must be approved. There is similar wording used in the Gas Code that also comments on the use of approved materials.

Approved means the material is suitable and complies for the authority having jurisdiction.

With all this talk on certifications and approvals, what should we be looking for?

On gas appliances, the approvals are on the markings on the rating plate and the literature. On plumbing fixtures, these markings are usually on the literature. 

Some examples include:

When purchasing electrical or mechanical components online—especially from large marketplaces like Amazon—it's important to be cautious. Many of the products available may lack essential safety certifications or regulatory approvals.

Why does this matter?
Products without these certifications may not meet safety or performance standards and are often not approved for use in residential, commercial, or industrial installations. Using uncertified items could result in failed inspections, safety hazards, or voided warranties.

The bottom line
Before you buy or install any equipment, verify that it meets the required standards for your location and application. If you're unsure, consult a licensed professional or refer to your local code requirements.

Always make informed choices—your safety and compliance depend on it.

Hydronic Heating System Permit Submission Inspection Requirements

Background
Section 9.36 of the Alberta Building Code introduced new energy efficiency requirements for buildings. This has affected the CSA 214-12 Installation Code for Hydronic Heating Systems inspection and permit requirements. Specifically, for hydronic heating systems that are designed as the building’s primary heat source or secondary heat source (e.g. a house heated with a forced-air furnace that has hydronic radiant under floor tube in the basement).

Importantly, a new Hydronic Heating Insulation Standata has been published by the province that varies and reduces the requirements of 9.36 of the code for insulation required under a concrete slab to R 7.5 from R16. While this is still substantial savings on the cost to insulate under slabs, note that it is an increase from the 2019 Variance which had reduced it to R5.

Submission requirements for Hydronic Systems are further covered in the Standata for Permit Submission Requirements and it covers in detail who can prepare the drawings.

Review & Inspections

Hydronic Heating systems require inspections as do all heating and ventilation systems, however because the in-floor piping portion of the system will be covered by the floor or the ceiling drywall you must call for an inspection before covering the piping.

Inspection requirements:

• All hydronic heating systems require approved drawings to be on-site for review at the time of inspection.  Hydronic Heating Systems Standata July 2025
• An air test is required at the time of inspection on all in-floor hydronic systems. (Reference: B214-12 - 4.5.1 Standard – 60 psi or 1.5 times operating pressure for 1 hour)
• All radiant under-floor or panel type systems must have insulation installed on the underside or back side of the tubing.
• When tubing is installed in the joist cavity, the cavity must be insulated with material having an R value of at least 12. (Reference B214-12 - 14.5.3)
• All radiant in-floor systems in concrete in contact with the ground will have insulation installed on the underside of the floor.
• When a poured concrete radiant floor system is installed on ground, it must be insulated with a material having an R value of at least R5. 9.36.2.8.)
• Each radiant loop will be tagged to indicate the length and area serviced. (Reference B214-12 - 14.3.3)
• Each zone or radiant loop must have a method of system balancing. (Reference B214-12 – 13.4)
• The permit holder must request an inspection before covering.

Design requirements

Hydronic heating systems may be:

1. A pre-engineered package or,
2. A custom design by either,
   1. A professional engineer licensed in Alberta, or
   2. b. An individual who holds one of the following qualifications:
      1. A hydronics designer, certified by the Canadian Hydronics Council, or
      2. A residential hydronics design technician, as certified by the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada

Pre-engineered packages must include basic generic system specifications and installation details prepared by a professional engineer, and any additional system design data and floor plans, specifically applicable to the project. The additional specific system design must be performed by:

1. A professional engineer licensed in Alberta, or
2. An individual who holds one of the following qualifications:
   1. A hydronics designer, certified by the Canadian Hydronics Council, or
   2. A residential hydronics design technician, as certified by the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada

Plan and specification requirements

For all hydronic heating system designs, the plans and specifications must include, but not limited to:

1. The schematic arrangement of the system and the equipment specifications including, but not limited to: boilers, pumps, expansion tanks, zone controls, mixing valves and other system components, such as supplementary baseboard and/or fan-coil units, water heater, etc. connecting to the system.
2. Boiler room layout, and if required, venting and combustion air provisions for all gas appliances.
3. Piping specifications, spacing, sizes, maximum loop lengths and pipe support details. Floor plans showing a general layout of the piping loops are required for each room or space and the location of the main headers, if applicable.
4. Locations, sizes and specifications for all heat terminal units, such as baseboard heaters, radiators, fan-coil units, etc., if applicable.
5. Cross sections through typical floor assemblies, to show piping loop locations and the type of insulation to be provided.
6. System operating parameters including supply and return water temperatures, design flow rates and heat output coefficient of individual piping loops.

Notes

Examples of hydronic heating systems would include, but not limited to:

• Poured-floor radiant tubing
• “Staple-up” radiant tubing
• Convective-plate in-floor tubing
• Radiators
• Baseboard heaters
• Fan-coil units