The short answer
Electrician Helper Pro reads photos of an electrical job, drafts the hazards and NEC violations for the edition your state enforces, checks every NEC citation against its own code library before showing the report, and opens the repair steps only after a lockout/tagout affirmation. The calculators are computed by the app, not the AI.
From photo to fix
- Set your state. The app holds the current NEC edition for all 51 jurisdictions (the 50 states and DC) offline, and every report and answer cites that edition.
- Photograph the job or ask. Up to six photos (two on the Apprentice Pass) of a panel, device, fixture, outdoor circuit, EV charger, motor, pool, generator, solar or low-voltage run, or a typed question.
- The AI drafts the findings. The report gives the hazard level and every violation in plain language. Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels, arcing and backfed generators are escalated automatically: the report opens CRITICAL, with de-energization steps first.
- Every NEC citation is checked. Before a report is shown, its NEC citations are checked against the app's own code library, and every finding says what it rests on: seen in a photo, inferred from one, or assumed from your description. A section the library does not hold is marked "Confirm this section in the code book", never dropped.
- Lockout before any step. Repair steps open only after you affirm that the circuit or equipment has been de-energized, locked out, tagged and verified with a tested meter, per NFPA 70E.
- Calculations by the app, not the AI. Voltage drop, box fill, conduit fill, wire ampacity and service load are computed by the app's own formulas, and numbers a report depends on open the calculator pre-filled.
- Quote and export. Labor, materials, markup and tax are pre-filled from the report and your rates, and the estimate exports as a PDF with your company details.
Where it fits beside the code book and the inspector
| The app | The NEC book | Your AHJ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knows which edition applies | Yes, for your state, from its offline record | The edition printed on the cover | Enforces it, with any amendments |
| Cites the section behind a finding | Yes, checked against its code library | Is the text of the sections | Cites what you must fix |
| Sees the job | Only what the photos show; it lists what they could not | No | Yes, on site |
| Computes box fill, conduit fill, ampacity, voltage drop, service load | Yes, offline | Gives the tables | Checks your numbers |
| Has the final say on your job | No: advisory, AI-generated, can be wrong | No: the AHJ applies it | Yes |
Code adoption cycles change. Always confirm the edition and amendments in force with your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) before permitting work.
What it does not do
- It does not replace the code book, a licensed contractor's judgement or the inspector. Advisory tool only; verification required by a licensed contractor under NFPA 70E.
- Diagnoses, repair procedures, cost figures and answers are AI-generated and can be wrong or invented, including article numbers.
- AI diagnostics and the assistant need a connection; the code library and calculators work offline.