All references are based on the 2017 edition of the NEC.
Ridiculous RV Park Problems
This gem of an installation was sent in by John McGonagil, a sales associate for City Electric Supply in Panama City, Fla. He states this is a 30A recreational vehicle (RV) hookup. It seems that the customer was using a landscape contractor to perform this electrical work. Thankfully, McGonagil referred him or her to a licensed electrician.
Apparently, this installer does not believe in the term “weatherproof.” For RV sites, Sec. 551.78(A) states, “All switches, circuit breakers, receptacles, control equipment, and metering devices located in wet locations shall be weatherproof.” The missing hubs and connectors will easily allow moisture and rain to enter the enclosures, which will most likely result in damage to splices, terminations, and equipment. It could also result in a catastrophic failure of the equipment if too much water gets in.
Using flexible cord in this manner is not included in the list of 11 permitted uses found in Sec. 400.10(A). Section 400.12 prohibits using flexible cords as a substitute for fixed wiring.
In addition, Sec. 312.2 and Sec. 314.15 require boxes or cabinets in wet locations to be placed or equipped to prevent moisture or water from entering the enclosure. These rules were obviously ignored by the installer.
You’re Grounded!
I spotted this problem when I removed the cover to this wireway. I know for sure that there are at least six equipment ground wires jammed into that split-bolt connector on the bottom left of the wireway. There may even be a seventh wire tucked in behind the others.
This arrangement is unacceptable because split-bolt connectors are typically only rated for splicing two wires. Using the connector in this manner would certainly violate Sec. 110.3(B), since it is not designed for splicing six or seven wires. Similarly, Sec. 110.14(B) states that splicing devices must be identified for the use. Split-bolt connectors are perfectly fine for making splices; however, they are not identified for splicing multiple wires. Perhaps a better option for the installer would have been to install a terminal bar for connecting all of equipment ground wires.
If the AHJ determines that this 10-in. × 10-in. × 24-in. wireway is being used as a pull box, then Sec. 376.23(B) requires this wireway to be sized in accordance with Sec. 314.28(A)(2) for these angle pulls in the top and bottom of the wireway. Otherwise, Sec. 376.23(A) requires wire bending dimensions from the one wire per terminal column of Table 316.6(A) to be used.