Ecmweb 7399 Illustrated Catastrophe Pr
Ecmweb 7399 Illustrated Catastrophe Pr
Ecmweb 7399 Illustrated Catastrophe Pr
Ecmweb 7399 Illustrated Catastrophe Pr
Ecmweb 7399 Illustrated Catastrophe Pr

Illustrated Catastrophes: Hanging by a Thread

May 18, 2015
More Code catastrophes uncovered and corrected in these faulty installations

Hanging by a Thread

The installer of this weatherproof box may have thought he did a good job securing it to the wall, but as indicated by the evidence in the photo, the anchors pulled out and left it flapping in the breeze. This box is now vulnerable to damage from moisture and water entering through the exposed connector hole on the back of the box. Water entering the box will destroy the GFCI receptacle and increase the shock hazard.

Section 110.13(A) requires electrical equipment to be firmly secured to the mounting surface. Section 300.11(A) requires boxes to be securely fastened in place. Similarly, according to Sec. 314.23(A), surface-mounted boxes must be rigidly and securely attached to the structure. Obviously, the method used here didn’t do the job.
The open cover can also increase the receptacle’s exposure to moisture and water. Section 406.9(B) requires 15A or 20A receptacles installed in wet locations to be installed in an enclosure that is weatherproof with a plug cap installed or not. The outlet box hood must also be “extra duty” rated. This section of the Code also requires the 15A or 20A, 125V receptacle to be listed as weather-resistant.

Disconnected Connector

This installer appears to have just thrown this together with whatever mix and match parts, or lack thereof, he could find.

Section 300.10 requires this metal EMT raceway to be metallically and mechanically secured and connected to this metal outlet box in order to provide effective electrical continuity. Section 314.17(B) also requires the EMT raceway to be secured to the metal box. The lack of continuity between the pipe and the box could create a violation of Sec. 250.4(A)(3), since there may not be an effective ground fault current path between the box and the pipe.

Another problem is the way in which the conductors were installed. Section 300.18 requires raceway installations to be complete between outlet boxes prior to installing the conductors. This EMT installation was never complete because there is no connector installed on the pipe. In violation of Sec. 314.17, the wires were pulled through the open connector hole in the box where sharp metal edges could easily damage the conductors. Conductors entering the box must be protected from abrasion. The open hole where an EMT connector should have been installed creates a violation of Sec. 314.17(A) because the hole is not effectively closed up.

About the Author

Russ LeBlanc | Owner

Russ started in the electrical trade as an apprentice in 1985. He worked his way up to become a Journeyman Electrician and then eventually became a Master Electrician and Licensed Construction Supervisor. In 1999 Russ become an Electrical Instructor for The Peterson School of Engineering in Massachusetts where he developed his passion for teaching, and quickly became Department Head of Electrical Instruction. Russ has taught thousands of apprentices, electricians, engineers, inspectors, and other electrical professionals during his career as an instructor. He continues to provide electrical professionals with Electrical Code seminars, Arc-Flash Awareness training seminars and educational material through his LeBlanc Consulting Services in North Reading, MA whose specialty is educating electricians. He has been an active member of the NFPA Electrical Section and has authored hundreds of National Electrical Code proposals and comments which have become Code rules to improve the safety for the electrical industry. Russ is also an IAEI certified Electrical Inspector.

Please visit www.russleblanc.net for more information.

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