Ecmweb 4806 Whatswronghereweb
Ecmweb 4806 Whatswronghereweb
Ecmweb 4806 Whatswronghereweb
Ecmweb 4806 Whatswronghereweb
Ecmweb 4806 Whatswronghereweb

What's Wrong Here?

Dec. 7, 2005
Hint: Knot this time — or anytime for that matter

How well do you know the Code? Think you can spot violations the original installer either ignored or couldn't identify? Here's your chance to moonlight as an electrical inspector and second-guess someone else's work from the safety of your living room or office. Joe Tedesco, who has a knack for finding shoddy electrical work, did the dirty work and found this mess. Now it's your turn to identify the violation.

Find the Answer

Answer:

Charles H. Schutz, owner, CHS Electric LLC, Brick, N.J., ran across this cluster of wires while renovating, repairing, and replacing some homeowner electrical work in a house where new owners were moving in. “I was following a wire from a ceiling fan in the bedroom (no box installed), and when I lifted up some insulation I found this,” Schutz said. “I could not resist but to take a picture.”

Splices are to be made in a properly sized junction box. As per 300.15, “A box shall be installed at each outlet and switch point for concealed knob-and-tube wiring.”

The NEC also states, “Fittings and connectors shall be used only with the specific wiring methods for which they are designed and listed.”

Where the wiring method is conduit, tubing, Type AC cable, Type MC cable, Type MI cable, nonmetallic-sheathed cable, or other cables, “a box or conduit body shall be installed at each conductor splice point, outlet point, switch point, junction point, termination point, or pull point, unless otherwise permitted in 300.15(A) through (M).”

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About the Author

Joe Tedesco

Tedesco served the industry in many roles during his career. He was a director, senior electrical code instructor for National Technology Transfer, Inc. and American Trainco, Inc.. He was also a codes, standards and seminar specialist for the International Association of Electrical Inspectors and an electrical field service specialist for the National Fire Protection Association in Quincy, Mass. He ran his own business as an NEC consultant and is a Massachusetts licensed master electrician and journeyman electrician and certified electrical inspector (one and two family 2A; General 2B, and Plan Review, 2C). Tedesco also wrote articles for CEE News and EC&M (Code Violations Illustrated and What's Wrong Here?) for more than 15 years and helped launched the Moving Violations video series.

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