Ecmweb 4798 604ecmwwhpic1smaller
Ecmweb 4798 604ecmwwhpic1smaller
Ecmweb 4798 604ecmwwhpic1smaller
Ecmweb 4798 604ecmwwhpic1smaller
Ecmweb 4798 604ecmwwhpic1smaller

What's Wrong Here?

April 1, 2006
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

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

Our April winners had lots of violations to point out on this panel. Congratulations to the following three readers, who correctly identified the problems with this installation: Dennis St. Clair, electrical inspector, St. Louis County, Mo.; Bill Gallus, electrician, Johnstown, Pa.; and Jason G. Thomas, project manager, Philadelphia Schools Improvement Team, Philadelphia.

The list of Code violations includes:

  • The grounded conductor is not identified per 200.6(A).

  • The neutral is not in the conduit with the feeders [215.4(B)].

  • The conductors are not protected from abrasion (312.5).

  • Cables entering the panelboard enclosure (cabinet) are not properly secured [312.5(C)].

  • The cabinet has a number of unused openings that are not adequately closed [312.5(A)].

  • The ungrounded conductor terminated on breaker space No. 13 is not properly identified as distinguishable from grounded and grounding conductors [310.12(C)].

  • The raceways are not in complete runs [300.18(A)].

  • The small transformer appears to be a Class 2 power source. If so, the secondary conductors cannot be located in the same cabinet or enclosure as the light and power conductors [725.55(A)].

  • With the exception of one bare copper conductor visibly connected to the equipment grounding bus, no equipment grounding conductors are visible for any of the connected branch circuits. Given the other apparent violations, I would also question the integrity of the continuity of the metallic raceway running between the feeder and the MLO panel (250.110).

  • The conductors that appear to be serving branch circuits consisting of other than single-phase, line-to-neutral loads — and the OCPDs protecting them — require identified handle ties to simultaneously open all ungrounded conductors [240.20(B) and 240.20(B)(1)].

  • If this is a service disconnect, it features more than six switches [230.71(A)].

There was also more than one conductor terminated on a single breaker, no insulated bushing on the line side feeders or color identification on the line side feeder, stranded wire entering the panel with no connector, and improperly set or sealed conduit bodies below the panel.

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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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