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. It's your turn to identify the violation.
Hint: Drain drops keep falling on my head
September Winners
Our three winners this month were: Edward Munch, a distribution engineer with Eversource Energy in Uncasville, Conn.; Michael R. Cole, an electrician with MRC Electric of Columbus, Ohio; and Dennis L. Cushing, an electrical designer at WSP USA in Boston. Each one of them knew that this white wire should be re-identified to indicate that it is being used as an ungrounded wire.
Removing the cover for this heater’s splice enclosure revealed our problem. The label on this heater indicates that this is a 240V heater where the white wire is being used as an ungrounded conductor. Section 200.7(C) does permit using the white wire for other than a grounded conductor where the wire is part of a cable assembly and has its white insulation permanently re-identified by marking tape, painting, or other effective means, to indicate that it is being used as an ungrounded conductor. This re-identification must be provided at the conductor termination and every location where it is visible and accessible such as this heater connection. The identification must encircle the wire and must be a color other than white, gray, or green. This installer apparently chose to ignore the rules about re-identifying the white wire for this 240V circuit.