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. Can you identify the specific Code violation(s) in this photo? Note: Submitted comments must include specific references from the 2017 NEC.
Hint: Stretched to the limit
May Winners
Our three contest winners this month were: Barney O’Donnell with HSI Security Systems, Inc., Portland, Ore.; Karl Crossman, a reader from Waxhaw, N.C.; and George Barnette, a controls engineer with Stegner Controls, Auburn Hills, Mich. They were all able to correctly identify some of the Code violations found in this photo.
The flexible duct, the plumbing drain, and the receptacles installed in this location make it appear as though the space in front of the panelboard is going to be used for laundry equipment. Placing laundry equipment directly in front of this electrical panel would be a violation of Sec. 240.24(A) because the overcurrent devices would no longer be readily accessible. Even without the washer and dryer installed, the white PVC piping installed as part of a radon mitigation system is located directly in the working space required by Sec. 110.26(A) for the front of the panel. Leaning over or straddling those PVC pipes while working in the panelboard increases the chances of worker injuries due to being off-balance or working in awkward positions. In addition, the water connections located directly below the panel violate the dedicated space requirements of Sec. 110.26(E). I can’t be sure if the 125V receptacle below the panel has GFCI protection as required by Sec. 210.8(A)(5).
‘Tell Them What They’ve Won...’
Using the 2017 NEC, correctly identify the Code violation(s) in this month’s photo — in 200 words or less — and you could win an Arlington Industries FLBT4400SS countertop box kit, which includes a stainless steel trap door cover and a 20A decorator-style, tamper-resistant receptacle. E-mail your response, including your name and mailing address, to [email protected], and Russ will select three winners (excluding manufacturers and prior winners) at random from the correct submissions. Note that submissions without an address will not be eligible to win.