Code Clusters is a fond look back at some of the most interesting and outlandish Code violations published in the pages of EC&M magazine over the past 15 years — the item below is the ninth in a series of 10. Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear your feedback! Post your thoughts in the box below.
Not Enough Wire
All references are based on the 1999 edition of the NEC.
Can you count the number of circuits crammed in this raceway? This new installation is located in a prestigious law school in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The photo shows “four extension rings” that seem to have corrected the “improper cubic inch capacity” in the first box. However, because the conductors don’t all extend 3 in. outside of the opening from the final edge of the last extension ring, this installation violates the requirements of the Code (see Sec. 300-14). Where the opening to an outlet, junction, or switch point is less than 8 in. in any dimension, the Code requires each conductor to be long enough to extend at least 3 in. outside of the opening.
