What's Wrong Here? Hint: A Not-So-Weatherproof Cover
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 2023 NEC.
Hint: A not-so-weatherproof cover.
Tell Them What They've Won…
Using the 2026 NEC, correctly identify the Code violation(s) in this month's photo — in 200 words or less — and you could win a 40-oz. insulated tumbler valued at $39.99, courtesy of ABB. E-mail your response, including your name and mailing address, to [email protected], and Russ will select two winners (excluding manufacturers and prior winners) at random from the correct submissions. Note that submissions without an address will not be eligible to win.
April Winner
Our two winners this month were Bruce Paul, a retired electrical inspector from Howard County, Md.; and Chris Adams, Building Inspector Development Services, Oak Brook, Ill. They both knew that this box was set back too far from the finished surface.
For boxes installed in walls constructed of noncombustible materials such as concrete, tile, gypsum, and plaster, Sec. 314.20(A) permits boxes, plaster rings, extension rings, and listed extenders to be set back from the finished surface a maximum of 1/4 in. However, for installations in combustible materials such as wood, Sec. 314.20(B) requires boxes, plaster rings, extension rings, and listed extenders to extend all the way to the finished surface or project there from. One easy solution here may be to install a listed extender in the box so the wood paneling will not be exposed to any arcing or sparking from loose connections, short circuits, or ground faults that may occur inside the box.
About the Author
Russ LeBlanc
Owner
Russ started in the electrical trade as an apprentice in 1985. He worked his way up to become a Journeyman Electrician and then eventually became a Master Electrician and Licensed Construction Supervisor. In 1999 Russ become an Electrical Instructor for The Peterson School of Engineering in Massachusetts where he developed his passion for teaching, and quickly became Department Head of Electrical Instruction. Russ has taught thousands of apprentices, electricians, engineers, inspectors, and other electrical professionals during his career as an instructor. He continues to provide electrical professionals with Electrical Code seminars, Arc-Flash Awareness training seminars and educational material through his LeBlanc Consulting Services in North Reading, MA whose specialty is educating electricians. He has been an active member of the NFPA Electrical Section and has authored hundreds of National Electrical Code proposals and comments which have become Code rules to improve the safety for the electrical industry. Russ is also an IAEI certified Electrical Inspector.
Please visit www.russleblanc.net for more information.