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, 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.
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Ken Amandolia, a superintendent with West Star Electrical Contractors, Inc., in Douglasville, Ga., was asked to take a look at this picture for a customer and provide pricing if he saw anything that needed replacing. He just had to send it to us.
I love the disconnect lying on top of the bucket. Take your pick among a number of these violations: lack of proper equipment maintenance; exposed energized conductors; improper supports; missing covers; lack of proper electrical grounding and bonding; and more! The best advice I can provide here is go ahead and review the requirements shown in Chapters 1 through 4 of the NEC. You'll be able to note a number of serious violations with this installation.
Sadly, this type of installation is typical in many parts of the country.
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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.