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: Give me some room to breathe.
March Winners
Our three winners this month were: Thomas Weaver, a registered professional electrical engineer with Randall Lamb Associates, Inc., La Mesa, Calif.; David R. Hess, Jr., an electrical instructor at Schuylkill Technology Center-South, Mar Lin, Pa.; and Martyn Brown, an estimator and project manager with Falcon Electric, Inc., Oldsmar, Fla. Each one of these readers correctly identified Code violations in this photo.
The first violation we can point to is Sec. 250.53(G). Unless this is a 10-ft-long ground rod, it was not driven to the required depth of 8 ft. The upper end of the electrode must be flush with or below ground level since it is not protected. Section 250.10 requires exposed ground clamps to be protected by being enclosed in metal, wood or some other protective covering. The next problem is the lack of protection and support for the grounding electrode conductor (GEC). Section 250.64(B) requires exposed GECs to be securely fastened to the surface on which they are installed. This one is simply flapping in the breeze. I can’t be 100% positive, but the clamp appears to be a water pipe ground clamp rather than one designed for use on a ground rod as required by Sec. 250.70.
‘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.
