Illustrated Code Catastrophes: Section 110.26(E), Section 620.21(A)(3), and Section 300.15

Jun. 22, 2012 Russ LeBlanc | Electrical Construction and Maintenance

More Code catastrophes uncovered in these faulty installations

Look Out Below!

Section 110.26(E) requires that switchboards and panelboards be located in “dedicated spaces” and protected from damage. The space that extends directly above the switchboards to the structural ceiling or a height of 6 ft above the equipment (whichever is lower) is dedicated to the electrical installation. No foreign piping or leak protection apparatus can be located in this space. The drip pan makes it impossible for an electrician to install any pipes into the top of the switchboard. In addition, take note of where the drip pan drains. I guess the small switchboard gets sacrificed in order to save the big switchboard from any water damage.

Going Down?

This photo was taken in an elevator machine room. Section 620.21(A)(3) does not permit the use of electrical nonmetallic tubing (ENT) as a wiring method in an elevator machine room. As you can see in the photo, the installer also creatively used flexible metal conduit (FMC) connectors on the ENT. This is a violation of Sec. 300.15, which requires connectors to be used only with the specific wiring methods for which they are designed and listed. Also in question is the equipment grounding conductor. If there is no equipment grounding conductor run inside the ENT, the fixed electric space heater is not bonded and grounded properly.

Discuss this Article 1

Jean-Jacques (JJ) Ahounou, PE (not verified)

on Jan 3, 2013

We just made a plumbing contractor moved their pipes out of the switchboard room. In this case the installing of the plumbing pipes was in compliance with the NEC but because the project have to comply with UFC standards (UFC 3-420-01) which prohibit foreign equipment in electrical rooms which includes telecommunication rooms.

I always say as a professional engineer with an electrical background, I cannot solely look at the NEC code to design. Other local codes, rules and regulations do impact the electrical design and construction. We need to pay careful attention to the other codes if we want to avoid redoing projects in our own cost.