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Illustrated Catastrophes- October 2011

Oct 21, 2011 2:06 PM, Joe Tedesco, NEC Consultant

More Code catastrophes uncovered and corrected in these faulty installations

Installation Categorized as a Public Nuisance

Here we find an uncovered locking and grounding-type cord cap and receptacle that is being used to supply power to a food cart in a popular tourist attraction. The broken receptacle body and missing 6/32 screws/cover leave this installation, which is still energized, exposed to contact by any pet or person. It seems to me the property owner should hire a qualified electrician to install an enclosure that safely houses this type of equipment.

By my count, the NEC references the term “physical damage” in more than 320 places throughout the Code. It seems obvious that this installation — and many others I find in public places throughout the country — does not meet the requirements of these types of references.

Another section of the Code worth mentioning here is the receptacle mounting requirements in 406.5, which states: “Receptacles shall be mounted in boxes or assemblies designed for the purpose, and such boxes or assemblies shall be securely fastened in place unless otherwise permitted elsewhere in this Code.”

Installer Should Be in Hot Water

The good thing about the discovery of this old water heater installation in a commercial building is that once it was found it was replaced. As we can clearly see, one half of the cover plate is missing. The installer also used the wrong type of cable connector in trying to attach the MC cable to the cover plate. We can also question the temperature limiting means used here.

As noted in 422.47 [Water Heater Controls], “All storage or instantaneous type water heaters shall be equipped with a temperature limiting means in addition to its control thermostat to disconnect all ungrounded conductors. Such means shall comply with both of the following:

1) Installed to sense maximum water temperature.

2) Be either a trip-free, manually reset type, or a type having a replacement element. Such water heaters shall be marked to require the installation of a temperature and pressure relief valve.”

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