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Illustrated Catastrophes- July 2011

Jul 29, 2011 5:05 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Consultant

More Code catastrophes uncovered and corrected in these faulty installations

Exposed and Unidentified

Located in a hotel, this was one of many panelboards showing exposed live conductors and lack of proper circuit identification.

As per 110.12(A), “Unused openings, other than those intended for the operation of equipment, those intended for mounting purposes, or those permitted as part of the design for listed equipment, shall be closed to afford protection substantially equivalent to the wall of the equipment.” The open areas near the top of this panelboard offer direct access to the feeder cables.

In addition, branch circuit identification shall meet the requirements of 408.4, which states “Every circuit and circuit modification shall be legibly identified as to its clear, evident, and specific purpose or use. The identification shall include sufficient detail to allow each circuit to be distinguished from all others. Spare positions that contain unused overcurrent devices or switches shall be described accordingly. The identification shall be included in a circuit directory that is located on the face or inside of the panel door in the case of a panelboard, and located at each switch or circuit breaker in a switchboard. No circuit shall be described in a manner that depends on transient conditions of occupancy.”

DIY Special

Our friends at Gibbons Electric in Arlington, Mass., said the owner of this home told them that this installation was acceptable as long as the pigtail on the adapter was connected to the “fixture body nut thingy” The owner was also quite clear that the plug strip it supplied below was properly grounded, pointing out that the green wire was connected under that same “nut thingy.” Now who are we to argue with this line of thinking?

This installation clearly violates the requirements of Sec. 406.10 (Grounding-Type Receptacles, Adapters, Cord Connectors, and Attachment Plugs) and simple rules covering grounding and proper installation of a branch circuits.

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