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What's Wrong Here?

Nov 1, 2002 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist

Hint: All of the feeder and branch-circuit equipment-grounding conductors in this subpanel are terminated under a single lug.

Robert McCullough, director of the Ocean County Construction Inspection Department, Toms River, N.J., correctly identified the following Code violations in this photo.

“110.14 Electrical Connections — improper connection of dissimilar metals; 110.14(A) — The terminal is not approved for more than one conductor, although it appears that the aluminum EGC doesn't even terminate in the lug; 408.20 — The installation requires a terminal bar; 250.12 — It looks like the paint wasn't removed from the panelboard enclosure to ensure good electrical contact; 250.8 — The screw attaching the lug appears to be a sheet metal screw; 250.119 — A bare EGC seems to be coming out of the yellow wire nut spliced to a black wire going to the lug. Because a washer is placed under the screw, the screw may be smaller than the hole in the lug and thus would not be a secure connection. Finally, the term ‘subpanel’ is not recognized in the NEC.”