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What's Wrong Here?

Oct 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist

Answer:

Is this the work of a plumber or an electrician? One thing's for sure, based on the number of Code violations identified by this month's winners, whoever did this should be banned from performing any future electrical work.

Scott Newens, electrical engineer, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Sacramento, Calif., pointed out several key violations. “The 10 penny nails bypass the electric meter. The white PVC water pipe is also outside its designed usage. The white band between the two blue bands at the top of the bend suggests the joint seal has failed, which may explain the rust and moisture in the bottom of the fuse box. With 180° of bend at the top feed of the panel, the conduit run may be in violation of 362.26, which stipulates not more than 360° of total bend in a run. The panel to the left appears to be mounted backward with the door facing the wall. This is a violation of 110.26.”

Michael Beauvais, electrical technician, A.T. Cross Co., Lincoln, R.I., had this to say. “What really sticks out is the expert plumbing work that was done on the service meter. This is first-rate work. Too bad they used their skills on an electrical job. You can't use plumbing supplies for electrical work. This is a violation of 110.2 and 110.3. These sections of the Code would also apply to the jumpers they used to bypass the meter.”

Matt Houchin, electrician, IBEW Local 481, Shelbyville, Ind., added this to the mix. “The 30 inches of working space required by 110.26(A)(2) is encroached on. The nails cannot be used as a bypass for an electric meter. The ‘conduit’ is most likely not listed as required for this use, as per 352.6. Lastly, the installation provides no path for ground fault current, which violates the requirements of 250.4(A)(1 through 5).”

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