How well do you know the Code? Think you can spot violations the original installer either ignored or couldn't identify? Here's your chance to moonlight as an electrical inspector and second-guess someone else's work from the safety of your living room or office. Joe Tedesco, who has a knack for finding shoddy electrical work, did the dirty work and found this mess. Now it's your turn to identify the violation.
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Answer:
Reader Doug Kidd of Kincaid*Bryant, in Lynchburg, Va., found this installation recently while designing a chiller replacement at a state college. The original installation was part of a major building renovation in 1985. The design included a 2,000A high-pressure contact main switch in the switchboard as the building service disconnect.
Aside from this, the electrician had only installed three parallel sets of 500 kcmil as the service lateral, per the design specifications.
Kidd advised the Owner to immediately replace the so-called fuses and included adding a new service lateral to the design.