Ecmweb 4875 06wwhweb23
Ecmweb 4875 06wwhweb23
Ecmweb 4875 06wwhweb23
Ecmweb 4875 06wwhweb23
Ecmweb 4875 06wwhweb23

What's Wrong Here?

Feb. 1, 2003
As per the requirements of 230.24(B), Vertical Clearance from Ground, “Service-drop conductors, where not in excess of 600V, nominal, must have the following minimum clearance from final grade: (1) 3.0 m (10 ft) — at the electric service entrance to buildings, also at the lowest point of the drip loop of the building electric entrance, and above areas or sidewalks accessible only to pedestrians, measured

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.

Find the Answer

As per the requirements of 230.24(B), Vertical Clearance from Ground, “Service-drop conductors, where not in excess of 600V, nominal, must have the following minimum clearance from final grade: (1) 3.0 m (10 ft) — at the electric service entrance to buildings, also at the lowest point of the drip loop of the building electric entrance, and above areas or sidewalks accessible only to pedestrians, measured from final grade or other accessible surface only for service-drop cables supported on and cabled together with a grounded bare messenger where the voltage does not exceed 150V to ground.”

As per 250.52 in the 2002 NEC, metal underground gas piping systems and aluminum electrodes shall not be used as grounding electrodes.

This installation violates the rules of Part IV, Luminaire (Fixture) Supports of Article 410, Luminaires (Lighting Fixtures), Lampholders, and Lamps of the 2002 NEC. More specifically, the requirements of 410.15(B) state that metal poles can be used to support luminaires (lighting fixtures) and serve as a raceway to enclose supply conductors, provided that the metal pole has a handhole not less than 50 mm × 100 mm (2 in. × 4 in.) and is equipped with a raintight cover to provide access to the supply terminations within the pole or pole base.

According to the requirements of 440.63, an attachment plug and receptacle is permitted to serve as the disconnecting means for a single-phase room air conditioner rated 250V or less if (1) the manual controls on the room air conditioner are readily accessible and located within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the floor or (2) an approved manually operable switch is installed in a readily accessible location within sight from the room air conditioner.

110.27(B). In locations where electric equipment is likely to be exposed to physical damage, enclosures or guards are required to be so arranged and of such strength as to prevent such damage. See also, 300.10 where metal raceways for conductors are required to be metallically joined together into a continuous electric conductor and shall be connected to all boxes, fittings, and cabinets so as to provide effective electrical continuity.

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About the Author

Joe Tedesco

Tedesco served the industry in many roles during his career. He was a director, senior electrical code instructor for National Technology Transfer, Inc. and American Trainco, Inc.. He was also a codes, standards and seminar specialist for the International Association of Electrical Inspectors and an electrical field service specialist for the National Fire Protection Association in Quincy, Mass. He ran his own business as an NEC consultant and is a Massachusetts licensed master electrician and journeyman electrician and certified electrical inspector (one and two family 2A; General 2B, and Plan Review, 2C). Tedesco also wrote articles for CEE News and EC&M (Code Violations Illustrated and What's Wrong Here?) for more than 15 years and helped launched the Moving Violations video series.

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