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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"I was requested to visit a site and help troubleshoot a system that had my company’s products installed on it," says Gerard Grivois, CTS, systems design engineer, New England, Extron Electronics, Anaheim, Calif. "Our products were installed in a district court house and in a second building across the street. My investigations eventually led me to a third floor 'network' room in the second building. That is where I encountered this 'floating ground.' "
Was the copper water pipe removed by crooks or did the judge tell the installer "we don't do inspections here!"? This is a perfect example of the type of work we can find when there are no permits applied for or no inspections performed. This work was most likely done by individuals with no knowledge of the NEC. Any grounding and bonding that takes place on systems like this one are referenced in Chapter 8 of the NEC, which references specific rules in Art. 250.