Ecmweb 4839 501ecm15pic1
Ecmweb 4839 501ecm15pic1
Ecmweb 4839 501ecm15pic1
Ecmweb 4839 501ecm15pic1
Ecmweb 4839 501ecm15pic1

What's Wrong Here?

Jan. 1, 2005
Hint: This lampholder was found in a clothes closet on a construction site

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

Answer:

In hindsight, this violation was rather easy to identify. Although many of you made a quick identification of the problem, these three individuals were the quickest e-mail submitters of the group: Steven Porter, chief electrician, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Boston; Drew Franklin, LC, IES, electrical designer, Peter Basso Associates, Inc., Troy, Mich.; and Howard Underwood, Barboursville, W.V. All three correctly noted that lampholders aren't permitted in clothes closets. This type of installation violates the requirement set forth in 410.8(C) of the NEC, which states, “Incandescent luminaires (fixtures) with open or partially enclosed lamps and pendant luminaires (fixtures) or lampholders shall not be permitted.”

Underwood also doubted whether this particular installation of a dual lamp socket with a second dual lamp socket would meet the UL listing of the product.

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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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