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. It's your turn to identify the violation.
Hint: Close encounters of the worst kind
January Winners
Our three winners this month were: William Rose, a self-employed electrician/solar technician in Pemberton, N.J.; Stephen Bazor, an electrical engineer with Baskerville-Donavan, Inc., Pensacola, Fla.; and Christopher Sweeney with Pace Systems, Inc., Naperville, Ill. All three were able to correctly identify some Code violations in this photo, including Sec. 314.20, which requires boxes or plaster rings installed in walls or ceilings made of wood or other combustible materials to be installed flush with the combustible surface, or to be installed so the box or plaster ring extends beyond the combustible surface to minimize the chance of arcs or sparks igniting the combustible material.
In addition, Sec. 404.10(B) requires the yoke of these flush-type snap switches to be seated tightly against the box instead of just floating loosely the way they are now. These loose mounting yokes could also create a violation of the grounding requirements of Sec. 404.9(B).
It is virtually impossible to correctly install a faceplate on this box unless the box is repositioned forward in the wall or the wood is cut away from around the box. The lack of a cover or faceplate on this box is a violation of Sec. 314.25 and Sec. 404.9(A).