Feeling the “Pier” Pressure
I’m glad I take my camera with me everywhere I go. You never know when a “catastrophe” might arise. This catastrophe was spotted while walking down a beachside pier in Virginia. The first problem I spotted was that the UF cables are installed without any protection from physical damage. One cable passes between the boards of the pier in an area where it could easily be stepped on or tripped over by people walking along this pier. Section 340.12(10) prohibits UF cable from being installed where subject to physical damage. This cable shows visible signs of being nicked, bumped, pinched, and crushed. Section 300.4 requires cables to be protected where subject to physical damage. Perhaps the installer should have considered using Schedule 80 PVC conduit or rigid metal conduit (RMC) to protect these cables. Another noticeable problem is the type of receptacle cover used. This type is only weatherproof when closed. Section 406.9(B) requires the use of an enclosure that is weatherproof whether or not an attachment plug cap is inserted. Lastly, Sec. 352.30(B) requires PVC conduit in sizes ½-in. through 1-in. to be securely fastened within 3 ft of an outlet box or other conduit terminations. Thus, these conduits need some additional clips.
I’m feeling the black, red, and blue, blues
Where a building has branch circuits being supplied from more than one nominal voltage, Sec. 210.5(C)(1) requires each ungrounded conductor of the branch circuits to be identified by phase or line, and the system suppling the circuit. This identification is required at all conductor termination, connection, and splice points. The methods used for identification include marking tape, tagging, color coding, or other approved means. Whatever method is used must be documented in a readily available manner such as a technical bulletin, a book, or a label at the panelboard. Using a separate color code may seem relatively easy to comply with, but it can be difficult to accomplish. A common method is using black, red, and blue to identify phase A, B, and C, respectively, for a 3-phase, 208V system. If this method is chosen, it must be followed. In this panelboard, you can see several circuits where this color scheme was not followed. Starting from the top, the conductor colors should be black, red, blue, and then repeat. Circuits 11, 13, and 29 do not follow the established color scheme. It appears that several circuits on the right side of the panel also fail to follow this color scheme.
