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. Can you identify the specific Code violation(s) in this photo? Note: Submitted comments must include specific references from the 2017 NEC.
Hint: Grounding gone awry
January Winners
Our three winners this month were: Chris McConnell, a project manager/electrical engineer with Basic Systems, Inc., in Cambridge, Ohio; Bernie Beilmann, president of Peterson Electric, Inc., in Madison Heights, Mich.; and Gauthier De Langhe, an electrical designer with Randall Lamb Associates, Inc., in La Mesa, Calif. They all identified the position of the box installed in this wall as the problem.
Boxes installed within or behind a non-combustible surface such as gypsum are permitted to be set back from the finished surface a maximum of ¼ in. This box is set back nearly 1½ in. To maintain the fire rating as specified within Sec. 300.21, gaps around the edge of the box must also be no greater than 1/8 in. to comply with Sec. 314.21. Boxes must follow the installation and support requirements found in Art. 314.
This same logic applies to the electrical metallic tubing (EMT) that the installer pulled this cable through. Where EMT is installed, it must follow the installation and support requirements found in Art. 358.
The need for rewiring this Class 2 low-voltage switch with line-voltage controls is a great example of why installers must follow the rules in Art. 314 and Art. 358 when installing those Chapter 3 wiring methods.
‘Tell Them What They’ve Won...’
Using the 2017 NEC, correctly identify the Code violation(s) in this month’s photo — in 200 words or less — and you could win an Arlington Industries FLBT4400SS countertop box kit, which includes a stainless steel trap door cover and a 20A decorator-style, tamper-resistant receptacle. E-mail your response, including your name and mailing address, to [email protected], and Russ will select three winners (excluding manufacturers and prior winners) at random from the correct submissions. Note that submissions without an address will not be eligible to win.
