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 2023 NEC.
Hint: Follow the leader.
Tell Them What They've Won…
Using the 2023 NEC, correctly identify the Code violation(s) in this month's photo — in 200 words or less — and you could win an Arlington Industries 18-in. Slider Bar and plastic box for mounting between studs with non-standard spacing. 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.
January Winners
Our winners this month were: Wayne Eckert, an EC&M reader from Clewiston, Fla.; Jason Andrews in Coquille, Ore.; and Juan García, a contest participant from Panorama City, Calif. Each was able to correctly cite some Code violations spotted in this photo.
For starters, the box cover was not designed to be installed to flip open to the left. It should have been installed with the cover flipping up. This type of cover is only weatherproof when closed. So, in this particular case, it’s not even the correct type of cover. For 15A or 20A, 125V or 250V receptacles installed in wet locations, Sec. 406.9(B)(1) requires enclosures to be weatherproof whether or not an attachment plug cap is plugged into the receptacle. Receptacles in wet locations must be listed and identified as weather-resistant (WR). If that GFCI receptacle gets damaged by water, the GFCI protection may fail to operate properly and leave users at an increased risk of shock. An extra-duty outlet box hood or some other weatherproof assembly could be used here.
