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: 480V + ringed knockouts = bad news
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 a $25 Amazon gift card. E-mail your response, including your name and mailing address, to [email protected], and Russ will select one winner (excluding manufacturers and prior winners) at random from the correct submissions. Note that submissions without an address will not be eligible to win.
December Winner
Our winner this month was Kaleb Dutil with Southern Lighting Services of Leland, N.C. He knew that the duct in this photo is prohibited from being located directly above the panelboard enclosure.
Section 110.26(E) requires service equipment, switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, and motor control centers to be located in dedicated spaces. For indoor installations, Sec. 110.26(E)(1)(a) requires the space equal to the width and depth of the equipment and extending from the floor to a height 6 ft above the equipment or to the structural ceiling (whichever is lower) to be dedicated to the electrical installation. The ductwork above the panel is located in the “dedicated space.” No ducts, piping, leak protection equipment, or other types of equipment foreign to the electrical installation can be located in this dedicated space. The exception permits suspended ceilings with removable tiles to be located in the dedicated space above the electrical equipment. Obstructions such as the ductwork in the photo can make it very difficult — if not impossible — for electricians to install raceways or cable into the top of the electrical equipment enclosure.
