Lets Play Inspector

[480sparky]

You're all wrong. He was standing in a bathroom when he took the picture.

No thats not it - He was standing in a bedroom closet.

Both wrong..... there's no cover on that panel!

 

[SEO]

Is the ko in the top right corner in front of the mc cable broken loose ? It looks like it has been tampered with.

 

[quogueelectric]

He always leaves us hanging doesnt he??

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

He always leaves us hanging doesnt he??

Ho Ho Ho...leave you hanging, this is my Xmas present to you guys :grin::grin:



Remember, this is a rough inspection. It is a rec room for a large apartment building.
We are referencing the '05 NEC.

I was primarily concerned about the MC connectors.
The EC's man opened the panel for me, it was covered.

Sizing for the load here is not too bad, mostly receptacles and a few lights in the ceiling, as you saw in the round boxes.

Yes, the KO in the panel has to be sealed or maybe another cable is going in there??


Actually I was not standing in the bath or bedroom, I was standing on the floor.

This is a MLO panel, with the proper sized conductors in regards to the size of the lugs.


I hope you all have a Merry Xmas!!!

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

If i was inspecting and seen the colors in wrong (normal) order it would send a red flag as to check everything. Sorta says guy with little 3 phase exsperiance did job. Panels are usually made up by your best man. The job is far from nice looking and if my boss ever seen work like that --------------------------- lets not even go there.

 

[480sparky]

If i was inspecting and seen the colors in wrong (normal) order it would send a red flag as to check everything. Sorta says guy with little 3 phase exsperiance did job. Panels are usually made up by your best man. The job is far from nice looking and if my boss ever seen work like that --------------------------- lets not even go there.

Phase rotation was my first thought, but as long as they were in the same order at the other end, well, it just looks bad.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Phase rotation was my first thought, but as long as they were in the same order at the other end, well, it just looks bad.

The utility company around here uses this color scheme. They are just getting around to changing to blk red blue. So, many still themselves use the utility scheme. Color of conductors rarely gets my attention like other items, such as the connectors :grin:

 

[480sparky]

The utility company around here uses this color scheme. They are just getting around to changing to blk red blue. So, many still themselves use the utility scheme. Color of conductors rarely gets my attention like other items, such as the connectors :grin:

That's the main service??? I figured due to it's size, it was a 60a sub stuck in a remote part of the building.

 

[jeremysterling]

Around here, if A phase were blue, every branch circuit conductor #8 and less landing on A phase had better be factory blue. We use a lot of blue MC here, but sometimes there is a two-day lead time on 12/3 MC blue/red or blue/black.

Incidentally, the color code for Austin Energy, the local POCO, is red, black, blue. So I'm OK with blue being A phase.

I would like to see grouping even if 2008 isn't in effect. I've already started doing that in my panels here.

 

[Karl H]

The only thing I see is in the second (Bottom) pic. THere's
a 8/3 MC in a single 3/8 romex connector.Way too small of a connector to get a 8/3 MC in.The saddle would be clamped around the wires.

 

[infinity]

Around here, if A phase were blue, every branch circuit conductor #8 and less landing on A phase had better be factory blue. We use a lot of blue MC here, but sometimes there is a two-day lead time on 12/3 MC blue/red or blue/black.

If that's an actual local requirement I'm glad that I don't work there because that borders on ridiculous.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Around here, if A phase were blue, every branch circuit conductor #8 and less landing on A phase had better be factory blue. We use a lot of blue MC here, but sometimes there is a two-day lead time on 12/3 MC blue/red or blue/black.

Incidentally, the color code for Austin Energy, the local POCO, is red, black, blue. So I'm OK with blue being A phase.

I would like to see grouping even if 2008 isn't in effect. I've already started doing that in my panels here.

Is there a local code amendment for this?

 

[tkb]

If that's an actual local requirement I'm glad that I don't work there because that borders on ridiculous.

I agree.
I have never had to use any MC that had any other colors than the standard Black, White, Red (3wire) Blue (4wire) and Green for any voltage.

 

[iwire]

I agree.
I have never had to use any MC that had any other colors than the standard Black, White, Red (3wire) Blue (4wire) and Green for any voltage.

We had a couple of jobs with CES that had color MC, S&S Raynham and one of Gary Cs jobs.

A major PITA with both 480Y/277 and 208Y/120 in the building. Needed Brown/Gray, Orange/Gray, Yellow/Gray, Brown/Orange/Yellow/Gray, do it again with Black Red Blue White. :roll:

I am sure no one cheated at the end when we ran out of the right color. :roll:

 

[76nemo]

Pierre is under the 2005 if I recall correctly.

My guess is that he is pointing out the connectors for some of those MCs are incorrect.:smile:

From what we spoke of before, Pierre is still under '05. Maybe his new avatar backs that up.

 

[tkb]

We had a couple of jobs with CES that had color MC, S&S Raynham and one of Gary Cs jobs.

A major PITA with both 480Y/277 and 208Y/120 in the building. Needed Brown/Gray, Orange/Gray, Yellow/Gray, Brown/Orange/Yellow/Gray, do it again with Black Red Blue White. :roll:

I am sure no one cheated at the end when we ran out of the right color. :roll:

Was it spec-ed that way or was it the foreman's choice to use a new product?
That kind of product seems good at the beginning of the job, but near the end you end up using whatever is left and the color coding goes out the window.

 

[csparkrun]

i don't know if the double mc conn. is listed for mwbc?

 

[Cow]

Was it spec-ed that way or was it the foreman's choice to use a new product?
That kind of product seems good at the beginning of the job, but near the end you end up using whatever is left and the color coding goes out the window.

Seems like it would be a installation PIA. But for maintenance and troubleshooting it'd be great. That is...until you get to the last place they wired where the color coding stopped making sense.....

 

[quogueelectric]

So where the connectors Ok?? The large connectors seemed to be the saddle type which are usually mc approved. The duplex were suspect although the inspection holes indicated that they were approved for at least some sort of metalic cable using an anti short bushing.

 

[goldstar]

I was primarily concerned about the MC connectors.

Just curious as to what the concern is. I was always under the impression that as long as it was a "clamp-down" type connector and not one that uses a screw to hold the armor jacket in place that it was suitable for MC. Somehow we got off on proper wire color codes here when you intention was to attract comments on the connectors. Please enlighten us (or me, if I'm the only one).

Thanks,
Phil