Clearance above a light switch

[genesparky]

I have a safety inspector (inhouse) that had a key box removed from a wall because it was directly above but not interfering with a light switch for an office. He can not site a code violation, neither can I. Has any body encountered some thing like this?

 

[raider1]

This is not an NEC violation. There is no requirement for clear space above a light switch in the NEC.

Chris

 

[cowboyjwc]

This is not an NEC violation. There is no requirement for clear space above a light switch in the NEC.

Chris

Unless you're the inhouse safety inspector.:roll:

 

[al]

This is not an NEC violation. There is no requirement for clear space above a light switch in the NEC.

Chris

Yes it is, see 110.26(A)

 

[Hv&Lv]

Yes it is, see 110.26(A)

I really don't think 110.26(A) applies to this situation. Why would anyone ever be required to work on an energized light switch anyway?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Yes it is, see 110.26(A)

If this were the case you couldn't have a switch in half the places in a home. 110.26 does not apply to light switches. Can you imagine needing 30 in width for a wall switch as well as 36" in front? I don't think so.

 

[iwire]

In my opinion Al is correct using the wording of the NEC. Of course that is not how it is applied in real life.

 

[charlie b]

The wording in the NEC calls for working clearance if, and only if, certain activities are likely to be required to be done energized. It does not tell us what "likely" means, nor does it spell out a list of things that do, or do not, require clearance. I would take, and defend, the postion that light switches, receptacle outlets, line-voltage thermostats, lighting outlets, door bell transformers, and bathroom fan speed control switches do not come under the requirements of 110.26.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I agree with Charlie, if you enforced it as written they you wouldn't be allowed to put a sofa in front of a receptacle.

 

[Strathead]

The wording in the NEC calls for working clearance if, and only if, certain activities are likely to be required to be done energized. It does not tell us what "likely" means, nor does it spell out a list of things that do, or do not, require clearance. I would take, and defend, the postion that light switches, receptacle outlets, line-voltage thermostats, lighting outlets, door bell transformers, and bathroom fan speed control switches do not come under the requirements of 110.26.

In the short time I have been here, I have seen this discussed in various forms a few times already. I add disconnects and starters to your list. And that is one that is a real question. But realistically, what Dennis said. I can think of hundreds of applications where height/ width of clearance would be impossible, and the advantages of a visible disconnect over a remote but lockable one in preventing stupidity are vast IMO. As others have stated, "likely to be required" is subject to interpretation.

 

[kwired]

Then throw in 70E and literally everything needs to be dead when working on it, making 110.26 a waste of print, but then you do need to wear full protective gear for the situation to take voltage measurements to confirm it is dead...

 

[infinity]

I agree with Charlie, if you enforced it as written they you wouldn't be allowed to put a sofa in front of a receptacle.

Or switches above a counter top. This can go on all day. :roll:

 

[cowboyjwc]

Or switches above a counter top. This can go on all day. :roll:

Or until the chief moderator shuts it down. :slaphead:

 

[kwired]

Or until the chief moderator shuts it down. :slaphead:

Do you think he will let it go to 2500 or more posts like a recent topic (that should have been shut down at least near 100).

 

[jumper]

I add disconnects and starters to your list.

I do not agree with this.

 

[Strathead]

I do not agree with this.

I expect that some other Master Electricians would disagree and I don't consider it a black an white area. However, here are a couple of points from my perspective. I wonder if we can get a concensus that performing voltage tests is not "examination,adjustment, servicing or maintenance"? If we consider voltage tests part of the above, then as Charlie stated, clearance is required around every receptacle in a house. If you want to get picky, it doesn't make an allowance for moving equipment around to create clearance, and given the restriction of storage in the working space the code would have to be interpreted to imply that even portable equipment requires working space at all times. So, now a disconnect is just another switch. No clearance required. I have seen the argument regarding fuses, but there are no exposed live parts when replacing fuses. I revise my opinion about starters. They should require clearance, even though I have seen them without clearance many times.

 

[kwired]

I wonder if we can get a concensus that performing voltage tests is not "examination,adjustment, servicing or maintenance"?

We can not get a concensus - it has been debated here many times before.

The NEC also precedes what you have in quotation marks with the words "likely to require". That alone makes the interpretation of what it means come up with a wide variety of meanings. Everyone has a tendency to tailor that meaning to what their wants or needs are.

 

[jumper]

So, now a disconnect is just another switch. No clearance required. I have seen the argument regarding fuses, but there are no exposed live parts when replacing fuses.

How do you replace disconnect fuses without being exposed to live parts, unless you have turned the breaker off?

 

[raider1]

I expect that some other Master Electricians would disagree and I don't consider it a black an white area. However, here are a couple of points from my perspective. I wonder if we can get a concensus that performing voltage tests is not "examination,adjustment, servicing or maintenance"? If we consider voltage tests part of the above, then as Charlie stated, clearance is required around every receptacle in a house. If you want to get picky, it doesn't make an allowance for moving equipment around to create clearance, and given the restriction of storage in the working space the code would have to be interpreted to imply that even portable equipment requires working space at all times. So, now a disconnect is just another switch. No clearance required. I have seen the argument regarding fuses, but there are no exposed live parts when replacing fuses. I revise my opinion about starters. They should require clearance, even though I have seen them without clearance many times.

I disagree with you assertion that voltage testing should not be considered examination. Voltage testing is the epitome of "Examination". I agree with Kwired. The key difference between a wall switch and an A/C disconnect IMHO is the term "Likely to be examined while energized". My opinion is that a disconnect is the most likely location for voltage testing while servicing an A/C unit while a wall switch would not be a likely place to test for voltage for servicing a luminaire.

JMHO,

Chris

 

[cowboyjwc]

I agree with Chris that we would never get a concenssus, because I tend to agree with strathead, but I would never shout down another inspector who disagreed with me either. It does simply come down to how you read that section.