Outside yardboxes

[csothard]

Can a yardbox or vault be covered up with mulch.

 

[chris kennedy]

I don't know why mulch isn't listed in this exception.

314.29 Boxes, Conduit Bodies, and Handhole Enclosures to Be Accessible.
Boxes, conduit bodies, and handhole enclosures shall be installed so that the wiring contained in them can be rendered accessible without removing any part of the building or, in underground circuits, without excavating sidewalks, paving, earth, or other substance that is to be used to establish the finished grade.

Exception: Listed boxes and handhole enclosures shall be permitted where covered by gravel, light aggregate, or noncohesive granulated soil if their location is effectively identified and accessible for excavation.

 

[Strife]

I don't know why mulch isn't listed in this exception.

Wouldn't it fall under the "light granulated" somehow?
How does one "EFFECTIVELY" identify the location though??????
You know there's no drawings, no marking and whatever you might think of 3-4 years later.
When I was a teenager I worked with a surveyor for some map upgrades. We were looking for these markers that had a base plate installed 2-3 feet under(2x2 concrete pad basically) and a concrete post on top sticking out. Well, the post was supposed to be there. On over 3/4 of the locations the post was gone and we had to dig for the plate.
Now in that particular situation the markers were recorded on their latitude and longitude so we were always spot on digging for them.
So short of that scenario, how else do you "EFFECTIVELY" identify the location?

 

[tom baker]

I don't know why mulch isn't listed in this exception.

Perhaps the code making panel didn't consider it. Put it on your list for a proposal to change the 2017 NEC.

 

[renosteinke]

"Noncohesive granulated soil" seems a fancy way of saying "mulch," which can be anything from bark shavings to the product of the compost pile.

I expect the code panel was thinking "it's OK if you can sweep it aside with your foot."

 

[resistance]

Could it be because mulch (in most cases) is a wood product>>Seems the Exception doesn?t include any products that could be considered flammable. Just a thought!!