JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
... do some electricians insist in/on putting j-boxes in nearly inaccessible locations? We started a t&m house remodel yesterday... the 3rd EC (1st being who put in the original cloth NM/2 prong receptacles in 1963, 2nd being someone who upgraded/added a few circuits in the late 70s) decided it would be best to put a ton (no less than 2 dozen) j-boxes in the attic. Okay, fine, I hate attics, but when I have to spider-crawl over joists to get to a box mounted less than 14" below the roof trusses, and have to look at the conductors cross-eyed because they are so close to my face, I dont consider this accessible. Maybe if you're a gnome or my size, but I know a few friends that could not physically fit into the spaces I had to get into. This a low pitched roof, less than 6/12, and even several feet from the eaves there is not much room to work.
I was told the 3rd EC and the HO had a disagreement of sorts, so the EC was kicked out/quit before work was completed. Even in the unlikely event a permit was drawn for that work, what happens when a contractor leaves (for whatever reason) mid-permit/before finals, and no one else completed the work? The j-boxes are all metal, mostly overloaded (wire fill), wires too short, and none grounded/bonded, even tho there is no original cloth 2-wire NM in the new(-ish) panel. and what I'd call inaccessible unless you are a contortionist or a small (really small) person physically.
Is this a 'suck it up, that's normal' situation or something I have a legitimate gripe on? Despite the (in)accessibility of the boxes, I'm more concerned with all new homeruns being pulled to circuits that cannot be grounded, and the plethora of things that would not meet code even 15 or 20 years ago. How do I fix this, or do I?
I was told the 3rd EC and the HO had a disagreement of sorts, so the EC was kicked out/quit before work was completed. Even in the unlikely event a permit was drawn for that work, what happens when a contractor leaves (for whatever reason) mid-permit/before finals, and no one else completed the work? The j-boxes are all metal, mostly overloaded (wire fill), wires too short, and none grounded/bonded, even tho there is no original cloth 2-wire NM in the new(-ish) panel. and what I'd call inaccessible unless you are a contortionist or a small (really small) person physically.
Is this a 'suck it up, that's normal' situation or something I have a legitimate gripe on? Despite the (in)accessibility of the boxes, I'm more concerned with all new homeruns being pulled to circuits that cannot be grounded, and the plethora of things that would not meet code even 15 or 20 years ago. How do I fix this, or do I?