Open knockout in panelboard on brick wall

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tonype

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Is the large open slot in the back of the panelboard of any consequence being that it is against the brick wall?
 

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infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
That KO is required to be closed with something that is equivalent to the enclosure metal. Non conductive brick could be a judgment call.
 

Cow

Senior Member
Location
Eastern Oregon
Occupation
Electrician
I wouldn't sweat it too much being brick, but I can also see that it would be pretty easy to shut off that breaker and move a wire out the way to install a KO seal as well.
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
It is of no consequence electrically.

Infinity's reply refers to the requirements stated in 110.12(A).

IMO, if a person, any person, cannot get a finger into the opening, it is effectively closed.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
To pile it on here-

The hot going to the left hand lug on brkr looks like it might need some tape too.:p

Inspectors here long ago agreed not to red tag nicked nylon coating of THHN/THWN as long as it wasn't in an area requiring gasoline and oil resistance properties of that type of conductor. Nylon coating is supposedly the portion that provides this resistance.

I say this because it looks like what you are pointing out is just damage to the outer nylon coating of such a conductor.

Top side neutral conductor however could use some white tape.
 

rt66electric

Senior Member
Location
Oklahoma
anybody notice.

anybody notice.

What about the two single # 6?? wire entering the lefthand bottom
or

no white tape on upper incoming feeder?

or

nice grounding bushing...is it tied to ground??
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Shouldn't there be some green tape in there somewhere too?
If any of those are equipment grounding conductors and larger then #6 then yes. If EGC are #6 or smaller then the insulation must be green.

There is no identification requirements anywhere in NEC for grounding electrode conductors.
 

mgookin

Senior Member
Location
Fort Myers, FL
There are also two conductors not in a raceway entering from lower right and a black sheathed cable to the left of the white pvc. They don't seem to do anything.
And it looks like they used wood screws to mount the enclosure to brick.
Does this thing have a cover, or is it a live front in its natural form?

Seems the ko is the least of the concerns.
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
There are also two conductors not in a raceway entering from lower right and a black sheathed cable to the left of the white pvc. They don't seem to do anything.
The conductors to the right could be GEC's. Can't see whether they are terminated. If they are GEC's there is definitely a bonding issue.

As to the black-sheathed cable left of DWV PVC, not to mention the NM and flex to the right of the DWV PVC, I believe it is accurate to say the pictured panel is not the only panel in the building.

And it looks like they used wood screws to mount the enclosure to brick.
Can't say whether that is wrong or not. It is commonplace to use wood screws in wood masonry plugs. It's quite similar to using a plastic anchor.

Does this thing have a cover, or is it a live front in its natural form?
Let's cut out the sarcasm. :D

No it is not a live front switchboard. A cover is required per listing (an assumption but quite likely an accurate one) and Code, but may have been removed to take the picture. :angel:
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
The two black conductors appear to be GEC's which enter through an NM squeeze connector with some insulation removed where it enters the clamp portion. A pretty common NJ installation even though it a violation. Most inspectors seem to let that one go.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
I got red tagged many years ago for a receptacle box mounted in a poured wall. They added some tile to the wall and the box was about 1/2" back. I couldn't believe he wanted me to install an extender ring. The inspector who came back for re-inspection laughed when he heard that I got hit for that. He just kept shaking his head.

The inspector is correct however..... common sense--Duh
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
And it looks like they used wood screws to mount the enclosure to brick.
Does this thing have a cover, or is it a live front in its natural form?
What kind of screws should one use - especially if there are plastic anchors in the brick? Plastic screws?:)

Some of those red bricks are soft enough a wood screw may go in and hold fairly well - especially if you drilled a pilot hole first.

Hopefully it has a cover, but the main question concerning the open KO is a little hard to show and ask about with the cover on.
 

mgookin

Senior Member
Location
Fort Myers, FL
What kind of screws should one use - especially if there are plastic anchors in the brick? Plastic screws?:)

Some of those red bricks are soft enough a wood screw may go in and hold fairly well - especially if you drilled a pilot hole first.

Hopefully it has a cover, but the main question concerning the open KO is a little hard to show and ask about with the cover on.

OK it was 2:30am when I posted having worked since 6am the day prior on a big project I need to get out (which I finished 10 minutes ago). I slept from 5-10am today.
I had not thought about lead anchors or plastic anchors;my mistake.
You got me.
[/mike eats crow on that one]

Reminds me of a plan review I did on a 22 story highrise. I had 119 plan review comments. Architect asks for a meeting. He comes in with a team of 15 people and we meet in my conference room. I said "OK, let's talk" he says "We take issue with comment #35 because code says ...." so I open my code book to that page and said "You're right, what else do you have?" and he says "nothing, that's it."
That left 118 comments for him to comply with. We got a good safe building out of it and i'ts a very nice building today. I thought it was interesting he comes in with all those people for one comment when he could have just called. Maybe they all got paid real good by the client?

That work in that picture still has issues, anchors aside. To OP's credit, he only asked about the ko.
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
...
Some of those red bricks are soft enough a wood screw may go in and hold fairly well - especially if you drilled a pilot hole first.
...
Only ones around here that'd be that soft are pre-fired bricks, i.e. a not-yet-brick brick. :blink:
 

cowboyjwc

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Simi Valley, CA
I'd call you on the ko seal, even though it's on a brick wall you never know what might end up under that panel and when the sparks start flying they could light something on fire.

Now don't take it that I'm a hard nosed inspector, but I have a reputation even among my own inspectors that I can find the only missing ko seal in a building of any size.
 

JFletcher

Senior Member
Location
Williamsburg, VA
I'd call you on the ko seal, even though it's on a brick wall you never know what might end up under that panel and when the sparks start flying they could light something on fire.

Now don't take it that I'm a hard nosed inspector, but I have a reputation even among my own inspectors that I can find the only missing ko seal in a building of any size.

:D

I'd seal this one, if only in the vain hope the next man who pulls the deadfront doest rip a wasp nest in half in the process.
 
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