404.22 in 2023 code. Violation?

[Fred B]

Saw this interesting new product that looks like it violates the code. It is advertising grounding the neutral conductor if there is no neutral present in the switch location.

Residential Lighting Control Solutions | Leviton

Residential lighting control solutions include dimmers, motion sensors, home automation products, fan speed controls, and submetering.

www.leviton.com

 

[don_resqcapt19]

May be permitted by the exception to the section you cited.

 

[Fred B]

Amazing they pushed for AFCI/GFCI for so many installations and then they allow and make an exception for a device that would make nuisance tripping a greater issue. The information being provided by the mfg. doesn't give the neutral current being sent by the device's electronics, that it is being suggested would be allowed.

 

[tortuga]

A few years back i had a weird service call where people were felling a shock from both the bathrooms in a old office building and the lights were not working reliably.
Turned out maintenance had installed occupancy sensors everywhere that used the EGC as a grounded conductor like these devices do. And the older EMT and BX cable was the ground path, no wire type egc in that era. One on a circuit probably would have been fine but this building had like 5-10 sensors per circuit.

 

[wwhitney]

Turned out maintenance had installed occupancy sensors everywhere that used the EGC as a grounded conductor like these devices do. And the older EMT and BX cable was the ground path, no wire type egc in that era. One on a circuit probably would have been fine but this building had like 5-10 sensors per circuit.

Is this a case of the BX cable armor being a high resistance ground, so if the occupancy sensors are sinking a basically fixed current into the EGC, the resulting voltage drop is higher than with a proper EGC, causing enough voltage difference to provide a sensible shock?

Cheers, Wayne

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Is this a case of the BX cable armor being a high resistance ground, so if the occupancy sensors are sinking a basically fixed current into the EGC, the resulting voltage drop is higher than with a proper EGC, causing enough voltage difference to provide a sensible shock?

Cheers, Wayne

Given the product standard limit of 0.5mA for the current on the equipment grounding conductor for this type of equipment, there would not be much voltage drop. The bigger issue is where the EGC is open and you get between that and a path to ground where you will get a line voltage shock, but at a very low current.

 

[tortuga]

Given the product standard limit of 0.5mA for the current on the equipment grounding conductor for this type of equipment, there would not be much voltage drop.

There is no limit to how many of these can be on a branch circuit.

 

[infinity]

Given the product standard limit of 0.5mA for the current on the equipment grounding conductor for this type of equipment, there would not be much voltage drop. The bigger issue is where the EGC is open and you get between that and a path to ground where you will get a line voltage shock, but at a very low current.

Don, what was the standard permitted amount current on the EGC before neutrals were required at certain switch locations?