Blocking Receptacles

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danielk54

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Just wondering if someone could help help me with a code reference (or lack of) that would prohibit the installation of metallic closet shelf, over a receptacle ? (other than common sense)
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Unless the receptacle is required to be "readily accessible" there is no code prohibiting this.
Except as you said "common sense"!:)

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I don't see anything in article 406 about it.

I don't think it is a code violation.

it does not seem to be a safety issue either. Just prevents you from using half of the duplex.
 
As JF stated the potential issue is that the box is no longer accessible without removing the shelving.
 
JFletcher said:
The way that shelf is mounted, it looks like it is part of the building thus 314.29 may be violated.

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Click to expand...

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 build‐
ing or structure or, in underground circuits, without excavating
sidewalks, paving, earth, or other substance that is to be used to
establish the finished grade.
Click to expand...

I don't see how a shelf that can be readily removed is "part" of the building, but I suppose that could be argued. What if you put a 500 pound safe in front of it? Would that be a violation? It would be far less accessible than this situation.
 
I wouldn't put it past some people to still try and jam a plug in there! Be real interesting when the prongs scrape the paint off that metal bar!

Remove the shelf, put a baby safety plug in, remount the shelf.

Problem solved.
 
Andy Delle said:
I wouldn't put it past some people to still try and jam a plug in there! Be real interesting when the prongs scrape the paint off that metal bar!

Remove the shelf, put a baby safety plug in, remount the shelf.

Problem solved.
Click to expand...

would not solve the problem of the shelf being part of the building, which it isn't. :)

even if you removed the receptacle and put a blank plate on the box would still need to be accessible.
 
infinity said:
IMO a safe is not part of the building, the shelving is.
Click to expand...

If you are claiming the wiring in box is not accessible because the screws holding the shelf to the wall make it that way, then by that definition the screw holding the cover plate onto the box make the wiring inaccessible because it is screwed in place too.
 
Look carefully at the way the shelving is attached to the wall. You cannot lift that shelf out of place without removing Fasteners to the wall. My code section citation was more of a hypothetical however, if the shelf itself is fastened into the wall, as I believe it is, then 314 .29 "... shall be installed so that the wiring contained in them can be rendered accessible without removing any part of the building..." comes into play in my humble opinion. If the shelves were simply metal or wooden slats sitting on 2 L Hooks and you could lift them out of place, then no violation. Once they're attached to the building, in my opinion they are part of the building
 
petersonra said:
I don't see how a shelf that can be readily removed is "part" of the building, but I suppose that could be argued. What if you put a 500 pound safe in front of it? Would that be a violation? It would be far less accessible than this situation.
Click to expand...

If it was merely sat on the floor, then no, it is not part of the building. However, if you do like I did with my last gun safe and bolted it to the floor and then bent 4 inch carriage bolts in the crawl space so that no one could ever unbolt it again, then it's kind of part of the building. When I sold that safe some years later, it took an extraordinary effort to undo my previous Thief proof work.

Eta. .. a cover plate is not part of the building, it is part of the electrical system... Unless it has 30 coats of paint on it, then you might have an argument for it being part of the building. LOL
 
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