Conductor fill in device boxes.

[drg]

While working with several different crews on construction projects some of the workers will
follow the NEC rules for box fill requirements and all other issues very complete and careful.

Then being transfered to work with a different crew. the foreman and others do not care about such issues and ignore things like the amount of wires that go in a box and their basic attitude
is they claim they do not care or some dumb comment like everyone else does it this way!!

I really dislike the ignorance and total disreguard that I come across for NEC codes while on
certain work crews but being a 2 year guy on the job it seems best to keep mouth shut,

Its really hard to do all this extra study work to do the job proper and safe...... only to be told by a guy in charge that stuff like this is all bull****,

Is this type of violation something that the owner / master electrican would like to know that his apprentices / beginner electricans are being pressured into doing by some senior members who run his job sites ?

 

[ryan_618]

Re: Conductor fill in device boxes.

I can understand your concern. Once in a while I red tag people for things they don't consider important only to have them come back at me and say "yeah I know its code, but I never do it and you're the only person that calls it". My answer to them is always: What other aspects of the code do you consider un-important? Grounding? Bonding? Overcurrent protection? Ampacitance of conductors??? I'm sure this won't make it any easier, but bare in mind that in most states the master/journeyman that runs the job is the one who is held accountable for negligence and non-compliance.

 

[brian john]

Re: Conductor fill in device boxes.

drg:

If you worked for me and told me the story as stated I would. Visit the job site and look for these problems/violations and then reprimand the electrician and explain the NEC is the NEC there are no minor violations. Your name would not be mentioned. but I would want to retain you as an employee. If this is a company wide attitude leave, for greener pastures. Because most likely there are other bad habits you might pick up, with out realizing it.

The trade needs apprentices like you and any good firm would be happy to have someone with this attitude.

 

[david]

Re: Conductor fill in device boxes.

Do your work the way you know to be correct. You won?t win in a contest between your self and a seasoned foreman. One day your work will speak for its self. Be careful and be safe, if this company is sloppy on min. code standards its sloppy on other safety issues.

 

[hillbilly]

Re: Conductor fill in device boxes.

Practice makes perfect. The work habits that you develop now will follow you throughout your career. In the past 5 years I have installed various residential services and systems in a major city in Tennessee. The inspector that has looked at over 90% of these installations has got to be one of the toughest in the whole US. He knows the code book inside/out and doesn't give a inch. It hasn't always been pleasant, but it sure has increased my knowledge of the small discrepancies and requirements in the code. Now I do all of my work as if this inspector is the AHJ. I've learned that is's easier (and cheaper) to do it right the first time.

 

[bthielen]

Re: Conductor fill in device boxes.

I am not in the construction field but this raises a question for me. Is the work not inspected and if it is, how is it not caught? Secondly, as master electricians, what are the consequences of repeated violation of NEC codes? Obviously, there may be times when misinterpretation or mistakes cause code violations and rework becomes necessary. Is rework the only consequence of code violation? An electrician that continuously violates the code causing additional rework wouldn't stay under my employ very long.

Bob

 

[flightline]

Re: Conductor fill in device boxes.

I'm of the opinion that contractors that do a great deal of work in aone town or let's say a whole sub-division, get pretty savy as to what the local inspector looks for. For those contractors or electricians that have work all over the map may have little opportunity to have bad habits broken for them when they get cited by a knowledgeable inspector. FYI, I do count conductors in boxes and do the calculation, if I think there is a violation. On some, I'm right, and on some they just meet or are otherwise OK by code.

You must take pride in what you do. If you do THAT with some modicam of speed or proficency all the better. It would appear as you have been taught what is right and wrong. The "stuff like that is bull" is made a person that I lump into a catagory called "installers", that, for whatever reason, place thier "BELIEFS" before what has been adopted into law or rule. I have don't feel its within my purvue to enforce only the codes I think are "right" or beneficial.

 

[drg]

Re: Conductor fill in device boxes.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts.