Re: exterior wall outlets..residential
Originally posted by goldstar:
Now, here's the rub :
a) Your customer just built a 1 million dollar house. Who's gonna want one or two of those ugly bubble covers on the front of their new home ?
Who says you have to use the ugly bubble-style ones? I've used them, and I agree that they are ugly, but I've also seen some metal ones that hinge on top, seal with gaskets, and completely cover the receptacles whether they are in use or not. They would serve the same purpose as the bubble ones and don't look so bad.
b) How do you, the electrician, know if this receptacle is going to be utilized to plug in Xmas lights (unless they're on either side of the front door) or a landscape lighting transformer ?
When I acquire the ability to see into the future like that, I'll certainly patent it. I'll license it to you for a small fee, since you seem like a nice guy.
You can't be held accountable if someone decides to do something with their electrical system that is against code. All you can do is install it properly and
hope they don't violate code at some point in the future.
c) Should you ( the electrician) be cited for a violation (up front) with the assumption that at some point in time these receptacles are going to be utilized as "in use" ?
As long as your installation was done according to code, I don't see how you can be cited based on what a homeowner might do in the future.
d) If the front receptacles on either side of the door are switched (obviously you know they're going to be utilized for Xmas lights) would you install bubble covers to pass inspection and remove them at the customer's request after the inspection ?
No. Inspections are not supposed to be dog & pony shows. Once something passes inspection, it's supposed to stay that way. Making changes after it passes constitutes illegal work, and if the changes themselves constitute a code violation, you won't have a leg to stand on if you get caught.