NEMA box / 4 square box

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wireday

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Location
New England
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Master electrician
Just trying to understand, If NEMA steel box or regular 4X4 steel box grounded / bonded equally, Is there a difference in safety? It seems a NEMA box is protecting equipment inside the box. Which makes sense to protect it and make the equipment last longer. But as for shock safety are they the same?
 
Any metal NEMA box, 4-12, 3R,lets say a steel city 4 square {not a NEMA box}had 480/277 ,box grounded/bonded, spliced inside. If it gets splashed with water, If a person touches the box will they be shocked?
 
wireday said:
Any metal NEMA box, 4-12, 3R,lets say a steel city 4 square {not a NEMA box}had 480/277 ,box grounded/bonded, spliced inside. If it gets splashed with water, If a person touches the box will they be shocked?
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That is very likely a NEMA 1 box.
 
wireday said:
Any metal NEMA box, 4-12, 3R,lets say a steel city 4 square {not a NEMA box}had 480/277 ,box grounded/bonded, spliced inside. If it gets splashed with water, If a person touches the box will they be shocked?
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You're best to refer to manufacturer's website to confirm ratings of products.
While things like Home Depot descriptions can be accurate, they are likely created by some min. wage employee who is NOT an electrician.
I've relied on them in the past only to discover consistent inaccuracies.

As I understand it, Steel City is Thomas & Betts, but for some unknown reason, their website is coming up
as an "unsecure website" for me, which is really weird.
 
wireday said:
If NEMA steel box or regular 4X4 steel box grounded / bonded equally,
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As Don stated, a 4"square box is a "NEMA" box, it would be a NEMA 1. There are many NEMA box ratings, 3, 3R, 4R, 12 for some examples, and yes, if they are properly connected to an EGC they are equally safe
 
NEMA 4 is the first rating to explicitly address "splashing water." But if you're thinking WP box near a slop sink in a residential basement, you're going too far. It's more so reserved, as I understand it, for like carwashes and things of that nature. I don't think I've ever seen anyone use a WP box near a slop sink, although, I suppose if you really wanted to play with the explicit text of the rating system and that environment, you could begin to (mis)take that as the proper installation.
 
Jerramundi said:
NEMA 4 is the first rating to explicitly address "splashing water." But if you're thinking WP box near a slop sink in a residential basement, you're going too far. It's more so reserved, as I understand it, for like carwashes and things of that nature. I don't think I've ever seen anyone use a WP box near a slop sink, although, I suppose if you really wanted to play with the explicit text of the rating system and that environment, you could begin to (mis)take that as the proper installation.
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Art 100 definition of dry location even says it might be wet or damp on occasion.
 
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