Temporary Cord Drops....

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emahler

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I searched the old threads and could not find what I was looking for, so here goes...

What, if any, codes are violated by the following installation....

A 1900 box (4" sq) is mounted on a ceiling beam approx 25' AFF
The box contains a 20A 120V Twist Lock receptacle
it feeds a 12/3 SJOW cord drop.

the cord has a male 20A 120V TL plug at the ceiling. It has a Kellem's grip strain relief with a loop that is attached to the ceiling for strain relief.

on the ground side of the cord is a strain relief (chinese finger type) with a threaded connector. Attached to this strain relief is a 1900 box with a duplex receptacle and mulberry cover.

this drop is used for temporary displays...nothing is supported by the cord except the 1900 box.

it's not in a hazardous area or any place that is inordinately harsh.

what says everyone?
 
I don't call this a cord drop at all.

I call this a home-made extension cord, plugged into a receptacle near the roof, and hanging from the beam. Maybe a UL matter related to the home-made extension cord.
 
iwire said:
The use of a '1900 box' on the bottom end is an issue.

You need a box with a threaded hub for pendent use.
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it's not a pendent....it's simply a receptacle. I don't believe it falls under 315.23(H)(1)


md kind of hit it on the head...it's essentially an extension cord with a duplex receptacle for temp use.
 
iwire said:
You can not make an extension cord with a 1900 box either.

Although I think I have some here at home.:grin:
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i'm not trying to be an ass, it just comes naturally :D, but where does it say that you can't use the 1900 box? I can usually find anything in the code given enough time, but I can not find anything that prohibits using 1900 boxes...
 
110.3(B) It's in the UL listing for the box.

The NEC cannot list every violation for every piece of electrical equipment out there.
 
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when I went to the UL site, I could not find information prohibiting the use of a RACO 192 box in this case.

I don't disagree with the safety aspect, but that doesn't mean it's not code compliant.

I am trying to find empirical evidence that it's not code compliant.
 
emahler said:
I am trying to find empirical evidence that it's not code compliant.
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I'm not sure you will.

I read a magazine article years ago when I was a factory electrician that said that all cord drops which ended in a box must use an FS body and not a knockout box. This was a pretty big deal to us at the time, since we'd have had almost 20K in work to do to correct all the drops. The safety guy even got involved, and talked to the author of the article at the time to find out more. The basic worry was about knockouts getting pushed in, but that same potential hazard exists at every single knockout box mounted on the wall too. I think that an FS body would make for a superior job, but I was unable at the time to find any specific prohibition against the knockout box.

EDIT.. obviously, if your 4 square is hanging off a small knockout that is part of an eccentric knockout (1/2 and 3/4, for instance), that would be a pretty big problem.
 
i think that is the truth....it's not a code violation...it's not the best installation, but it's legal...so long as the proper strain relief connectors are used...but, if there is an actual violation, I would love to know what it is...

we do these installs all the time, we have get inspected and we pass...but we are currently quoting a bunch of drops for a potential customer. The existing drops in the facility violate several codes, and we are trying to get them to understand this. So, I am just trying to make sure that we dot all our I's and cross all our T's....
 
benaround said:
I thought that box was made to be securly fastened to the framing members

406.4
314.23(H) for pendant box
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theoretically, so was an FS box..

I don't believe this qualifies as a pendent...
 
as I read it, it's for drops that are supporting a pendant fixture...notice the wording in 314.23(H)(2)

I'm not saying I'm right, but it appears to be regarding lighting fixtures...I wish they would define "pendant" in the definitions....
 
314.23 (H) Pendant Boxes. An enclosure supported by a pendant shall comply with 314.23(H)(1) or (H)(2).
(1) Flexible Cord. A box shall be supported from a multiconductor cord or cable in an approved manner that protects the conductors against strain, such as a strain-relief connector threaded into a box with a hub.
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What about this?
 
There's what we're hunting! Cool.

But the section does say "such as", which means that there are other methods. A Kellems type connector in a knockout does a good job too.
 
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