use partition for 12- and 14-gauge NM in the same box?

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Now here's the conundrum...do you just move on in an instance like this...or do you contact his superior and let him know that he has a bonehead inspector in the field. While in a perfect world I'd personally go with the latter...it would make an enemy of that inspector in the future. We have a guy here in my area that's...shall we say...not that bright. A lot of EC's here know of this guy and once you get the paper with his name on it, you make sure someone "capable" is there for the inspection. By capable I mean at the very least the foreman or journeyman who ran the job.

This might be one of those instances where you just have to let it go, finish the job, get your sticker, and get paid.
 
icefalkon said:
Now here's the conundrum...do you just move on in an instance like this...or do you contact his superior and let him know that he has a bonehead inspector in the field. While in a perfect world I'd personally go with the latter...it would make an enemy of that inspector in the future. We have a guy here in my area that's...shall we say...not that bright. A lot of EC's here know of this guy and once you get the paper with his name on it, you make sure someone "capable" is there for the inspection. By capable I mean at the very least the foreman or journeyman who ran the job.

This might be one of those instances where you just have to let it go, finish the job, get your sticker, and get paid.
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Unless you have been given a valid Code reference by the inspector that backs him up, I'd say move forward.
 
icefalkon said:
Now here's the conundrum...do you just move on in an instance like this...or do you contact his superior and let him know that he has a bonehead inspector in the field. While in a perfect world I'd personally go with the latter...it would make an enemy of that inspector in the future. We have a guy here in my area that's...shall we say...not that bright. A lot of EC's here know of this guy and once you get the paper with his name on it, you make sure someone "capable" is there for the inspection. By capable I mean at the very least the foreman or journeyman who ran the job.

This might be one of those instances where you just have to let it go, finish the job, get your sticker, and get paid.
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Yes lets all lay down and let an inspector continue in his wrong interpretations, driving up job cost and misleading younger electricians and generally causing problems.

I would contact other ECs and go in mass to his boss, that is, if I was afraid of confronting his boss face to face one on one. But generally if you take the inspector aside and ask him for references or show him the errors of his ways, if this does not work IMO he should be fired, but only after talking to his boss.
 
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brian john said:
Yes lets all lay down and let an inspector continue in his wrong interpretations, driving up job cost and misleading younger electricians and generally causing problems.

I would contact other ECs and go in mass to his boss, that is, if I was afraid of confronting his boss face to face one on one. But generally if you take the inspector aside and ask him for references or show him the errors of his ways, if this does not work IMO he should be fired, but only after talking to his boss.
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I think that you should question inspectors whenever you are sure that there has been a misinterpretation or abuse of the code. I encourage it whenever the subject comes up with ECs.

I think the fear is that the inspector will retaliate against you which should not happen and if it does, there are channels available to address that. If you continue to let an inspector enforce rules that are not in the NEC, IRC or any other local/state code then you are contributing to the problem.

Just as many ECs need to be educated, so does the inspectors. That is coming from me, who is an inspector. I spend thousands of dollars a year on education in order to maintain certifications and improve my knowledge base. There is no reason that others can't do the same.

I am not always right and I always back down and admit it if I am challenged by an EC. With so many projects going on we can't always remember the exact wording of every code at all times. Sometimes we need to step back and re-evaluate a situation which I am more than happy to do.

So I encourage professional, constructive communication with the inspector first then above his head if need be.

I have done this and pushed many buttons of inspectors. Just do it in a tactful, professional manner. You will help your own industry.
 
Umlaut said:
I got dinged on an inspection for putting 12/2 and 14/2 into the same metal box. The inspector said that I needed to have a physical partition between the 12/2 and 14/2 circuits. Unfortunately, I wasn't around for the inspection, and my customer can't really recall exactly what the inspector said. No written tag.

The cables in question feed their own devices and aren't connected. That is, I didn't mix 12- and 14-gauge wire on the same circuit. Certainly, 725.136 tells us that Class 2 circuits can't be in the same box as power circuits, but both of these circuits are 120-volt.


Any idea what the inspector might be thinking?
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Around here if they fail you they MUST cite the code section/article used to fail you. Plus I would even wonder if they make a divider for a metal box. I am thinking the inspector had a bad day.
 
Ivsenroute is right. I think that when called on it the inspector was to embarresed to admit his mistake. We as inspectors have to able to admit our errors though this one seems to show a fundimental lack of basic NEC principles. Hopefully he won't repeat his mistake.
 
480sparky said:
You'd better put a divider or partition between them. Both in the metal switch box and the metal panel they originate from. :cool:
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I think the divider belongs on anything over 300v. Many people dont know that depending on the phasing some 277v circuits can have more than 300vs to a 120v ckts depending on the phasing in the same box.
 
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