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Bad wiring of Portable Power Panel

5K views 45 replies 12 participants last post by  flasherz 
#1 ·
So I enjoy looking at posts such as these that depict bad wiring and trying to find all the code violations I can. In this particular case, this was a portable power panel that was built and setup by "someone's dad" at the high school this came out of. The outlet this used to plug into has since been professionally replaced by an electrician with a cam lock system for a more industrial power distro panel.

Check out the pictures as I disassembled the panel, see how many violations you can spot.
 

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#44 ·
Yeah - Like I said earlier, the subsequent articles may purport to cover things other than "installations", but they are not enforceable with respect to those things because they are outside the scope of the code. If the code said that all flashlights must use D batteries, that would be unenforceable because it's outside the scope. So are portable devices that are not "installed" anywhere. 90.2 is a limitation which applies to the entirety of the NEC, just like the Constitution is a limitation that applies to all other laws the government may pass. A law is invalid if it's outside the scope of authority granted by the Constitution. An NEC rule is invalid if it's outside the scope of the code defined by 90.2.

I knew I could start a war with this one!
 
#45 ·
a judge can rule on a law and basically change the law to his or her intepretation ..as we see every day ...

If it is in the code then its enforceable ... I can assure you that carnivals/outdoor events of the TEMP nature and the wiring is checked ...( meaning outdoor temp installations) and it is very very inforceable ...
permits are issued and inspected

my work for temp lighting and outlets need permit and inspections ...

each POCO has their own set of specs for temp power also .. the pole and how it is installed etc etc... all get inspected ...
 
#46 ·
each POCO has their own set of specs for temp power also .. the pole and how it is installed etc etc... all get inspected ...
...and sometimes they're even questionable. :)

We had a one-day event here recently where the municipal power company set up some temporary metal poles in the parking lot, connected a panelboard much like the one pictured here based on a CH panel, 6 20A circuits each connected to a standard duplex receptacle. It was a standard three-wire service feeder from a nearby transformer about 150 ft away.

The problem? No equipment ground, or at least none to speak of. We plugged an electric car into it, and while it detected a ground (likely through the edge of the temporary panel touching the metal pole through some moisture in the concrete), in less than 2 minutes it had stopped charging due to faulty ground. No grounding electrodes, and no bonding.

It worked for everything else, but the car chargers are very intelligent and will simply refuse to charge without a good, consistent ground.
 
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