Oh my...so against code its worth firing who did that.

To do that to code you would have to have all those junctions in a box that is accessible after it is finished.

 

I’m having great difficulty believing the guy you hired is any type of electrician.

That’s about as hack as work ever gets.

 

Absolutely unacceptable. There is no way a competent electrician would do that. Fire the guy. Also consider demanding a refund or refusing to pay and reporting to your local contracting authority. This is incompetent, illegal hack work that wouldn't pass inspection anywhere in the USA and would be embarrassing to show another tradesman. Nobody should be allowed to do that in someone else's house and charge for it.

There is a code compliant solution to this problem: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Electronics-Romex-Splice-Kit-2-Wire-1-Clam-A22899-000/202204326 These NM cable splice kits are UL listed for use inside an enclosed wall. There are a few competing products like it, but they all work the same way and look similar. No other splicing method is acceptable without being placed in an accessible junction box (i.e. not buried in a wall). All those wire-nut splices with electrical tape need to be removed and replaced with these types of UL listed buried splice kits. By someone other than the moron who screwed it up in the first place.

 

There is a code compliant solution to this problem: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Electronics-Romex-Splice-Kit-2-Wire-1-Clam-A22899-000/202204326 These NM cable splice kits are UL listed for use inside an enclosed wall.

Here is the item that @mpoulton speaks of:

Here's my nickles worth. I can't say anything else about the work done by the idiot you hired or the work they did that hasn't been said before. Well I could, but this is an open forum. :devil3:

As to how to resolve it.

First, call your appropriate housing authority (Usually the people who gave you your permit. You did pull a permit didn't you?) to report the electrician and to have an inspector come out. If you didn't have a permit, ask if they have their building codes published on-line, including electrical codes.

I am sure that most, if not all, of us would tell you to get a permit pulled for the work being done. If there were a fire in the house at any future time, and it was determined that the wiring that you had hired to do was the cause. Then the contractor would be responsible for cost of the repairs. If you can find him, if not then you. However, if it has passed inspection, then the liability passes of to the inspector and the local housing authority.

I see that you are doing a lot of remodeling work, where is the cable coming from, above or below? Is it possible to put a large junction box there to make the correct connections and then run new cable to the new locations? You could use the cable that the "moron" used. If it is too short, then you can use another junction box to extend the cable. (As long as it is not hidden of course.

If you decide to use the item that @mpoulton pointed out, check the electrical code that your AHJ uses (you asked about it earlier or that you searched for) and check to see if they have made any changes regarding NEC Code - article 334-40b, 2005 and 2008 NEC. As long as they don't say anything about it, then you are okay to use it. Even if your local inspector may not like it. Although they are the final say about it.

The TYCO unit is only a splice, not a splitter. It is hard to see, but it looks like there may be some cable splitting in that mess. Use the TYCO splice and then run the cable to a point where you can use a junction box to make a safe cable split. I like to add an outlet because you always use more outlets.

Sorry for the long post. There is just so much wrong with this situation that I felt the need to include as much information as possible.

Dan

 

Your "electrician" was correct in that wire nuts and tape is the easiest way to extend wires. It is also against electrical code in the US and also Canada.

 

Your "electrician" was correct in that wire nuts and tape is the easiest way to extend wires. It is also against electrical code in the US and also Canada.

Except... it would have been easier not to have bothered with wirenuts....

 

you definitely didn't hire an 'electrician'....

 

That looks terrible. It is also unbelievably irresponsible and it jeopardizes yours and everyone's life who lives there now or will after.

He is no electrician. His actions are also unconscionable.

 

Oh my goodness. Please, do your duty and report that guy so that he never does any electrical work again. Call your local permitting office and ask them what to do.

 

EXACTLY! As a licensed electrician, I am tired of having to compete with incompetent hacks like this. Cheap work is cheap for a reason.

 

The electrician I highered said...

Where did you find this bum?

 

Totally agree it's a code violation and unprofessional to the extreme.

But, without condoning or encouraging this kind of thing, if the joints are staggered, well connected with wire nuts, secured and protected by good-quality tape, and protected from being pulled or punctured, what's the failure mode?

Don't beat me up; it's just a thought experiment. Could it fail in such a way as to be any more dangerous than the code-approved alternative? I'm drawing a blank.

However, if those are metal staples holding the wires, with no protection from cutting into the insulation, I can see a potential issue there if the wires get some tension somehow.

 

...if the joints are staggered, well connected with wire nuts, secured and protected by good-quality tape, and protected from being pulled or punctured, what's the failure mode?

Don't beat me up; it's just a thought experiment. Could it fail in such a way as to be any more dangerous than the code-approved alternative? I'm drawing a blank.

Fire. If you do any significant amount of electrical work, you've come across some burned wire nuts. That's how they tend to fail: a high resistance connection which heats up under load. Electrical code requires boxes primarily for fire prevention. UL listed junction boxes are tested to contain overheating connections and devices while limiting the risk of fire spreading out of the box.

 

The way I handle this situation is to add a plug that the original wires will reach, then run new wires from it. Ideally if the old wires come from below so the plug can be at normal height. You can splice wires in the new box without necessarily connecting to a plug.

 

Surely you mean a receptacle


Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

 

Moved switches? I don't think so. There's at least 8 cable runs there, and I can't imagine how any group of switches could possibly have had 16 cables running in and out of it. These look more like an entire group of homerun circuits, likely to a panel located below. Then someone just had to have "open concept" floor plan and discovered that wall cavities often conceal things like electrical circuits.

 

But, without condoning or encouraging this kind of thing, if the joints are staggered, well connected with wire nuts, secured and protected by good-quality tape, and protected from being pulled or punctured, what's the failure mode?

Ever see a wire nut connection fail ?

If a wire nut overheats/melts and the connection is right up against the wood, you are liable to have have a fire. That is one of the reasons why the wire nut splice must be in a box.

The tape really isn’t any protection, it will just melt away. (Taping wire nuts usually means you are not confident about the way you installed the wire nut). From what I can see in the pic, the tape job is amateurish.

I am not worried about the staples. They appear to be NM staples made for the job (no sharp edges). None of the staples appear to be over driven (too tight), or too loose.

The stapling appears more professional than the splicing. (Most likely they are original installation)

 

@CaptTom, the issue with a buried splice is that you do not know where to look should something fail.

 

No.... See MPOULTON #4 and KTOWN #12.

 

The original use of those connectors were as quick interconnectors for mobile/modular homes that were transported as separate sections. If dealing with them, you suspect that they are located where the sections join.

There is no reason to suspect them in a house framed on site.

Since the typical homeowner can’t remember where all the GFCIs are located, they most likely are not going to remember where any of the Tyco splices are buried. Nor will any subsequent owner have any idea that they exist.

IMO, they should never be buried behind drywall, even if permitted by code. Put the splices in a readily accessible box so you know that there should be a continuous wire(s) between the two points.

 

IMO, they should never be buried behind drywall, even if permitted by code.

That's certainly a valid personal decision, but they are tested and approved specifically for this purpose and it is entirely legal to use them that way, as intended.

 

Just to be clear, if splices with wire nuts are in an accessible junction box it would pass code? Does the junction box need to be compliant in any special way, fire rated? Are the blue boxes- single, double, triple gang, etc. available at HD, Lowes compliant as junction boxes?

 

All the "blue boxes" are junction boxes. Just not the low voltage ones. It has to be enclosed, either plastic or metal. I'm not sure but the tape over the wire nuts might be against code...I know that certainly isn't recommended practice.

 

A good rule of thumb to use when determining the amount of wires that can go in a box or in a wire nut is to NUT use a rule of thumb.

There are charts that are easy to find that should be used

The only rule of thumb that should be used is that bigger is better. Don't buy cheap boxes.

Besides, this may happen to use if you use the rule of thumb too much.

 

BOX FILL CHARTS: I like the electricians bible (atheist myself) APP- google play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.softlink.electriciantoolsNew&hl=en

There is a free version and you can calculate box fill0 amongst many,many other things

 

Would it be worth redoing everything by opening up the floors upstairs and using a junction box? (will cost a good bit more obviously)

Don't be cheap. Being cheap is very expensive as I'm sure you're finding out with the money already wasted on this cut rate "electrician".