Can We Say Amatuer?

[nwagner]

Professionally upgraded?

[gbeaumont]

Originally Posted by nwagner

Professionally upgraded?

They didn't specify which profession did they

Regards

Gerry

[Marc D. Shunk]

Throw some tomato sauce on that bucket of pasta, and you'll have yourself a fine dinner.

[Russel Ray]

Perhaps a "soft" installation by a newbie licensed electrician?

[Mario A. Kyriacou, CHI]

Nick

I remember when I bought my cottage the sellers agent said that the panel is new and "Professionally" installed and also added that it was inspected. When I asked to see the permit he changed his tune.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Originally Posted by rray

Perhaps a "soft" installation by a newbie licensed electrician?

Did you mean SOFT or a SH*T installation by a newbie.....lol

[nwagner]

The panel cover was sitting on the floor below the service panel, with none of the breaker knockouts removed and no screws to fasten it. Since this panel had only one grounded bus that was largely occupied with neutral conductors, the "electrician" got creative and pigtailed every single ground conductor (I'd say at least 6 of them) together and bonded the jumble to the bus with a single conductor.

[tdietrich1]

Originally Posted by nwagner

the "electrician" got creative and pigtailed every single ground conductor (I'd say at least 6 of them) together and bonded the jumble to the bus with a single conductor.

Sad, but this isn't against the NEC. As long as the EGC is sized to the largest OCP ("Breaker/Fuse").

As for the 'upside down' one? With manufactures like "Square-D" you can have it mounted vertically with either the main disconnect top or bottom. So this could be OK as well.

[pdickerson]

Why is it sad? The guys that write the code book are pretty smart, and if they say it is safe to do something, it generally is.

[Russel Ray]

Generally is the key word there.

When you get 10,000 association members voting on new code wording, 5,001 win, but that doesn't necessarily mean the other 4,999 were wrong.

Codes definitely are not the definitive solution, just very helpful, especially to the unknowing. The knowing can, and often do, do better.

[nwagner]

Originally Posted by rray

Codes definitely are not the definitive solution, just very helpful, especially to the unknowing. The knowing can, and often do, do better.

Which is why I do not inspect with an emphasis on codes. I inspect with an emphasis on safety, structural integrity, etc. The codes that matter are covered under the one of those catagories without referencing the code itself.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by nwagner

Which is why I do not inspect with an emphasis on codes. I inspect with an emphasis on safety, structural integrity, etc. The codes that matter are covered under the one of those catagories without referencing the code itself.

As my wise ol' grandmother said, "Bingo!"

I'm a generalist. I know something about everything and everything about nothing. (Although I do know a lot about Beatles, landscaping, and railroads, just not everything.)

[tdietrich1]

Originally Posted by pdickerson

Why is it sad? The guys that write the code book are pretty smart, and if they say it is safe to do something, it generally is.

Sad, imho, not because it's unsafe, it's cheap. So many electricians I work with will charge $60+ hour for work, but won't spring 3 bucks for a separate/larger grounding bar.

cheap bast*rds!

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by tdietrich1

So many electricians I work with will charge $60+ hour for work

$60 an hour! Holy low-ballers, Batman. Here they charge $85 just to drive to the property, look at the electric panel behind the bougainvillea bushes, and say, "Call me once you prune the bougainvillea bushes so I can get to the electric panel. That will be $85, please." But we know that drive time is, indeed, expensive.