Protrusions in Electrical Panel

[fpapp]

In an inspection today of a 2003 built home I found two screws with yellow plastic caps protruding into the main service panel. The meter is located directly behind the garage wall on the outside, so I believe these screws are to secure the meter. What should be reported?

[Marc D. Shunk]

Holy Smokes!

Yes, report that. I'm not sure what you'd say, but it's not proper. I remember one house I went back to for finish, and the sidewallers shot gun nails right through the buss bar of the panel. From then on, I go outside with a fat magic-marker and draw a rectangle on the house wrap with the words "panel on other side". It seems in your case that the electrician bolted his meter can right through the tin of the panel's backpan. Inexcusable.

[brian winkle]

Those yellow caps must be plastic wall anchors! Reminds me of the time my wife's uncle installed a gun rack on the ceiling of his new Ford, drilled the self tapping screws right thru the roof!

[Paul Pendley]

From the picture those look more like wire nuts. Why they would be there is beyond me....but I agree somewhat with brian....Someone probably installed something on the garage wall using wall anchors and used up one of their nine lives.

[Greg Fretwell]

These are probably self tapping/drilling screws and the installer was just protecting the conductors in the panel with the wirenuts. Sloppy ... sure. Dangerous ... probably not.

[Shawn Rowe]

I got this beauty last week (new construction), the shelving installer mis-calculated something.

[mthomas2]

Nice catch!