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Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Question:
How do you keep your integrity as a qualified electrician who tries to follow the NEC to the best of your ability? For example, you are on a job where the 2nd breaker panel in a structure (120/240) has only 3 conductors supplying it from the main breaker panel. You know per the NEC that the main breaker panel is the only place where the neutral bar and grounding equipment bar can be connected. But you see in the 2nd panel there is no grounding equipment conductor, there is no separate grounding equipment bar, and the neutral bar in the panel is connected to the case. What do you do when you are asked to add a new 120-volt circuit and you know the owner is not going to spend the money to have you correct the wiring between main panel and 2nd panel? It’s even worse when on a farmstead when all outbuildings have 3 conductors supplying them from the service equipment at the meter pole. When you tell the owner that it is not wired correctly, the owner looks at you like you’re half-crazy and you know he is thinking “it has worked OK the way it is wired for the past 30, 40, or 50 years. I’ll just get another electrician to add the circuit.” Does one go ahead and add the circuit? Is there anything in the current NEC that allows one to wire the “old way” that once was acceptable by the NEC?
Rick Polley
A
Answer:
Hey Rick thanks for your question. The simple answer is do the right thing. Just because something seems to be working without evidence of a problem doesn't mean that an incident will not happen. If it is obvious that an existing installation is non-compliant, adding to it could very easily be considered negligence or a willful violation. It is often stated that if you refuse to do the work, they will find someone that will. That might be true but then they have the liability for what can happen. The NEC isn't considered retroactive by the words in Annex H, 80.9 but new installations need to comply.