I am certainly hijacking this thread, but I can't help myself:
You know, I may be starting a debate here, but I have to wonder if some code items aren't getting to be a bit ridiculous. I've never seen a garbage disposal, dishwasher, cook top or water heater that wasn't simply hard-wired with Romex in my 30+ years in this business. My own house, albeit 15 years old, has the same setup and nobody has been injured as a result of this "dangerous" practice.
I will agree that it sure looks safer and more professional to use flex or even conduit for these installations, but that ain't happening in high-volume (new home) construction. It's code-minimum or less. We know that as contractors in this industry.
Aren't some code items simply becoming a means for manufacturers to market their wares? Most manufacturers have representatives on code boards or at a minimum, provide presentations to the members of the boards.
Arc Fault Breakers for example: How about renaming them "stupidity sensors"? These add about $200.00 per new home built (at a minimum). They are designed to trip when people run extension cords under the feet of beds to feed heaters that are rated twice the capacity of the cord. How far does the system have to go to protect people from their own ignorance?
Everyone knows that gasoline is dangerous. Most people are smart enough to treat it with respect and store/handle it safely. Electricity is just as dangerous, if not more, yet people don't understand that they need to treat it the same way.
I'll never forget a helper working with me who used to complain of hearing about house fires being caused by "an electrical malfunction". This was usually on the TV news to generate sensationalism. I'll bet that it wasn't the electrical system in the house that was fully code-complaint, it was the 28 feet of seven extension cords feeding a coffee maker that caused the "electrical fire".
Every electrical appliance sold in the United States comes with an instruction manual that advises the purchaser what they should and should not do. What happens? They yank the air conditioner out of the box and throw away the instructions and enjoy the "cool". Two months later, they are suing the manufacturer because the 18/2 extension cord they used to connect it overheated and burned their house down.
If you get pulled over by the cops and get a ticket for a law that you didn't know about, they don't allow ignorance as an excuse. How come everyone else has to put costly stop-gap measures in place to make even something as simple as one's home "idiot-proof"?
Back to the original matter at hand: If anyone can tell me that they've seen a 10/2 piece of Romex ripped loose from the top of a water heater to the extent that it created a shock or fire hazard, well a six-pack on my tab might be in order.
I suppose that I should stop here before I develop a reputation. Wow, what a hijack!
