ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Violation Photo Forum Hazardous Location?

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<font color="#000000">Found this at a local gas station. This feeds the HID lighting for the fuel island. </font> <font color="#000000">A B-Cap is just visible, upside down and full of water, connected to the white wires. The black wire has a bare end that may have been fastened to the missing plate's screw, I guess it's the ground. Thought you Hazardous Location guys would appreciate this...

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Virgil Kelly (sparky66wv)

Virgil,

I Think I've been to this gas station. It is just up the road from the one that had a gasoline dispenser wired with Romex & since the built in switch was broken, had a plain old light switch to start the pump. Ain't electrical work in WV just great?

Tom

Tom,

Got Pictures?
That would be a good one!

Good pix 66'....it just looks like a regular jake too, not a class location one

The dispenser I mentioned was taken out of service after I pointed out the hazards to the owner. The installer of the dispenser (a gasoline wholesaler) felt theere was nothing wrong since he hasn't had any explosions, yet.

I've finally started carrying a camera around. Maybe if I make enough $$$ this year, I'll get a digital one.I do a lot of service calls & inspections so I get to see some real dandy work.

Tom

Hey, it's the same where ever you go,

Up here i went to a gas station call, self serve, the kid at the counter informed me people were getting "bit" from the nozzle

I got 33 volts to ground

taking the lower skins off, i found that when the pump had been replaced, none of the fitting were made up, and there was no ground wire

BUT...that station still holds a golden "explosion free" record...

Hey Tom, between us, with help from our location and "mining electricians" (flame magnet?) we should be able to keep as many violation photos up as Bill and Joe!

sounds like a challenge ...

Sparky,
re: your post of 1/28/01
I don't think the area in question would be Class 1 Division 1, I think it is Division 2 and if so the fitting in question would be ok for the area(if it didn't have splices and had a cover).
Don(resqcapt19)

Don;
I took it as being behind a pump on the island....

The conduit and jake are connected to the pillar that holds the canopy. The box to the left is a trash can, but the pumps are within 3 ft. of this area.

'66 & Bill

I guess it does sound like a challenge. I don't think I could afford to take pictures of all that I see. I absolutely have to get a digital camera.

Just so folks don't get a totally skewed idea about coal mine electricians. I wouldn't want their job. When they work underground, they are usually in total compliance with all state & federal mine electrical laws. It's just that they are weak on the NEC when they work aboveground.

By a strange quirk in the mining laws, I hold licenses good for all voltages, all locations. You won't catch me doing underground electrical work. My work would probably be as/more dangerous than what the coal miners do aboveground.

Tom,

I think the same is true in a lot of aspects of our trade. When going to trade school befor getting my license I was in class with experienced utility workers that worked with 13kv and more every day, but had no idea how to do anything inside the building.

By the way, if you should get a digital camera, don't try and go too cheap, do not get anything less than 1 megapixels resolution.

Bill

Sparky,
The only Div 1 areas are inside the pump cabinet and pits or other below grade areas. The area in question is Div 2 and Div 2 does not require explosionproof fittings.
Don(resqcapt19)

Don,this may be but......reading 501-5 section c , class 1 div 1 & 2 goes on about seals etc...
so the reality is if there is a seal, and your piping up the job, the Class 1, div 1 & 2 area's will probably be treated the same.

Sparky,
If you are installing explosion proof equipment in a Div 2 area you are losing a lot of money. The seal is permitted on either side of the boundary, so in this case it must be inside the pump as it is not outside(of course that would assume that a seal was actually installed as required). I work at a chemical plant and if my electricians are installing explosion proof fittings in the Div 2 areas, I'll soon go broke. In this case the area in question is Div 2 and there is no requirement to install explosion proof fittings in a Div 2 area. Your reference to 501-5(c) applies to the seals only. The wiring methods are in 501-4(a) for Div 1 and 501-4(b) for Div 2.
Don(resqcapt19)

I does say that Don, having done a number of gas stations, i will say that we have installed more explosionproof than required.

We even did up the tank monitors as such, an intrisically safe system!

So in reality, this did cost more than it should have. The problem with doing gas stations in an area of 3 states is that many "powers that be" view the job, not all as savey as you with the NEC.

So it's a small price to pay to keep the peace.