This came in my mailbox today. I don't do much work in this city and they must of sent it to all their registered electrical contractors.

The first picture is a no brainer.

The 2nd picture now....Idk. I guess technically it's not meeting requirements, but its how the box is designed. This is gonna be a bummer for the guy who bangs up a house full of plastic nail-ons.

Discuss?

We had this discussion before about the back of a plastic box that ends up within 1.25" of the back wall. The only way I see them justifying this is that the cable entries are in the back of the box so the cable is <1.25" from the edge of the framing.
It would be an interesting question if someone went through a KO in the middle of the box, not the rear edge. You could still shoot a screw into the box but I am not sure there is any language to stop the installation.
Another work around might be to nail up a scrap of 2x lumber, then screw the box to that. A screw shot through the drywall would still hit the box but it would have to be >1.5" off target.

A rocker is usually better than that but a home owner, hanging a picture or something, not so much.

I just looked up that ICC code section and it is lifted from 110.27(B).


I am not sure where they get "1.25" tho

Greg do you have a link to the previous discussion?

https://www.electrical-contractor.net/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/214299/Protection.html#Post214299

First off, I object to the editing of the picture. The town, as a public authority, has no expectation of privacy - and matters of law are public concerns.

If Mayor Dweezil of Smalltown wants to be a jerk, he should be exposed to as much public scrutiny as possible.

This exposure is one of the things that inhibits public officials from getting too big for their britches.

Likewise, our "national codes" are neither national nor codes. The locality is the authority, and is free to adopt whatever rules they like.

As I better learn the NEC, I continue to be amazed at what is allowed. There are loads of things that you would assume are banned, things that are actually either not addressed, or are actually allowed. (Example? Splicing in panels).

Alas, we are often in competition with 'code minimum' types, who push the limits so often that folks sometimes even assume that a 'better' way is forbidden. (Example? Identifying circuits anywhere except the factory-provided card on the panel door).

The requiring of disconnects at the meter is so common as to be assumed a requirement - yet, the NEC continues to have language that allows extensive runs of un-fused service conductors within a building.

Whether Romex is heaven-sent, or the devil's design, is a debate still not settled in the NEC. Can you spell A F C I?

Teslas comments within the above linked thread about the screw into the back of a panel is classic.

The 'Codes' cannot make everything idiot proof.

As to the plastic box issue, IMHO stretching the words of the code to suit an opinion.

Thousands of plastic boxes in many new resi jobs, and I am not aware of any issues.

The link posted and the thread created by George is for the same city I am posting about. City of Berkley, MI.

This is one of the parts I hate about electrical. No matter how long you have been doing it or how much you know you can never guarantee to be right.

Someone is always going behind you with their interpretation, or a certain city code, etc. and if they don't like it, you have to correct it, even if they are wrong.

I called the city on this to get info on who to contact if I disagreed, she told me to write the state cause its code. After telling her, its not the state, its only her city, she gave me the city planners email. I probably won't write anything, this has clearly been discussed between the 2 inspectors and the decision made. No email will make a difference.

Trick:
Just a side note..
Many years back, I installed a gray, old work, deep, plastic box in a bathroom for a GFI.

My GC called, said I failed rough inspection. I went to the site, found a red sticker in the bath 'box not bonded'!

I called the town, spoke to the inspector, told him 'it's plastic'! He said...it's not blue, it's metal, bond it!!

After some thought, I drilled and tapped the back of the box and installed a green screw & bond. IMHO, it was not worth delaying the job to prove a point.

I too have bonded a plastic exit sign. (Whatever you want Detroit.)

Its like, yes these boxes are within 1.25" and a screw could go threw it. The number of times this occurs is low. Do we need to spend $$$,$$$, to try and save $$?

I guess a whole new product needs to be created to meet code.

A rule like this hinders our ability to do excellent work.

Eg. Nicer homes we will tend to use 20cube boxes. This just gives us room for anything. Dimmer, gfci, nightlight, fan control... it does not matter, we have room. The tiny box upgrade costs pennies.

Now if I wanted to do that... metal boxes or nail plates. Now I'm doing this for dollars.

Simple, clean, quality would be too easy for us. Lets muck it up. Probably push this into the 2017 code book.

If I was caught like that I would send you an apology, taped to a box of doughnuts and I would go back and amend my inspection report.
You can't stand up when you are right if you refuse to back off and admit when you are wrong.

I have to admit I had not seen that many gray PVC boxes before but I was never confused that they were metal. I just wondered if there was something different about them. In the end I figured out Slater just decided their boxes should be "slate" colored to differentiate them from Carlon.
Otherwise "same old, same old".

It did help me a lot that I had the time to talk to the contractors about things like this and I really enjoyed the banter. I understand the time pressures on your usual Muni inspectors may not allow that. That is also why I prefer the electrical contractor trade organization (ECF) that has inspector members more than the IAEI that is just crusty old inspectors.

Grounding the plastic boxes??

Sigh...these types of inspectors make me glad that I'm hopelessly trapped in the metallic conduit world known as Chicago.

A little more on that box....
Blue boxes where common, both nail on and old work.
The counter guy at the local supply house (long out of business) said, 'check out these 'new' old work boxes, 20+ cubes, sturdy, nice wings, etc. 'Wow, they are grey!!

I just guess that the inspector thought the 'gray' was metal. He did not accept the phone call that it was plastic, seemed to be set on the fact, so to save time, and not have to sit around and wait for a re-inspect, I did what I did.

I don't know if Slater was absorbed by Legrand but they are selling gray boxes too

If I was being a smart alec I think I would have "bonded" this box with weed eater string and a plastic binder post.

I have seen plastic boxes with metal hangers that had a bonding tab, just for bonding the steel framing members (a Florida rule). I looked through my junk box and I can't come up with one but I did come up with a gray Slater old work box and a nail up.

When I'm wearing my inspector hat, I enforce the intent of the code. Granted there's the gray areas that will always and ever open for interpretation. By working together with the electrician, I have always good success on clearing things up. Sometimes my perspective is not the correct one.

Do you bond plastic boxes with green nylon pullstring?