Picture submitted by royal12136:

First off, I'd cite 210-52(c)(5), as this is not located in a readily accessable spot.

Also 210-8(a)(6), GFI protection for kitchens.

Can 110-12 apply here as well?

(All above from '99 NEC)

One question Tim,
Has that Duplex been sawn off to fit above the bench?.
It's just that the splash-back looks awfully close to the wall.

Looks to me like the backsplash is a recent addition.

The duplex might have been there for a long time, and if it was installed previous to the requirement for GFCI protection, it is not a violation, although a suggestioncould be made to add the protection. It also could be a downstream device from a GFI receptacle or C/B.

Looks like it's time to take a chain saw to the backsplash, and let the countertop guy fix the results

As far as I can tell, the receptacle has been cut off at the top of the backsplash. The countertop was installed in the 70's and there is no gfi's in the house. As it is I have found only one circuit with a ground.
I plan on trying to remove the receptacle this coming weekend when I have more time.
Thanks for the responses.
Tim

Thank the Lord for that,
So my eyesight isn't as poor as first thought!.
Mind you, that's not a "field-modification" I'd like to see catch on.
It's anyones guess what's behind that splash-back then!.

Other than gfi protection, if that counter is not secured no violation.

The plumbing pipes connected to the sink probably makes that counter not movable, so in a sense it's secured. Presumidly that box could be rotated and mounted sideways to allow full access to both outlets per code.

What is the requirement for full access to both outlets?

How about the requirement for the box itself to be accessible?

So let me get this straight, did someone actually HACKSAW this receptacle in half?

How can you possibly do that without the thing shattering into a million pieces? I mean the plastics used to make the shell of these things are sturdy, but I doubt they'd take such abuse!

It looks more to me like someone just built the backsplash against an existing receptacle.

Hmm,
This pic may explain a few things.

One more from royal12136:

OH.....MY ...... GOD!!

I don't even wanna know how long it took them to mutilate the socket like that.

I am finding a lot of interesting things with this old house (1920's).
Both receptacles were still hot, the lower one was taped over with electrical tape and Teflon tape. I guess that made it waterproof. No ground to be found, which I figured. It is planned to completely rebuild the house when I finish my apprenticeship in about 3 years. I had a service upgrade last year, so I at least know that is good.

Sven,
There is a term we use here in NZ for people that do this sort of thing.
We call them BUTCHERS.
you don't see it very often though.
Thank the Lord!!.

[Leviton Help Desk]
Hello, how may we help you?[/Leviton Help Desk]

Yes, may I have your Texas Chainsaw outlet department?

Seriously... In the time it took to saw that outlet like that, one could've likely flipped the box sideways under the window...

Or perhaps.... maybe... Just maybe...
... Measure the height of the outlets before building the counter and blacksplash??

I was once told that you could not make something "fool proof" for long, as they kept coming out with better fools!

I've seen this sort of situation several times- the backsplash encountering the receptacle- but every handyman seemed to solve the dilema by trimming the backsplash.

Another solution- not code-compliant, but a definite improvement over this HACK saw job, would have been to replace that duplex with a single receptacle.

I came across this situation once. My solution was very creative.

Both cables came in from below. Both were AC cable, in internal clamps. There was no slack in the wall, and no access from the basement.

I cut open the sheetrock, since they were planning a new backsplash anyway. I connected the two cables into a duplex connector, screwed that into a rigid coupling, which I secured to a 4x4 box with a chase nipple. This gave me a 1.75" rise, without compromising the grounding, and left a whopping 4" of conductor in the box, which I pigtailed to a GFCI.

Not ideal, I know, but what else can you do?

WHAT THE HECK! Somebody actually did that just to make it fit!?! I'd rather take the saw to the backsplash!

'Round here we call that Yankee inginuity!

Strange how the opposite ends of the planet use the same terms Trumpy

Used to see them a lot in the early 90s here when I was working as a carpet fitter, people would ask if we could just carpet over the outlet on the stair riser that was ok to bury because they'd used filler on the holes...

Or the 'can you bury this length of zip wire under the carpet [usually 0.25mm sq, or around 20AWG].. we're planning to install a socket on that wall for the computer."

[frank confession]
I am afraid I'd lie to them (with the best motives). I'd relate the story of the house that burned down as a result of that kind of event. Yes it's happened, but I hadn't seen it first hand, I am sure many others on this board have though, but relating it in the first person usually changed their minds. In any case we'd refuse to put cables under the carpet, unless for speakers or telephone, and even then with the caveat 'it won't last'.
[/frank confession]

If I had a nickel for every time I've gone troubleshooting a bad phone line and traced it to where a cable has been run across a carpet, or jammed under the end of the gripper rod to get through a doorway......

Jeez I've lived & worked in small Pacific Island nations and I've never seen cables run under carpet !

Man I am at a loss of words...

When my parents remodeled their kitchen back in the late 80's they ordered a new counter top which was going to cover up the one and only receptacle on that side of the kitchen. (house was built in '48)

My dad ended up relocating the receptacle much higher up on the wall and moved it from the corner of the wall towards the center some.

No my old man was never an electrician, we have what's called "perfectionism" in us...which means we don't "cut corners or bottoms with hacksaws "...

The thing that really disturbs me is that I can picture the look on they guys face that did that to the receptical. He was probably really proud of himself for being able to "custom fit" the installation - a real problem-solver!

I hope he's sterile...

Hopefully the guy who did this would have the sense to at least de-electrify the bottom half when the top half was alive by breaking off the connector tab.

Still a hack job though.

He didn't break the tab on the neutral side, that we can see. Why is it so many idiots think it's OK for them to modify electrical wiring, devices, etc? I mean, cmon, we dont charge all THAT much.