Is this near the coast or a high humidity region? Quite a lot of rust there. Almost looks like black gas pipe.

What does it feed?

From the looks of it, that security camera off to the right.

Now that you mentioned it, those other wires acting as a strain-relief look like they would be a video feed. I can't tell if they come out of the top of the box or run behind it.

I didn't see those wires anywhere besides the top of the box, so I don't think they were tucked behind the conduit. This building is over 30 years old, so this could very well be that old, and Maryland is a high humidity region duing the summer.

I believe that those wires are indeed for the camera. Seeing as how it's a dome camera, one of the cables delivers the video signal back to the security office, and the other handles camera movement (rotation, etc).

Not that it's correctly-done, but I agree that the gray and black wires look like camera wiring. Of course, the fact that an orange extension cord is connected like that, with no in-use cover, in an area with heavy sunlight is the bigger issue.

I'll bet that is a cheapo import extension cord (most colored ones are). There's probably 50 feet of it coiled up on the roof, sitting in puddles, exposed to maximum UV and probably sun bleached/cracked all over it's length by now. I am also confident that the receptacle isn't GFI protected, I mean this installation would have to be plagued with nuisance tripping if it was.

I am sure that their excuse for this will be one of the following:

"Yes, we know. It hasn't been approved to be done correctly until our next budget comes around";

"The guy who did it said he would come back to do it right but never did";

"The maintenance department is working on it";

"Maintenance says that they are waiting for special-order parts";

"It's so high up, nobody can get shocked from it way up there";

"What's wrong with it? It is a grounded extension cord".

[This message has been edited by EV607797 (edited 01-08-2007).]

It is possible that it is camera wires. What grabbed my attention at first was the cord that looked as if it had been there for years. Its a little hard to see clearly from the ground, its about 25' up, behind a fence. As a matter of fact, I would have SWORN I saw a green wrapped up in that jumble, until I took the photo and blew it up some

Not that it's correctly-done, but I agree that the gray and black wires look like camera wiring. Of course, the fact that an orange extension cord is connected like that, with no in-use cover, in an area with heavy sunlight is the bigger issue.
I'll bet that is a cheapo import extension cord (most colored ones are). There's probably 50 feet of it coiled up on the roof, sitting in puddles, exposed to maximum UV and probably sun bleached/cracked all over it's length by now. I am also confident that the receptacle isn't GFI protected, I mean this installation would have to be plagued with nuisance tripping if it was.

I am sure that their excuse for this will be one of the following:

"Yes, we know. It hasn't been approved to be done correctly until our next budget comes around";

"The guy who did it said he would come back to do it right but never did";

"The maintenance department is working on it";

"Maintenance says that they are waiting for special-order parts";

"It's so high up, nobody can get shocked from it way up there";

"What's wrong with it? It is a grounded extension cord".

[This message has been edited by EV607797 (edited 01-08-2007).]


The one I hear all time that wasn't mentioned

"But sir, it's only temporary"