When the bubble covers first came out ( 1991?), I thought they were the neatest thing. Heck, I had even aquired a few of the samples submitted for testing. Why, I could think of several places - sprinkler timer comes to mind - where they were just what I wanted.
Yet, I never countenanced this bubble mania that has infected the NEC; indeed, prior to the creation of the 'bubbles' there were several models available whose covers, properly installed, acted as 'umbrellas' when open. I had no doubt that these covers would pass the 'rain test.'
For those who don't know, there are several 'rain tests' in the ANSI standards. However they are arranged, one thing is common: falling droplets fall at a 15-20 degree angle from the vertical. "Pass" is defined by the failure of water to accumulate to troublesome levels.
In the 15+ years since ... think of it as 5 code cycles ... we've seen the code expand to where they are almost the only covers allowed in wet areas. This is countered by increasing recognition, in the field, of the limitations of the covers.
As an example, EVERY Taymac I've installed has been trashed by the first person to attempt to open it ... the opening means isn't obvious or user-friendly at all. Indeed, the latching mechanism of any of the covers is one of the causes for annoyance; folks don't like having to wiggle them 'just so' to open them - they want them to open with a simple lifting motion.
There's the issue of the covers not having enough space for any but the smallest plugs, attached to the lightest of cords. Fine for Christmas lights, not so good for that #10-SO extension cord you made. Let alone if anything you use - like that sprinkler timer - has a transformer ("Wall wart") in the plug.
One thing that can't really be avoided - though Taymac really tried! - is that the covers project out ... raising both aesthetic and stumbling issues.
I am now convinced that the NEC needs to get out of the "bubble cover" business. With hindsight, I think we all got carried away, and confused "best" with "good enough." I think that use of a bubble cover is more of a design issue, than a code matter.
A recent picture circulated in the trade press showed, as their 'violation' photo, a receptacle behind some vending machines. This installation highlights the issue pretty well. The machines themselves are both a blessing and a curse; they keep folks away from the receptacle, and protect the receptacled from the weather. Yet, add a bubble cover, and you can't push the machines back nearly as much as before - enough to now make the machines much easier for folks to move, stuff trash behind, etc. Placing the machines is also very likely to damage the covers.
In the vending machine example, as well as many others, the bubble covers just aren't working.
