I was in the paint department at the local “box store” and I noticed how power was supplied to the paint counter. Please note the EMT that drops from a roof truss and terminates in the top of the panel. Ceilings in this type of construction (“tilt-up”) typically have about 23- feet of clearance between the bottoms of the trusses and the floor. As you can see, the conduit lacks any support, and the length of EMT is clearly over ten feet. That makes for two separate violations: too much distance between supports and no support near the termination. Nearby the HVAC guy ran his line by attaching it to the white “pipe” you see coming down. Appearance is deceiving - that is NOT a substantial pipe. What you see is a single small (water?) pipe covered with insulation then wrapped in a plastic jacket. (The second picture shows an air conditioner line set under construction so you can see how the insulation is applied).
Here’s the issue: Due to the design of these buildings there really is no way to properly support such “drops.” My third picture shows some power cords passing through the ceiling of the local polling place. While this manner of dropping cords violates a different part of the NEC (and I probably violated Federal election taking the picture!), the issue is similar. That is, the construction method and building design preclude any practical way to both meet code AND retain the advantages intended by the architect.
In this respect I think the various code writers have chosen to ignore reality and hide behind such platitudes as “listed assemblies” and “authority having jurisdiction.” They address the matter by passing it off to someone else.
