ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Ballfield Violations #1

Bill,
Thanks for posting these !!Maybe someday I'll figure out how to do it myself.(Never had any puter training,just push buttons till something either works or crashes) I thought some of these photos of the wiring at our local park were bad......Geez,I just got home from a tournament at Spring Klein(8:30 game).Half the field lights were out when I got there.A well known contractor, out of Houston was there working on it.Turns out one of the splices on an overhead run had burnt in two.
11 disconnects for the service and a 1/2"ground rod surrounded by a 6 ft cyclone fence that allowed about 24"clearance in front of disconnects, feeding one helluva an overhead rats nest.Scary also when I watched the serviceman run his extension ladder up through the middle of this mess(most still energized)to repair the splice.We have a day light game Sat.so I'll take pics of that service.

The first 2 pics.shows a mess of j-boxes that uses a little of every type wiring method,including some set screw connectors.Somewhere out of this mess is the feed for the ex.cord coming out of the ground in pic.3 that is used for the pitching machine( pretty sure its not gfci protected }
Pic.4---gfi rec., pvc pipe broken,no ground wire
Pic.5--box pulled loose from wall
Pic.6--Overhead to canopy lights spliced using blue Buchanan wire nuts

Txsparky:
You bring up a question regarding power to a pitching machine that I have never been able to resolve in my mind. At our local ballpark, the receptacle (similar to the one you show here) is wired to a 12/3 SO cable (and hides in a "water meter box" buried near the mound (no plumbing inside, just electric). When not in use, their MO is to wrap plastic around the receptacle, stuff the whole affair in the meter box, and turn off the circuit...sometimes (an ordinary 15a non-GFCI breaker). Naturally this meter box fills up with water, dirt, grass clippings, etc. It's a horrible setup. How is something like this accomplished in a professional, code-compliant manner, beside using extension cords (trip hazard) or a battery-powered device?

Mike (mamills)

Mike,
I don't think a tripping hazard compares to a shock hazard ! There has got to be a better way.
In the cord pix,you can see a romex conn.about 18"after the the cord comes out of the ground.There may be a box under there somewhere.

You know, there is no NEMA protocols that take into consideration physical abuse.
Of course, there are damage-resistant products sold to prisons, etc., but I'm not aware of any "standards." Maybe someone can enlighten me?
I also note that the NEC doesn't really address the issue, either. Don't you think that physical hazards, whether from fly balls or forklifts, ought to be considered?