ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues Code Compliance and Ethics

A comment made in another thread has me reflecting on how we apply codes to our work.

“An inspector will never see this” is something I often hear. “We’re in the County and there are no permits or inspections” is a slightly less objectionable version. Possible the worst form of this is “I’m the boss and I tell you what to do.” (The latter is almost routine in industrial maintenance work.)

To simply say “Always follow code” isn’t an answer. We’ve all encountered situations where different rules conflict, where circumstances demand something not specified by any code, where a “code compliant” installation creates a hazard, or where following a particular code requirement is plainly absurd.

Your task gets ugly when you lack confidence in the information provided by the customer. I, for one, have had customers answer questions with what they “thought I wanted to hear,” with plainly dishonest answers the customer thought served his interests, and customers resist answering simply because they felt I had no need for the information. (Back when I drove taxi, I actually had customers assert it was not my business to know where they were going!)

I’ve witnessed several situations where code compliant solutions were either absurd — or even introduced hazards. As a rule, folks seem far more willing to “play the authority card” than to think things through. “Critical thinking” simply isn’t taught. Decision making is influenced by all manner of considerations that often interfere with doing a good job.

I’d like to hear some of your stories where you were confronted by these issues — and how things developed. Of particular interest are any situations where the best solution went “outside” the Code.

Reno,

A current conflict here with the adoption of the 2020 code involves EV chargers. Resi units that are cord and plug supplied by the various manufacturers, not the hard wired units.

NEC 210.8 (A) receptacles 120-250 volts require GFI protection. Outlet installed for EV plug in charger at 240 volt, 30 thru 50 amps falls into that range. Some EV units, within the mfg. install paperwork state "do not install unit on a GFI protected circuit". (Internal GF protection within the unit from factory)

Now, 110.3 (B) states 'follow mfg. instructions'......hmmmm...

A bit of confusion.

Do we (Inspectors) follow 210 or 110?? Does the EC follow 110 or 210??

Following 110, now I hear that the State is saying "NO" to 110, and 210 prevails, as it is more stringent than 110 regarding safety. OK!!

I hear some units that trip out the GFI CB, when the car is plugged in, and some that do not provide output to the car when plugged in.

So, do we say, 'at time of inspection a GFI CB was installed'?? Or ??

I can't think of any legitimate reason why a charger would trip a GFCI. If this was alleged I think I would be wanting to talk to the NRTL that listed it to see why it was listed. Tripping a GFCI is going to get back to a violation of 250-6

HotLine, those are good examples. I encountered a similar conflict when I ran heat tape on the plumbing in my crawl space.
IMO, shock protection is necessary. Far too many tradesmen have died when contacting energized ducts, etc., in crawl spaces. Think about it: here you are, wiggling under some pipe or duct, and you feel a jolt. What can you do? You’re stuck. No one near to help. Too bad.
NEC mandates GFCI protection in the 5-8mA range. The heat tape plug has integral 20mA GFCI protection, and instructions to NOT use an ordinary GFCI circuit. Apparently the heat tape leaks a bit in normal operation. Unless the run is quite short, code compliance will freeze your pipes.

Greg:

I don't have the mfg. paperwork, as it goes into the file folders for each job. One EV charger was for a BMW, and I had a lengthy conversation with a engineer from BMW North America.

Conversation went from 210, to 110 back & forth a few times, then on to 'what if it was hard wired and NOT a receptacle? 210 states 'receptacle' NOT 'outlet'. OK, but the unit is cord & plug from factory. NO, you can't cut the cap off, and convert it to 'hard wire' (Back to 110.3 (B). That unit was returned, and replaced with a unit that BMW, NA tested at their location here in NJ. Plug it in on the GFI protected outlet, no output. Swap out the CB plug it in and it works fine. ???? Now, I say I' between a rock & a hard place.

GF CB back in, at time of inspection, it was compliant. Beemer owner happy, I'm confused.

This sounds like a place where NFPA and the NRTL need to get on the same page. I suppose nothing will happen until we see some tombstones. I usually see this with "garage refrigerators". They trip the GFCI because there are internal shorts in the compressor but it is usually not enough to trip a regular breaker. It is pretty easy to see if you put a scope with a current probe on the EGC from the fridge. I did this to settle an argument with a neighbor. He said "OK you win, but it still works on a regular breaker and I am going with it".
It will also work if you break off the ground pin on the plug cap but that can be a shocking experience.