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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2
R
Junior Member
Hi all,
Im a maint guy at an Army installation. I do a lot of electrical work as part of my job. The main building I work in was built in 1945 and has had a couple of rewire jobs in the past. Overhead busses were installed and 225 amp panelboards replaced screw-in fuse panels...then it was all hooked in to the OLD stuff! This is typical- Got a call to look at a "sparking outlet" went and looked at it, found 2 duplex 115v recpticles in a square box. Decided to lock it all out. Had to trace back to a 100 amp CB on the overhead buss that i then locked out. Started taking covers off and looking at stuff. very loose neutral on recepticles, recepticles broken, traced wire back to screw-in fuse panel just passed through that and was attached to the line side of a 100 amp,3ph, fused safety switch. I removed the wire. On the load side of the same switch, I found 2 #8 wires going to a heater. removed them too. Same heater had a couple of #12 wires stuck into a male extension cord end and this was plugged in to start the fan. I cut it too. Where does a person draw the line when nothing is right? Is some of this old stuff "grandfathered" in? This is my first post, will have more! Thanks

Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 681
P
Member
Frank

Sounds like you are going to be a full time demo guy.

Pierre


Pierre Belarge
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2
R
Junior Member
It would be better to put a nice new service panel in where that old safety switch is- it's for the screw-in fuse panel,(all 30 amp fuses on 20 amp circuits). I could have breakers! Get everything grounded! I have some conduit with extension cord in it. The conduit is held up by tying the cord off to other conduit and with coat hangers. This all is in a dyno room where engines are tested-all kinds of flammable stuff around.
Frank

Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 123
P
Member
I would recommend they have a certified electrician look at their building. I assume your country has military electricians like Canada.
It may probably be less expensive, in the long run, to have the whole building replaced.

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
S
Member
many a sparky retians old code books to verify as best we can the validity of 'existing' older wiring.

for instance, if a home was wired in 1956 and incorporates ungrounded wiring, is it to code?

a change of useage (such as the introducion of flammables) should call for an update here

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 402
J
Member
Quote
Same heater had a couple of #12 wires stuck into a male extension cord end

I don't think you will find this one in any code book.


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