Only Bill knows the real story here!

A blast from the past!

Cables not properly clamped, and insufficient length of conductors in the box for a start.

Wires twisted wrong way, and the box is full and I doubt it's bonded. How is this all mounted? and is that a terminal screw that held on the plate/fixture? Looks like this was a connection that got added on to over the years. Could possibly have once held a bare bulb porcelian fixture. (see the scorch marks?) I'm assuming this was in a basement or attic. It looks like there were wirenuts so I guess the fixture is gone now.

[This message has been edited by sparked (edited 10-12-2003).]

We discussed the following once before, but if somebody would be kind enough to refresh my memory:

There appears to be a grounding conductor of smaller gauge than the others. When were these on the market?

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The photo is fairly consistent with what is often found in the houses in my area, that is, if they're not still knob-and-tube.

Hey, that looks familiar...

Sparked gave the answer I was looking for when I sent this picture to Joe a few years back. We posted it at that time and I don't think anyone noticed that the wires were twisted the wrong way.

When the cover was taken off this box the wirenuts fell out. Would twisting wires counter-clockwise ('wrong way') be an enforceable violation? What do you think?

Bill

In earlier days, romex was made with a smaller gage ground wire.
Since wire nuts use a coiled spring to attach themselves to the wire, turning them the "wrong way" would violate the listing, and they would likely fall off. Pre-twisting the wires the wrong way would not affect the wire nut.

I think you could make the case that pre-trwisting backwards negatively impacts the mechanical connection as the nut is installed. I think it is a violation.

Get out of my attic Joe!

I can't believe how familiar that is. All the wiring the previous owner added was done in this fashion. Tiny octogon JBs every 3 to 8 feet or so all connected with scrap cable. Of course, only use a JB for 3 or more cables... two cables can be spliced with electrical tape alone

Funny thing about home insurance... their only electrical concern is whether your main panel has fuses or breakers - and they take your word for it.

This was taken in a 'finished' basement before things were ripped out to do it right. It's amazing what people will add to an existing circuit just because it's there.

John,

From what I've seen when wires are pre-twisted the wrong way the wirenuts won't stay on when put on 'the right way'.

Bill

Hey! Where's the wirenuts?!

It's even better when you find a box like that installed with no lid on, in a pigeon infested attic. It's truly amazing what the alkaline pigeon cr** does to the copper wires.
I wish I'd taken pictures of the house, it was a rental my friend was thinking of taking and should have been '#1 Violation Alley', there were dozens of boxes like that, some with lids, some without (wirenuts optionally replaced with electrical tape in all cases), the old deadly 3-way systems with switched neutrals, wired in green #14 THWN running bare inside the lath/plaster walls, etc etc.

Getting back to this box, I can't see clearly, but I am imagining the twisted grounds probably aren't connected to the box metalwork either?